Page 230 of Untamed Fate (Magic Side: Wolf Bound 2)

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Heart pounding, I searched the trees for any sign of what Jaxson had seen,

but all I saw were the same strange birds from earlier. I glanced around at

Jaxson, whose hand was still covering my mouth, and gave him my best what

the fuck look.

His body stiffened, and his gaze was locked on something behind me.

Slowly, I turned my head, focusing on the trees. Still, I saw nothing, but then

the slightest movement caught my eye.

At first, it was too subtle to make out its form, but when it moved again,

my brain finally processed what I was seeing: a squat, hunched body, no

more than five feet tall, with arms that hung to the ground. As it moved, its

skin shifted and blended with the foliage, making it virtually impossible to

see. Where there should have been hands, there were two hooked, obsidian

talons.

I jerked backward into Jaxson, stifling the squeak that tried to rip from

my throat. My claws and muscles ached as my wolf jumped in my chest, but

Jaxson pressed his magic into my back, and I relaxed slightly.

Shit, Cavra hadn’t said anything about these things. What else was

lurking out here?

Movement to our left revealed a second creature rooting around under a

rotten trunk. Something told me that that was what those hideous claws were

for.

Jaxson slowly released his hand from my mouth and motioned for me to

follow. We slipped back around the head of the ruined bust, keeping a wary

eye on those things.

Apart from the shrill squawks of the birds and the skuttling of things in

the underbrush, the jungle was quiet, which meant those creatures hadn’t seen

us. Probably.

The glowing lights that had been guiding us were long gone, and there

was no telling in which direction the bloodstone lay. Still, Jaxson pushed

forward, and I followed wordlessly.

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