Page 41 of Dead Wolf Rising (Bad Moon Academy 3)

“What kind of question is that?”

“Oh, come on. There must be one you like best.” She rests her hand on the edge of a shelf and turns to face me.

I hold her gaze, and shake my head. “Books are so diverse, it’s hard to compare them. They all give me what I want.”

“An escape?” she guesses, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Exactly.” I jut my chin in the direction of the books. “All of those words, all of those people, and all of those worlds help me in a thousand different ways. Non-fiction might be boring to some, but there are so many interesting things to be discovered about the real world. Fiction on, the other hand, provides a much-needed escape from reality. You see, they’re so much more than books to me. They were my everything.”

She steps closer, her fingers fidgeting with the edges of her shirt. “Were?”

I snatch her wrist and drag her closer. “Now I have two everythings.”

Before she can say another word, I steal a kiss, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction when she softens against me and presses in to me. If it weren’t for the vampires and Peter, I’d be well on my way to undressing her, but as things are, I can’t in good conscious distract her with sex. She needs to be ready to fight.

So, for now, I devour her lips like they’re the air I need to breathe.

* * *

RAVEN

It’s a quarter to noon when Blaze bursts into the library, bright yellow eyes burning into me as he stomps over.

“He’s close.”

Wrinkling my brow, I set the book I’d been mindlessly flipping through aside and stand.

“How do you know?”

Blinking, he taps the side of his head. “Use your senses. Expand your focus and you’ll feel it.”

Talk about vague. Knowing he won’t give me more to go on, I set my shoulders back and breathe in. On my exhale, I channel the same sense I use to read the bond. It expands in an invisible reach, stretching in front of me.

The alpha in front of me burns like white hot fire, blinding me to everything and everyone else. I step around him, putting my back to him and focus again. Like a heat signature, I register Layla and Penelope sitting on a couch, Carter and Everett running around the property, Adler soaring through the sky, and the twins walking around on the second floor. Passing over the vampires and hunter, I continue to feel around the property. There’s no one else that I can sense inside the gates.

Extending past the property line, I breathe in again, exhaling and pushing through the trees. Birds, rabbits, insects. They’re like sprinkles of rain before a storm. So small and light it’s almost like they don’t exist at all. Something heavy presses against me, as if shoving against my perusal.

This presence is familiar. Tainted with vile words, ugly thoughts, and insatiable hunger for more. Peter’s essence is slimy, not like Death’s power, more like I stuck my hand in a vat of bacon grease and there’s not enough soap in the world to wash it away. He’s only about ten miles away now, but with his supe speed he’ll be here in a matter of minutes.

“I can sense him,” I whisper, turning to look at Blaze.

His dark hair is messy, like he’s been raking his hands through it, and the bags under his eyes speak of sleep deprivation.

“Ten minutes.” His gaze bores into me, and I nod at the reminder.

I have ten minutes to kill Peter before he does it for me.

Are you ready?

I was born ready, bitch. I’m going to destroy this fucker,Joan says and snaps her teeth.

Be careful. He’s strong. We haven’t fought in our wolf form yet, and I can’t lose you.

Not to mention, if she dies, so do I. Even though things have been fucked up for a while now, I’m starting to enjoy my new life. Especially since Jinx is gone.

A sharp howl breaks through the silence, blanketing the library with dread, ripping off the false sense of security I’d fallen into and reminding me that death is always near.

Rolling out my neck, I head out of the library, stopping short when I see all five of my men standing on the other side of the door.

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