Pipes became obstacles as I tried not to stumble over them in the dark. I gripped a tall pipe like a stripper on a pole and swung around, kicking him in the head. When I let go and landed, his fangs locked onto my left arm. Panic set in when he thrashed his head and tugged the leather, tearing it to shreds. I brought down my dagger, but he spotted it and dashed off.
I wound up cutting my own arm.
“Dammit!” As I stalked toward him, I noticed Christian perched like a vulture on the raised doorway. “Get your ass down here if you want a piece of this.”
“Oh, I’ll get a piece of that later, Precious.” He gave me a crooked smile, his trench coat splayed behind him, his knees drawn up and arms folded over them.
Damn if I didn’t want to impress him. It wasn’t just my lover watching me—it was a professional who had spent hours in the training room with me.
I sensed a dim energy from the other side of the roof. After sheathing my large blade, I gripped the two push daggers secured to my belt. The blades protruded between my fingers, the handles fitting snugly in my closed fists.
Toenails scraped against the asphalt as the beast sprinted toward me. I braced myself, and seconds before he leaped into the air, I fell onto my back. As he sailed over me, I drove my daggers into his sides, and the force of motion ripped the blades down his flank.
He yelped, and for a split second, I felt pity.
But then I remembered what these men had done, why we were here. When I flipped over, I stared at a naked man on the ground. He was a giant. By the time I sprang to my feet, he’d shifted back to a wolf. I flashed toward him, dropped to my knees, and drove the daggers through his skull.
The beast made one final lunge, but death came swiftly. He smothered me with his weight, groaned, and then his thundering heart finally came to a stop.
A slow applause sounded. “Well done, Raven. The daggers were a nice touch.”
I shoved the animal off and sat up. “You can’t shift with daggers in your skull—not unless you want brain damage.”
Christian extended his arm and helped me up. “That was the smart way to go about it. Torturing a man like that is a pleasure, but you have to know when you’re at a disadvantage.”
“Disadvantage? I had the upper hand.”
“He was twice your size. I saw you stumbling about in the dark. One misstep, and you would have tumbled off the roof.”
I frowned at my torn jacket. “Heights don’t bother me—I wouldn’t have fallen. But he wasn’t shifting to heal the little stuff, and look at him. He’s a moose. He probably could have shifted a dozen times before getting weak. That’s why I had to finish him off quick.”
“And tell me why you didn’t sizzle him up with your battery juice?”
“I’m already tired from flashing. It would have weakened me more.”
“Good girl. If I could give you a pointer—next time, go for the eyes. It’s far easier to gouge out an animal’s eyes than a man’s.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“Aye. But this isn’t a competition where the winner gets a trophy. It’s a game of survival.” He folded his arms. “Your technique is improving.”
“I just wish I hadn’t sipped on that guy’s blood downstairs. I feel sick to my stomach.”
“We should go back down.”
I jerked my daggers out of the wolf. “Thanks for letting me fight alone.”
“You’re thanking me for not interfering? Is this the same Raven who called me to help her with bears?”
I wiped the blood on the wolf’s coat before sheathing the daggers. “That was different, and you know it.”
“And that’s why I took a front-row seat. ’Tis a shame I didn’t have any popcorn.”
I put my arm around his waist as we walked. “You haven’t had popcorn in decades. What if you choked on a kernel?”
“Don’t you know CPR?”
“I think you mean the Heimlich maneuver. Don’t worry, I would serve popcorn at your funeral.”
