His mouth twitches.“Right.”
I shift the blanket nervously.“I want to feel it again.On purpose.”
Silas’s eyes darken, not with danger but with something deep and primal that makes my pulse skip.
“Are you sure?”he asks, his voice rougher than ever before.
I nod.“Yes.”
He shifts until he is on his hands and knees before he moves closer, slow, and deliberate.He stops when he’s only a few inches away.I can feel his heat.His scent.His power.
My breath catches.
“Take my hand,” he whispers.
I lift my trembling fingers toward him.When our skin touches, the bond flares.Heat, light, pressure, and warmth all tangle together.A soft pull forms in my chest like something inside me is finally exhaling.
My leopard pushes up inside me, rubbing against the connection, curious and bold.Something inside Silas answers—his dire wolf, massive, ancient, and protective.The bond flickers between us like sparks jumping between two stones.
I gasp.
Silas inhales sharply.“Aria...”
It’s overwhelming.Beautiful and terrifying at the same time.I lean closer without thinking, drawn to him by something older than instinct, older than fear.
“I want...”
The words barely leave my mouth before a sound cuts through the forest.
A scream followed by an explosion.
Silas goes rigid.“Hunters,” he snarls.
Another explosion shakes the air again, rattling the leaves above us.Smoke spirals upward from the direction of the compound.
Peyton.
Fear slams into me so hard I nearly choke.Silas is already moving, muscles bunching, dire wolf energy surging like a tsunami under his skin.
“Stay behind me,” he orders, but I’m already on my feet, blanket forgotten, adrenaline tearing through my veins.
“Aria!”His voice cracks sharp.“Stop...”
But I can’t.
My body moves before I think.My leopard surges, claws scraping the inside of my bones, ready to rip her way free again.
Peyton is somewhere in the compound, close to that explosion.Peyton, who smiled at me.Peyton, who gave me clothes.Peyton, who cared even when she didn’t know me.Peyton ...the closest thing I’ve had to a friend in a long time.
I won’t let them hurt her.I run.Branches whip past me, the ground blurs under my feet, and my heart hammers against my ribs like it wants out.
Silas’s footsteps thunder behind me, faster and heavier, gaining ground, but I don’t stop.I can’t.The compound comes into view through the trees.
Smoke.Fire.Shouts, growls, and gunfire all blending into a cacophony of noise.Hunters in black gear swarm the clearing, weapons aimed, moving with precision.They meant this.They planned it.Their attack is too coordinated, too precise.
My blood turns to ice and my breath catches.
“Aria!”Silas’s voice is a roar behind me.
