“I already toured Europe in my twenties, thanks.Don’t let me stop you from doing that, though.”
Looking up at the overcast sky, I see no blurry outline of the sun and no blue skies.The thick fog swirling around us feels like lacy rain on my skin.
The smell of decaying foliage rises up my nose, tickling and tantalizing me to imprint the memory of its fragrance in my mind.Somewhere in the forest of tall, black pines that tower behind me, I hear birds singing.It’s a symphony of sound, territorial but melodic at the same time.
The slap and creak of boats on the water.The whistling wind as it blows the last of the fall leaves in ragged, brown flurries.The taste of shampoo as strands of my hair whip into my mouth.
I love being human.And I wouldn’t want to miss a single step of my human experience.
Just like Tempest.
Wulf attempts to change my mind.“But I need you more than Shadow ever could.He’s a creature of the night.Only I understand you, Luna.”
Stepping away from him, I pull the folded scrap of paper out of my bra and open it.
“I used my phone to translate this, Wulf.”I hold the paper in his face so he has to read the pencil marks.
LUNA
????
LOVE
“See, Wulf?Shadow doesn’t need me for his own selfish reasons.Helovesme.And I love him, too.And if I have to give my last drop of blood to save other women from dying, then I will die for him, too.I’m making this choice of my own free will.”
My cousin’s coaxing expression and reasonable mood changes on a dime.
My dad’s self-defense lessons kick in.
Put as much distance as you can between you and your attacker without taking your eyes off them.
I take several steps back.
Use any sharp object as a weapon.Hairclip, keys, or pen.
I withdraw the knife I asked Tallie to buy for me on the mainland.I had it hidden in the waistband of my jeans under my jacket.
Remember to hold the weapon in a way that allows you to thrust upwards in a short, sharp stabbing motion, not downwards.Downward thrusts are the easiest to block.
Hefting the knife, I thrust it back and forth in Wulf’s direction.The blade is made from metal extracted from a meteor and forged in an artisanal blacksmith’s fire.It’s hard enough to pierce undead skin.
“Wulf!Don’t come any?—”
He moves so fast, it’s a blur.He has me in his clutches.His mouth is on my neck.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a nightmarish shape launching itself out of the black water.The monster from my worst dreams.Wet, slimy, and gaunt.
Shadow as a vampire is terrifying.
Wulf breaks away from me.The two of them square up.The air crackles with hate and fury.
Falling to my knees, I watch as the blurry shapes try to annihilate each other.
Shadow pins Wulf to the deck.They howl at one another, fangs bared, fists balled like large hammers.More deadly blows as Shadow allows the warrior animal inside him to come out.
No more Mister Nice Guy.
I find that funny for some funny, funny, funny reason…
