His form started to blur—the shift coming.
"Next time, you can still protect them?"
Before the words died, he blurred into a streak of gray-white and bolted for the exit.
Running?
My body began to change. Spine lengthening, limbs hitting the ground, silver fur rippling through my skin, gleaming in the moonlight. The shift took less than three seconds. I was already out of the mine.
Ahead, Finn's wolf form weaved through the trees at blistering speed.
Not fast enough.
I launched off all fours, leaving a crater in the dirt. My body shot forward like an arrow. The gap closed fast.
Finn glanced back. His blood-red wolf eyes flashed with surprise.
He hadn't expected this.
I opened my jaws, fangs bared, and clamped down on his hind leg. My teeth pierced fur, sank into muscle, scraped bone. Finn screamed—the sound sharp enough to shatter glass.
He whipped around, front paw slamming into my head. The force knocked me loose. I flew backward and crashed into a tree trunk. My ribs screamed.
Damn it. His strength was off the charts. The vampire genes had rebuilt him.
Finn didn't run. He turned and came at me. He'd given up on escape. If he couldn't run, he'd fight to the death.
I sprang up just before he landed and dodged. His claws raked the tree trunk, carving five deep grooves. I lunged from the side, aiming for his flank—
But he was faster. He kicked off his hind legs and flipped clean over my head. The second he landed, his tail whipped around like a lash and cracked across my face.
Shit!
My vision blurred. Blood filled my mouth.
Finn pounced. His paws pinned my shoulders, slamming me to the ground. His jaws opened wide, fangs aiming for my throat—
I kicked up with my hind legs, nailing him in the gut. He flew back, hit the dirt, and rolled several times before stopping.
Can't let him pin me.
Once he got on top, with that kind of strength, my throat would be gone in three seconds.
We both got up and stood facing each other under the moonlight. Two wolves. Similar colors. Both panting. Both bleeding.
"You've gotten stronger, brother." Finn's voice echoed in my mind. "But not strong enough."
"You know how powerful vampire blood makes you? Speed, strength, recovery... all beyond wolves."
As his voice faded from my head, I noticed his wounds healing. The flesh I'd torn was knitting back together, visible to the naked eye.
Goddamn vampire genes. He could self-heal.
I couldn't.
The longer this dragged on, the worse my odds. I had to end this fast.
We moved at the same time.
