He caught me looking at him and narrowed his eyes before spitting on the floor. “Finally getting what’s coming to you,” he muttered.
My blood ran cold. “What?”
He looked even angrier now than I’d spoken back to him. He stomped closer but kept his distance. “I should have killed you properly the first time!”
I lost my breath.
“Let’s go,” one of the men holding me muttered. My feet dragged across the floor as they hauled me out the back of the building.
Sweat poured down my temples. “W-wait!” I kicked out and wrenched my shoulders, but my captors didn’t budge. Panic erupted within me.
They were going to kill me. I knew they were.
“Let go of me!” I yelled. There was an edge of a roar in my voice. My bear wanted out. It clawed at the surface, spitting and snarling.
I couldn’t hold it back any longer.
In a splitting flash, my body cracked and transformed. I was vaguely aware of the men leaping back as my huge lumbering body stood before them. Blood roared in my ears. Instinct took over. I snapped my teeth and snarled at the humans in front of me, overflowing with anger.
The mugger staggered backwards in fear, but the other two men stood firm. I snorted in confusion.
Why aren’t they running away?
They advanced on me, unafraid. The choking sense of dread crawled over me again. I trembled.
They’re not going away.
Fear gripped my muscles. I couldn’t move. Panic flashed behind my eyes, and for a moment I felt old memories in the back of my mind, like dirty broken mirrors. Something like this had happened before.
The men got closer, and the initial uncertainty I saw when I first transformed had disappeared.
One of them touched my arm. I whirled towards it with a grunt. The hand gripped me again, unafraid. Cold dread seeped through me like ice. I couldn’t move.
“Change back,” the man muttered.
I paused, unable to even think. His eyes were hard and cold as they pierced mine.
“Change back,” he snapped.
Without thinking, I obeyed. I became small and human once more, terrified in their grip. One of them spoke on a phone, muttering something about a car. I was in too much of a haze to understand.
They hauled me to the back alley like a ragdoll. I was limp with fear. Every feeling of self-preservation had shut down. Something wet dripped down the corners of my eyes.
I grunted as the men suddenly stopped in their tracks. The mugger gasped behind me.
I blinked up blearily.
A wide-shouldered figure stood at the end of the alley.
16
Victor
Fire burned in my blood.
In front of me stood two men, holding Liam in between them like a piece of meat. Behind them stood the arsonist who’d tried to kill Liam – twice.
A snarl erupted from my throat.
