Khaki was about to congratulate herself when she saw Jeremy standing on the far side of the row, staring at Xander like he’d seen a ghost. Although he was shocked to see Xander in the middle of the deserted junkyard, it didn’t stop him from reacting with his perfect killer instincts.
Khaki was shouting Xander’s name even as Jeremy raised his weapon. But it was too late.
She screamed as Xander jumped aside to avoid the shot, only to be smashed violently to the ground, where he lay motionless as Jeremy raced toward him.
She leaped out of the minivan but stumbled to her knees. Her leg had practically gone numb while hiding in the van and now it didn’t want to move as fast as she needed it to. She lifted her head and saw Jeremy come to a stop in front of Xander and raise his rifle for a head shot. No matter how much damage Xander had survived before, she knew he would never survive that.
There were twenty long yards between her and Xander, and she’d never get there in time with her wounded leg not cooperating. She needed to shift now.
Khaki closed her eyes and tried to remember what Xander had taught her. Step one, stay calm and breathe. Which was nearly impossible knowing Jeremy was only a few seconds from shooting the man she loved.
She shoved that thought away and focused on the memory of Xander’s soft, sexy voice as he talked her through that first werewolf lesson in his apartment. She remembered how calm he’d made her feel, how easily she’d shifted her eyes that night.
“Think of a wolf running through the forest, jumping over dead trees, leaping across a stream. Think about the sun going down, your eyes widening to take in the dim light as your claws dig into the loosesoil.”
She blocked out everything else, thinking only of Xander’s voice and how much she loved him.
Her heart slowed and she smiled as she remembered how it had felt when her claws had come out that night. She hadn’t even been thinking about it when it happened. Because she’d been thinking about Xander.
When she thought about Xander now, everything finally clicked. She heard his smooth, confident voice telling her that she was the most beautiful woman—the most beautiful werewolf—in the world. That she didn’t have to force herself to shift, but instead had to let herself do it. That she had to simply allow herself to be what she was supposed to be.
She heard Jeremy say he was going to put Xander out of his misery. But more than the words, she heard the gloating tone, knowing that the monster Jeremy had become reveled in killing Xander because he was important to her.
As if on command, she felt her claws slide out. With them came an overwhelming wave of confidence. She could do this; she knew it.
The change kept going and she felt her jaw flex as her fangs pushed their way out. The muscles of her arms, shoulders, neck, and back hummed as strength and power flowed through them. She felt an urge to keep going, to see how far her body would shift, but she didn’t have the time. Xander would die right now if she didn’t act.
She was up and running toward Xander before she even opened her eyes. When she did, everything around her was brighter and more alive, every smell and sound clearer and more defined. Even her emotions felt rawer and more electric.
Jeremy smirked as Xander got to his feet, no doubt letting him do so just for the thrill of putting him down. A fury unlike anything she’d ever felt tore through Khaki. With a growl, she launched herself the last five yards toward Jeremy, flying through the air like the graceful animal inside her.
Jeremy whirled at the sound, his eyes going wide. She hit him hard, the impact sending both of them rolling. Khaki was immediately on her feet, lunging at Jeremy with a savage fury as she ripped the rifle out of his hands and tossed it aside. She advanced on him with a snarl, baring her fangs so he’d know what was coming.
“You’re a fucking freak like him!” he shouted in terror, scrambling away from her on his hands and feet. “I always knew there was something wrong with you.”
Khaki glanced at Xander to see him standing now but heavily favoring one leg. Blood spread from a wound on his hip, staining his jeans.
The rage inside her built up even more. It was bad enough that this bastard had shot her twice, but he’d shot Xander again. Khaki couldn’t let that go.
She turned to Jeremy as he backed up farther and farther. His shoulders thumped into one of the stripped-down minivans, forcing him to stop. He must have seen the rage on her face because he fumbled around in the dirt and weeds and came up with a three-foot-long piece of metal with sharp, twisted brackets mounted to the end.
Faster than she would have given him credit for, Jeremy was up and running at her. Seeing him coming at her with that homemade club set off something primal inside her. He swung at her head with the length of metal, but she caught it easily in her left hand, stopping its trajectory inches before it caved in her skull. At the same time, she brought her right hand up and wrapped her fingers around his throat, shoving him backward like he was nothing. She didn’t stop until she’d slammed him into the minivan, then she ripped the club from his hand at the same time she lifted him off the ground.
Anger made it hard to see, but she had no doubt that everything would be better after she killed Jeremy. The mere sound of him choking was already a calming salve to the injuries she’d sustained at his hands.
She heard herself growling and knew she was going to choke the life right out of him. A little voice in the back of her head told her she shouldn’t be doing this, that nothing would be better simply by killing him. But the animal part of her viciously dismissed that little voice.
Jeremy kicked with his feet, struggling against the grip she had on his throat, but Khaki barely even felt it.
She felt Xander’s gentle hand on her shoulder though, as well as heard his soft voice in her ear. “Khaki, it’s okay. We got him.”
She knew she should release Jeremy, but she couldn’t make her inner wolf obey.
Xander stepped closer. “Khaki, if you do this, you’ll be the monster and the freak he claims you to be. Sweetheart, please.”
Xander’s words tamed the wolf inside her and as her anger slowly disappeared, Khaki released Jeremy and backed away. He dropped to his knees, coughing and gasping.
Khaki looked at Xander, feeling the last of her rage slip away. Her claws and fangs quickly followed. The realization that she’d almost killed a man who couldn’t defend himself against her suddenly hit. Knowing she had that much anger and hatred inside her scared her, and she thanked God that Xander had been there to stop her.
