“Curious?” I give him a nervous smile. “You don’t want me, buddy.” I continue backing up, still searching for the cage. “Like your friend said, half-breed kits might not be such a good idea. There could be, I don’t know, abnormalities or something.”
The foxret keeps walking toward me.
“And have I mentioned I’m clumsy?” I add. “You don’t want clumsy kits, do you?”
“If you’re the answer to sparing my life, I’m willing to risk a litter of half-breeds. Twelve bastards won’t affect our kind. Besides, how can I resist when you smell so fucking delectable? You wouldn’t smell this delicious if you weren’t a good match for me. We’ll be gone before the shadow demon even notices you’re missing.”
I choke on my own spit a little. “I’m sorry, did you saytwelve?”
“If not more,” he replies. “When I’m done with you tonight, I’ll make sure there are kits left in your belly.” He flicks out his long tongue, sliding it across his snout.
“Wow. Justwow.”I grimace.I bet the vixens must be falling over themselves to get to this one.“So if we’re to be mated, then you won’t mind telling me who ordered you to kill the shadow professors, er, demons,” I say, continuing to back up.
“Shade!” Raith’s sharp call reaches me as he looks back to see the advancing foxret. The forest floor is slick with blood and littered with bodies. Seizing the moment of distraction, one of the remaining foxret lunges at him. I scream a warning, and Raith reaches out just in time, grabbing the foxret by the throat and lifting it into the air. It thrashes in his hold, and his shadows tear it apart. It’s only after that Raith looks down at the bloodied claw marks striping across his chest. He blinks, shaking his head as if he’s trying to clear it, and when his gaze connects with mine, panic enters his eyes.
“The cage,” he croaks, and the next time he tries to speak only a roar comes out. The fear disappears from his face, and a wild, untamed look takes over his expression.
Oh crap. Oh crappity crap. Cage, Shade. Get in the damn cage.
The leader foxret snarls at me, no doubt realizing he’s out of time because Raith has seen him. My fingers hit metal at the same instant that the foxret lunges for me, his claws outstretched. Blood pounds a frantic beat in my ears, but I’m too slow. Just as the foxret is about to grab me. As his claws are about to dig into my flesh, he’s torn away. His claws cut through the fabric of my clothes before he’s pulled backward, and a strangled, whimpering noise escapes the foxret’s mouth before he’s torn to pieces.
A scream builds in my throat as I stare wide-eyed up at the creature who’s towering in the foxret’s place. Raith still has his tattoos, and his eyes are the same deep set, inky black, but that’s where the similarities end. Instead of the professor I’ve grown familiar with, he’s now a hulking monster. Thick bands ofmuscle cover his naked body, and tattoos cover every part of his skin, patterns and swirls forming an artistic display. Long black claws extend from his fingertips, and massive curved horns sit atop his head, black shadows flickering on the ridges like black fire.
“Raith?” I whisper, terrified. Fear pounds into me, because he’s not staring at me like the shadow daddy I’ve come to know. No, he’s staring at me like he’s a predator, and I’m nothing more than prey.
My gaze lowers to the claw marks gouged across his muscular chest, and I remember what Raith told me. That if he gets clawed by a foxret, he’ll lose himself to pure mating instinct. That Imustget into the cage. I swallow hard.Okay Shade, don’t freak out. Raith said you’ll be safe in the cage, so get your ass moving.I slowly start shuffling backward, but before I can enter the cage, there’s a rush of air by my ears. Like he knew what I’d been trying to do, Raith’s monster moves frighteningly fast. The cage shimmers into view a second before Raith sends it hurtling across the clearing.
Oh, well that’s just great.
Raith’s monster moves closer, and I don’t dare move. I stare up at the beast, and now that the cage is gone, I decide to try plan B. Opening my mouth, I go to scream, because I’m shameless, and I’m still hopeful the others will turn up, but before any sound can come out, shadows wrap around my mouth, and I gape at Raith’s smirking shadow beast.
The monster leans down, slicing his claws through the straps of my clothes that were barely hanging on. My outfit falls from me, pooling by my feet. He’s even sliced through my panties, and I stand there just as naked as he is.
His gaze slowly trails down my body, his eyes devouring the sight of me before he stares at my face again. A confusing mix of fear and anticipation goes through me. I should be absolutelyterrified, and I am, but there’s a part of me that knows this creature is Raith. He’s my mate, and my body still responds to him. That is, until my gaze lowers, and my fear wins. My guys are huge down there, but Raith in monster form… I shake my head.Nope. No. Definitely not.If I could, I’d put an Out-of-service sign on my vagina, because I’m pretty sure Raith would destroy me with that monster between his legs.
“You can’t,” I rasp to Raith, true fear going through me, but he doesn’t seem the least bit concerned. Nope, there’s only desire in his eyes.
The monster lifts his thick fingers, brushing them down my cheek, and a single word slips between his lips. “Run,” he growls. His voice is a hardly recognizable guttural sound.
I’m too shocked and terrified to move. There’s no way I could outrun him. I couldn’t even before when he was in his more human form.
“Run, shadow mate,” he repeats, frowning at me.
The monster shakes his head then, blinking, and there’s a flash of panic in his eyes. My heart stutters, because for a moment, I think Raith has managed to gain control.MyRaith. Not the creature before me. But as quickly as it comes, it’s gone again, and a dark smirk crawls onto the monster’s face.
“If I catch you, I fuck you,” he growls, and my throat goes completely dry. “Run, tiny mate. And hope I don’t catch you.”
Ho-ly crap.It takes me about three seconds to get my shit together, and then I stumble into the trees behind me. My heart thunders in my ears, and eyes blink at me from the darkness of the trees, but I don’t stop running.
I try to control my breathing as I duck and weave around branches, not caring when they tear at my skin. The further into the forest I go, I notice how quiet it is. I can’t hear any of the foxrets calls. No, everything is deadly silent as I run through thefog.Please let the others be okay.I want to call out, but I don’t dare give away my position.
“Ready or not here I come.” The words whisper across my ears, and while I recognize Raith’s voice, I know it’s not him. Not really.
Fear slithers across my skin, and his words distract me so that I don’t see the branch in front of me. It lashes into my hair, and I cry out as I go down, tumbling in a heap. The air is knocked from my lungs, and a thudding sound has my head flying up.
Raith lumbers casually toward me in his monster form, his claws swiping against a thin tree trunk a few yards away. His claws slice all the way through, shadows trailing from his fingers, and the tree crashes down behind him. I curse under my breath, scrambling to my feet.And ignoring my throbbing head, I stagger forward.
Raith clicks his tongue. “You didn’t even try, tiny mate.”
