“I should have hunted him the moment I caught his scent. Every second he’s loose is a risk. Rogues usually avoid people and only attack when provoked. This one is further gone than most.”
Caleb scowled. “Yeah, well, he attacked me without provocation.”
“You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” I slowed the SUV as the garage door lifted.
The unmistakable scent ofrogueflooded the cabin, and it took everything I had not to slam on the brakes.
“What is it?” Caleb asked, instantly alert.
“Stay in the car.” My wolf roared to the surface as I stopped the SUV at the edge of the garage. Two trashcans near the door leading into the house were overturned. Garbage littered the garage floor. Claw marks gouged the drywall next to a set of metal shelves where I kept tools and other stuff I used in the yard.
Caleb leaned forward, his gaze on the mess. “Jesus… Did it break into the house?”
The rogue’s scent intensified, the sticky, rotting fruit odor so thick it was almost visible. My vision sharpened, and my fangs punched through my gums.Mate.I had to protect my mate. But first, I had to set a ward to keep my neighbors from wandering onto my property while I took down a rogue.
Closing my eyes, I drew a deep breath…then another. As my heart rate slowed, I pictured a tall, sturdy fence. I held the image in my mind for a moment, letting the details grow sharper. When I could see knots in the wood, Ipushedthe fence outward, envisioning it surrounding my yard and the forest behind my house.
I opened my eyes and found Caleb watching me with a mix of curiosity and tension on his face.
“Do not leave this car,” I told him, my voice growing gruffer as I called my wolf. The beast rose, eager for the hunt, and I unbuckled my seatbelt and ripped my shirt over my head. I let my authority fill my voice. “Lock the doors behind me, and keep your ass in that seat.” The last few words were so mangled that I couldn’t be certain Caleb understood. But I didn’t have time to check.
I jumped from the car, my bones already shifting. The rogue’s scent swirled into my lungs as I slammed the door behind me and shucked my pants and briefs in one swift movement. Naked, I dropped to all fours.Mate. Mate. Mate.The word pounded in sync with my heart, which hammered in my snapping, shifting ribs. It was risky to put my head down—to take my eyes off the garage for even a second—but the change always rolled through me more quickly when I blocked out the world and focused.
An image of Caleb formed in my mind, and I held onto it as my limbs rearranged themselves and fur sprouted over my skin.
Mate.
Mine.
No one would touch him. No one would ever hurt him again.
I sprang forward on four legs, my mouth watering for blood. Garbage scattered, glass bottles and soda cans clattering as I followed the rogue’s scent to the rear of the garage. The back door leading to the patio was ajar—something I’d missed from the SUV. I didn’t slow as I rushed to it, leaping over food scraps and old packaging. Icy air blasted my face as I burst onto the patio.
And I saw him.
Crouched against the fire pit in the center of the patio, the rogue stared me down. Madness glazed bright green eyes. He was big, the muscles in his chest swelling with his breaths. His tan fur was matted and filthy, the ruddy tufts patchy where he’dtorn it away. His sides heaved, and a steady stream of drool spilled from his mouth.
The wind shifted, ferrying more of the rogue’s stench toward me. Sickness, dirt, and decay. His humanity was gone, his mind lost to violence and aggression.
No more than thirty feet separated us. I stalked forward, my claws clicking on the patio’s pavers. A sense of calm descended over me. The decades peeled away and, once again, I was a soldier advancing toward a target. Steady and resolved, I kept my gaze locked on the enemy.One of us will die.It was the same thought that had steadied me countless times in France. And now as then, the answering thought followed swiftly.
It won’t be me.
Every step I took echoed in my ears. Scents of the forest intruded, the sharp bite of snow and the rich, heady scent of earth flooding my lungs. But Caleb’s scent was there, too. His clean skin and traces of my shampoo. The salt of his tears. Crisp apples and chocolate frosting. My breathing grew regular and even, and I knew where I would attack. The rogue favored his right side, his body angled to protect what was probably an old injury. A few more steps, and I’d jump, my shoulder aimed for his flank.
I drew a deep breath, my muscles tensing.
The rogue growled.
In France, I had dropped my center, my weapon light in my hands. Now, I held the rogue’s bright green stare. Took another step.
My feet went out from under me. Blue sky flashed, and I slammed onto the patio.Black ice.The memory of Caleb’s tight, irritated voice filled my head.I know about black ice. I’ve lived here since I was a kid.
A growl rang out. The air shifted.
I leapt to my feet as the rogue slammed into me, sending me flying. I hit the side of the house and dropped to the ground. The rogue loomed over me, foam spraying from his mouth. Before I could recover, the rogue slashed his claws down my side, raising four lines of fire.
Chapter
