My stomach drops. It’s not my first choice. It’s barely a choice at all. But I’ll do whatever it takes.
More howls cut through the night.Fine. Naked fighting, here we come.
With a break in our attackers, Wolf backs up to give us more room for the shift, but it seems to give the wrong impression to the others.
“Ro!” Liz’s voice cuts through the chaos, her mouth down turned. “We need to stick together!”
The words sting, because she likely thinks I’m running, but hopefully they’ll all understand in just a few moments.
Hell, hopefully I will.
This is a risk, but it’s one my gut is telling me we need to take.
Especially as Wolf’s steps begin to falter.
The shift back to human is agony. Pain tears through bruised muscles and raw skin; the motion of changing feels like being undone at the seams, even worse than the first time. I grit my teeth and bite past it, drawing on whatever mysterious thing lives beneath my ribs because we have no other choice.
I hear more shouts and louder snarls, but my vision blurs, and I’m on the ground when the shift is finally complete.
What have I done?
Everything fucking hurts.
Wolf tries to say something, but I don’t hear her above Cade’s roar.
Forcing myself to at least sit up, I ignore my nakedness and watch as his wolf barrels through two opponents before he turns toward me and shifts mid-motion, landing in his human form in a spray of dirt. His chest heaves as he strides forward. He grabs my arm, gentle but firm, yanking me upright. His eyes burn into mine, wild and desperate. “Stay with me, Rowan. Whatever this is—don’t give in. You hear me? Don’t do it.”
Does he know what I have planned? Does he know what’s inside of me? Is he the one who hid the body?
I could ask, but we don’t have time. Instead, I nod, but I don’t think he sees me as he yanks his shirt off and covers me, deep growls escaping from him.
At least I was right about one thing.
Archie, Liz, and Elias are right in front of us, but they can’t keep the enemies away for long. Only that’s the least of my problems when Cade tries to touch me again.
Fire licks at my skin once more, and any prior weakness leaves me. This should be good, it’s what I wanted, but my panic only rises more, drawing more energy to the surface that seems nearly desperate to attack Cade.
He snarls and pulls his hand back, but doesn’t step away. “Rowan?”
“You need to get away from me,” I plead, moving to walk around him. “I don’t know what this is, and I don’twant to hurt you, but it’s coming out whether I want it to or not.”
My throat closes as I look away from him. I can’t even meet his stare. Not when my legs shake, and my arms feel like lead. Not when enemies keep pouring in like the trees themselves are spitting them out.
We aren’t going to survive without whatever is inside me.
I have to give in.
“I mean it, Cade,” I snap at him, my body vibrating like a bomb. “Get everyone out of here.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“And I’m not asking again.” My voice deepens, and I swear there’s steam rising from my skin. “GO!”
I should turn around and make sure he’s listened, I should wait ten more seconds to give my family the chance to run, but I can’t.
All I can do is hope that whatever this is, it knows me, knows my heart, and that they’ll be safe because right now, they’re as good as dead anyway.
There are more cloaked figures, more silver-eyed wolves. They crash into us like a wall of teeth and fists. Liz staggers, her final blade knocked from her hand. Archie yelps as three cloaked men swarm him at once. Iris slams a handful of powder in a vamp’s face but gets shoved back hard, her fanny pack scattering supplies across the dirt.
