“On second thought, it doesn’t matter.” I lose all control.
Red streaks my vision.
My wolf comes forward, but I don’t even bother to shift. I want to feel his bones break myself. I want this to be intimate—skin to skin contact. Monster versus monster. I will exact vengeance in this fallen life’s honor. And if the little angel can’t see it from above, I’ll make sure he can hear it.
Lunging, I wrap my arms around his legs and lean my body weight into him while lifting him up all the same, taking himdown. Once he’s horizontal, I climb him until I’m straddling his legs. One punch to his nose is all it takes to crack his first bone. I continue to pummel him, blow after blow, not letting up. It all happens in seconds. He’s losing consciousness.
Hope you’re ready, Satan. I’ve got another one for you.
“Okay, okay. That’s enough. Get off of him!” The female reaches for my shoulder, but at the feel of her hands on my body, I react.
My claws extend and grab onto her chest like a cat clinging to its owner.
She stares into my eyes with holy terror.
She’s ruining the show, I tell my wolf from the chamber of my mind. I said I don’t enjoy killing, and that’s still true. I’m not into killinginnocentpeople. But this one... I’ll relish. I’m damned anyway.
My wolf tugs her toward me and blood leaks from her chest. “Do you want a front-row seat, princess?” I pull her down, so she’s laying directly beside him.
“AGHHH!” she cries.
I can’t concentrate with her screaming. At first, I loved it. But it’shispained and dying cries I want to hear.
“Shhh...” my wolf speaks through me. “Rude to interrupt.”
I’m about to enact the grand finale—his end—when there’s a sharp pain to my ankle that causes me to howl. Protecting my beast within, I come forward to ensure she’s not taking on the pain alone. When I’m back inside my body, I locate the source and a bear trap is clamped on my flesh. I follow the chain and see it’s connected to a silver loop firmly planted in the ground.
They planned this. They planned all of this.
I try to pull apart the clamps, but its jaws are pure silver. To touch it is like soaking in poison ivy. A little may itch, but a lot is pure, agonizing torture.
I can’t calm myself enough to focus on a solution. The pain is excruciating.
I’m losing a lot of blood, and my energy is dwindling.
I groan in frustration. “Shit!” I try again to peel the trap open, but every time I get close, the pain consumes me, and I let go.
It enters my flesh, and I hiss while my tears fall.
“Let’s get out of here,” one says.
“We will. But first, hold her.” Cody flicks open a pocketknife and kneels beside my leg.
They grab my arms before I can protect myself and hold me tightly. He lowers the knife to my shin and right on the bone, starts carving.
Bloodcurdling pain ignites my skin. I scream and someone covers my mouth to muffle it. It feels like eternity passes before he finishes. When he does, they all take off running.
Several minutes later,Caleb appears suddenly, pale, like he’s seen a ghost. He rushes to me and takes a moment to panic before figuring out what to do. “Shit. Okay. Bite down on my shoulder.”
“What?”
“This is going to hurt, and you can’t scream. They’ll know you’re here. Bite.”
I don’t argue with him. Instead, I sink my teeth into his shoulder. Caleb’s eyes roll to the back of his head, then closes them. When he opens, he refocuses.
“Okay.” He grips both hands on either side of the clamps. “Hold still.”
I squeeze my eyes shut in anticipation of the pain, but it never comes. When I open them, Caleb’s are trained on a girl.
