Kill or be killed.
Grayson erupts. He throws his body in front of me, caging me between his spine and the trailer, swiping with black-tipped claws that burst through his skin.
He slings those claws toward the vampire’s chest to shed through his costume and his roar sends a jolt up my spine.
I realize two things in sickening tandem—we’re not supposed to leave this place. And Grayson is shifting.
The danger, the fight, forces his wolf to rise through the potion, hurling itself against his skin until thick fur pushes its way out. His features morph with the next snap of his teeth.
He doesn’t look back, as though the pain of this gift is actually a punishment.
Instincts beg me to follow him, to let the call of the change save me from the vampires.
Nothing happens.
Grayson attacks, lunging for the vampires and away from the shattered window and the trailer.
He knocks me further behind him in the same beat, with the strength of a whole wolf instead of a condemned one.
He throws himself into the fight and wrenches his claws out of a vampire’s throat, tearing out his trachea.
The last parts of his humanity disappear beneath a barrage of fangs and claws and blood.
Someone is screaming.I think it’s me. My chest goes tight and I slash the glass at anyone who comes close enough.
I can’t help Grayson. I can’t even save myself. Suddenly the cost of those memories feels like a pittance compared to this. What do I want to hold onto, anyway? I should have given Charlotte anything she wanted in exchange for the cure.
Shift complete, a massive black wolf lands on all fours. Before I have a chance to call for him, Lacey is there, her eyes wide and dark.
Jaw locked, her hand bands around my wrist. “Follow me.”
I dig my heels in. “We have to help him.”
“He’ll kill us too if we stay.”
Blood spatters her face, fingers holding hard enough to bruise. Another howl sounds before I hear the sound of sputtered gurgles, someone drowning in their own blood.
Breathing hard, I follow.
Life is a torture of screams and growls. Lacey drags me away from the trailer as Grayson roars again.
We go through the woods, away from the bright lights and the scents of popcorn for the stupid mortals. The ones who have no idea their show will end in death instead of gravity-defying stunts.
Through the shadows and trees, her touch as cold as death, both men behind us giving us this chance.
The woods are no better when those sounds echo off trunks and reverberate in my ears. I left something important with Grayson. I don’t think I’ll ever get it back, especially not if he goes down to save me.
I pull Lacey to a stop with feet to spare between us and the car. “We can’t leave him. We have to go back.”
I’m sweating so much her fingers keep slipping on my wrist.
Until I look down and realize I’m covered in blood. My mind blanks, eyes darting across the spatters covering my shirt and my forearms. But I’m…okay. I’m not hurt.
Whose blood is it? When did this happen?
Lacey’s face is moon pale and she licks her lips, swallowing the blood. “Colt will handle it.”
And what she doesn’t say, I read between the lines. I have no wolf and no training in self-defense. I’m the weak link and Lacey is the only reason I’m still standing. I have no power, no matter how much my body hums with it.