Isaac took my shoulders, turning me to face him. “I can get us out of here, but not like this.” He gestured to his body.
I took in the dozens of cuts and bruises across his torso, tears blurring my vision. “Then what are we—"
“Not as a man, Tara.” He wasn’t looking at me, his eyes fixed on something moving in the shadows. “I need you to trust me. Please.”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “I trust you.”
“Run for the road. Don’t look back. Don’t stop. I’ll be right behind you, I promise.”
I nodded.
Isaac took my head between his hands, kissing me briefly.
His muscles swelled, bones shifting beneath his skin as his body stretched to an impossible size. The beast that took his place was terrifying, eyes burning green and hateful into the dark.
He nudged me with one massive hand, urging me forward. That one gentle touch dulled the edges of my panic, grounding me.
A shape moved through the trees, barreling toward us. Isaac took a broad stance, bracing himself.
I didn’t wait to see what happened. I did exactly what Isaac told me to do.
I ran.
I tore barefoot through the trees. My feet ached with every step, and I had to force myself not to slow down. Not to falter in the dark.
Trees spun and whirled into blurry, black masses at the edges of my vision. Shadows danced and wavered before me. It was so dark, and more than once I grazed rough bark or stumbled over a root.
The noises behind me were hellish. Teeth snapping, animal snarls. Every few feet I was tempted to glance over my shoulder, to see if Isaac was okay.
But I had to do what he said. Had to find the road with single-minded focus.
Even if Isaac wasn’t okay, I had to get out. Had to reach his brothers and bring them here.
That was the only solution now, wasn’t it? I couldn’t just knock on the nearest door and call the police. Those deputies knew what they were doing when they stopped us.
How far did this go?
I wasn’t going to find out now. Not until I knew Jay wouldn’t catch me again.
The property seemed to stretch on forever. I’d lived here for months and never noticed how far from the road we were. Never counted how many minutes it would take on foot to reach it. Not once had I thought to explore this far into the property, to learn the dips and curves of the hills.
It was Jay’s territory. I knew that instinctively, avoiding all the places he went during his moods. During hischanges.
The sounds behind me faded. Between the trees, the wind was a soft and consistent voice, murmuring for me to move faster. Torun.
Then even the sounds of night vanished, the wind seeming to die as an unnatural chill shivered through me. Hair rose on the back of my neck. Goosebumps climbed my arms.
I broke Isaac’s rule, and what I saw behind me made my blood run cold.
Pale yellow eyes hovering eight feet above the ground. The faintest flash of fangs. Shadows swallowed the rest of the figure. I couldn’t see exactly who it was, only that he was coming closer.
My heart hammered in my throat, and I turned, pushing myself to move. To run faster.
But my feet were bloody and aching. My lungs burned. Even the rush of adrenaline was fading, my energy evaporating under the crushing weight of my fear.
I could hear his footsteps pounding behind me, hear the rushing pant of his deep inhales. The heat of his breath at my back.
Claws snagged at the fabric of my shirt. I stumbled, crashing to my knees with a cry. There wasn’t time to move. All I could do was curl around myself, waiting for the next blow.