I move on silent feet, my boots barely touching the ground as I run through the trees. They’re as familiar to me as the island.
Because Drone technology is fucking amazing.
I’ve never actually been here, but I’m navigating the land as though I own it.
All those years of studying are finally paying off.
I palm a blade, aware I’m about to pass into monitored territory.
A rustle to my left is all I need. I throw the knife, lodging it into a black wolf’s throat. His snarl turns into a breathy whimper that calls to the demons inside of me.
Death,I think, inhaling.Sweet. Beautiful. Death.
That silver will keep him from healing.
He’ll be gone in five minutes tops.
Too bad I can’t stick around to watch.
I take down two more wolves in a similar sequence, then dart forward toward the first security hut. The Nantahala Pack only has about twelve wolves on rotating duty per shift—another fun fact learned by the drones.
Two wolves are waiting for me there.
Well, not waiting.
They’re fucking chuckling at something on the television, oblivious to the lethal energy behind them.
“Seriously,” I say. “Killing you is almost a favor to wolf kind.”
I use my gun this time, taking them out before they even turn.
“Fucking idiots,” I mutter, entirely unimpressed.
Until I realize there are four Nantahala Wolves trying to sneak up behind me.
No. Five.
I grin, turning to engage them.
But Caius and Tieran are already taking them down with a round of well-placed bullets.
I sigh.
Caius grins. “Can’t let you have all the fun, V.”
“What fun am I even having?” I ask, annoyed.
Then a bell starts to ring, announcing our attack, and my lips curl again.
“A lot of fun,” I say, responding to myself. “Excellent.”
I take off in the opposite direction of the bell, aware of the security tactic the Nantahala Pack uses when under attack.
We may have let a few drones explode for fun.
Just to see how they react.
The technology was so well disguised and emitting such a low frequency that they never noticed them in the sky. And the ones that exploded were too destroyed for them to even begin to piece back together into something meaningful.
