Page 85 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

Merle smiles.

It’s sudden and vicious and bloodthirsty, but then it’s gone. I blink hard, staring at her.

What the fuck was that?

“Come play with me, pretty kitties,” she sings low under her breath, the smile returning.

I almost get myself impaled, I’m so busy staring at her and trying to work out why she’s suddenly started talking and why she looks so fucking deranged.

I shove my knife up into the jaw of the alpha who just tried to kill me and let him sink to the ground, stalking through the trees sideways, watching this omega.

I recognise dangerous when I see it, and though she is appearing scared, she is also giving off extremely I’m-going-to-killl-you vibes.

She sobs and steps back when a beta rushes her, but Sage steps out and cuts his head off.

She screams.

Like a scream of true and absolute terror.

Then she bolts again. I let out an annoyed grunt and follow, chasing her through the downpour, the thunder and lightning, and the howling wind. It’s strong enough that I worry about us being snatched off the side of the cliff and thrown into the wind.

Where the fuck is she going?

She screams again, and ahead of us, I see her jerk to a stop.

“Oh, thank god,” she says in that deep and dark voice. I don’t recognise it as Merle. It’s so opposite of her personality. What the fuck?

The beta raises his hand and brings it down, crashing it across her cheek.

When she lifts her head, she’s smiling. Her eyes glitter gold, and my whole body breaks out into goosebumps.

I don’t know who that is, but that’s not Merle.

That’s not the pack’s omega.

Raptor

The pain in my jaw sends me to a place that I forgot I had. Like a door swinging open, I surge through and take control.

I look up with a smile. “You really shouldn’t have done that.”

The guy in front of me widens his eyes and slides his foot back half a step. I step up gracefully, standing to my full height and glancing around, taking it in.

The pack are fighting in the trees, it’s just me and this asshole, and the sky full of thunder and lightning. I inhale, drawing in the sharp tang and taste of the world. The driving rain and wind, the storm so wild, leaving me feeling so alive.

I wait and time it all perfectly.

Strike! The lightning crashes down, lancing into the Earth, turning the world white and purple. The hairs on my body lift, but I’m focused on the idiot in front of me as his face twists with fear. I wonder if he’s realised what I am or if it’s the storm that’s scared him.

I attack, my hand driving hard into his solar plexus. His breath expels out of him, a harsh explosion. His eyes bulge as the light fades.

We both look down at the knife in my hand. I giggle in absolute delight.

“Whoops.”

Boom. The voice of God roars across the world, shaking the very rock we stand upon. It’s like he’s cheering me on.

My knee comes up, breaking his nose and jaw. My laughter mixes with the storm, twisting in the world.