Page 36 of Sight of Fate

“Andros,” she replies breathlessly. Her pulse quickens, and the sound pushes me one step closer to the edge. “Are you going to bite me?”

Her innocent words almost prove to be my undoing, but the second my fangs lengthen, I rip myself away from her. “Get out!” My breath comes in short bursts as I try to save her from the predator rippling under my skin. “Don’t run…until…out the door. Don’t…stop.”

She freezes, her eyes widening as her face drains of color.

Smelling her fear along with the delicious aroma of her blood obliterates the rest of my control. A familiar red haze descends. “Now!”

Swallowing hard, she backs up, eyes glued to me the entire time, and slowly disappears from my sight. Shoes click loudly against the hardwood for a brief second, then all I hear is the pounding of her bare feet.

Chest heaving, I sweep the mess off my desk and lock my knees to prevent myself from chasing after her. Macklin. My hand trembles as I tap the phone.

He answers on the first ring. “What’s up?”

“Office,” I grit out, teeth clenched tight. “Charli.”

“Stay on the line,” Macklin orders, his breathing harsh as he rushes to get to me. “Is she hurt?”

Her terrified face flashes in my mind, and I shake my head.

“Damn it, Andros. Fucking answer me!”

“No.” The word is garbled. “Hur..ry.”

Her. Blood. Everything turns red as the bloodlust consumes the last ounce of my resistance. I inhale. There. A roar escapes; the predator announcing the hunt. Blurring, I slip out of the office. Screams fill the air. Bodies scramble to get out of my way. Magic arcs. I slide to the left to avoid it and shift my gaze to the wielder. Their powerful blood glows in the red landscape of my vision. Tempting. But a whiff of her lures me back to my original hunt.

She’s close. My vision narrows, and I speed up, but every room is empty. The trail backtracks.

A boulder slams into me, tossing me through a wall. Dust and debris rain down. Need drives me to my feet only to get knocked down again. Granite arms wrap around my body, locking me into place. I snarl and punch, searching for a weak spot.

“I’m here, Andros,” a deep voice repeats over and over.

Her. Blood. I thrash, trying to get loose.

Shouts. Something thrust into my face. Blood. My lip curls. Not her. Growling, I shove it away. Curses rain down on me. Fresh blood drips in front of my mouth. Powerful. Ancient. I drink.

Chapter Seventeen

CHARLI

Terror races through me at the sight of Andros’ fangs elongating. In a blink, his eyes change from a rich, caramel brown to dark red with a predator lurking in their depths. He roars for me to get out. The need to run engulfs me, but I subdue it until I’ve cleared the door to his office, then I kick off my shoes and sprint. People turn to gape, but a minute later, Andros roars, and everyone scrambles for the exits.

Teague. Teague. Teague.

The litany is the only thing keeping me safe. I race toward our office in bare feet, ramming into people and walls as I slip and slide through the chaos. My shoulder slams into our office door, and I grit my teeth as pain cascades down my arm. Damn it.

My breath rushes out. I forgot. He’s not here. Fear and fury collide deep inside, and I press a hand to my tight chest in confusion.

On my way. Don’t stop.

My brow furrows at the sound of Teague’s voice, and I spin, searching for him, but I’m alone. Screams rip through the air, bringing a fresh wave of terror. Which way?

Stairs.

I don’t question the voice in my head. Instead, I slam open the door to the stairway, my feet flying down the steps. The door above opens, and the roar of a lion echoes down the stairwell, locking every one of my muscles. Pitching forward, I try to grab the railing but miss and fall down the remaining steps, slamming into the concrete wall at the bottom.

Excruciating pain explodes across the front of my head. Everything spins. I raise a shaking hand to where it hurts the most. Wet, sticky blood. A trickle slides down my temple. Have to keep going.

Shaking, I drag myself to my knees. Large hands grab my arms, and I scream, punching repeatedly at my captor.