Page 64 of Bonded Through Bite

The thing turns toward me and the wolf lunges at it, a feral growl rumbling out. It manages to take a good chomp out of the thing and then they are going at it again. The only thing I can think to do, the only thing that I might be good at, is distraction.

I look for anything to throw at the two of them, but the forest floor is frustratingly empty of anything. Fuck it, I’m going to wade in. My instinct for self-preservation must be defective because my body perks up at the idea.

A couple of deep breaths later, the beasts roll closer and I jump. By pure luck, I manage to land on the thing and throw a punch.

The punch breaks bones, the crunch sounds horrible, and just then my repressed instincts roar back to life. Whimpering, I slump to the ground, horrified by what I’ve done. I’ve never punched anyone like that and now I just…

Retching, I turn away, but it seems that my distraction was enough to give the wolf the upper hand. It goes at the thing, ignoring its own injuries, and even more blood permeates the air around us.

With growls and bites, the wolf chases the thing off. For a moment, I think the wolf will follow the thing, but it stops still in my view. I wipe over my mouth and accidentally get some blood in my mouth, swallowing on reflex.

The nausea and pain hit me immediately, and whimpering, I fall to the ground. It wasn’t much, couldn’t have been, but it burns in my empty stomach. The wolf limps to my side, whining, and noses my cheek. Talking is impossible, but I curl my hand into its fur.

Mercifully, the attack seems to pass, leaving me achy but mostly clear-headed. The wolf is still hovering over me and I look over all the wounds still dripping blood.

“You are not a normal wolf, are you?”

In response, the wolf shimmers and, in its place, a man appears on all fours. He’s bleeding even after the change. The lower part of his left leg has a bone sticking out, and yet, there’s something elegant about him, almost regal. My hand is still on him and it looks ghostly pale against his brown skin.

For some reason, I expected him to be hairy, like the wolf, but he’s bald and his smooth skin is marred only by scars and new wounds. No clothes. I’m just going to ignore that for now.

“Um… you’re bleeding,” I say when he stays silent. I hate that he’s hurting.

“So are you,” he replies and rolls onto his back with a wince.

“What can I do?” I don’t have a phone. I don’t know any first aid that one can do with a torn shirt. “Why did you help me?” He’s a stranger and now he’s severely injured because of me. His eyes are a beautiful amber color when he looks at me.

“I… It…” He’s out of breath.

“Here,” I say, reaching over with my bleeding hand. “My blood will help you heal faster, right?”

“You would let me have your blood? You don’t even know who I am,” he asks with a gravelly voice. I bet it’s a nice voice when he’s not in pain and bleeding all over the forest floor.

“Well, who are you?” I ask, still holding my hand out.

“Zack.”

“Samantha.”

“You smell like Moretti. He wouldn’t appreciate you offering your blood to me, I’m sure.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing he doesn’t have a say,” I snap.

“I’m not sure I can hold back from biting you,” Zack says and I roll my eyes.

“Just get on with it.”

“Werewolf bites can be fatal to vampires. You do know that, right?”

“If you happen to bite me and I die, that’ll take care of my karma points. I’m pretty sure. In any case, that’s not very high on my list of issues.”

“Wha—”

“For heaven’s sake! Just drink already.” I lose my temper and my fangs shoot out. Once again, my blood’s being refused and it feels deeply personal. Even an injured wolf doesn’t want my blood when it could help him heal faster.

“I really shouldn’t⁠—”

“What if that thing comes back and you are too injured to help me?” Okay, I completely admit that’s a low blow, but it gets him moving. He leans closer and wipes his tongue over my arm, where the wound still oozes. I’m not sure at what point I got it, and frankly, I don’t care.