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Only it wasn’t a formless shape. Unbelievably massive, it darted toward the closest of the running men—long, lean, and undeniable in what it really was. The man she’d bitten couldn’t outrun it, and with a howl of pain, he went down, swallowed by shadow.
For the space of a second, Loren allowed herself to stare. Allowed herself to become awed by the ebony limbs, rippling with sinewy muscle as the creature turned from the fallen man to stare her dead in the eye.
Blood dripped from its mouth, sharp claws ripping at the earth as it tensed to lunge.
Finally, Loren ran. She couldn’t see. Darkness encased her—that massive shadow rushing toward her, so huge it blotted out the light of the moon.
Loren, wait!
The plea, whispered around the edges of her mind, startled her so badly that she stumbled and fell. An ominous ripping sound came from her dress as she landed hard on one knee.
Don’t look,a frantic part of her urged.Don’t look, don’t look! It’ll kill you too!
That shadowy part of her was stronger.Turn around,it urged.Face it. Face him.Body shaking, she braced her hands over the cool earth and looked back.
The beast loomed only a few yards away from her. Not a man, though something just as large, crouched on four lean legs. It was a wolf, one three times the sizeof any she’d seen at the zoo.
A thick pelt of black fur covered it from head to toe—except for a crisscrossed jumble of silvery lines that marred the flesh of its chest. A deep rumble seemed to hum in the back of its throat. Another growl—but this time lower.
Reassuring.
And its eyes… They were familiar. A glowing silver, they stared unflinchingly from a triangular head, holding her captive as it took a slow pace in her direction.
Loren tensed,falling back with a gasp as the creature shifted. Its entire body seemed to ripple, like a disturbed reflection over water. That muscled body wavered, shrunk, and compacted into a leaner shape hunched over the earth. As Loren watched, that coating of dark hair receded, revealing tanned skin bulging with coiled muscle underneath.
The only thing the beast shared with the man that appeared in its place was a pair of piercing, silver eyes.
Officer McGoven didn’t speak.
Not even as he stood, unabashedly naked.
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He held her gaze for so long Loren felt numb when he finally turned away. Tussled and wild, his hair hung down his shoulders as he inclined his head without a word.Come on.
Shakily, Loren crept after him, wincing every time her ankle hit the ground. She felt nothing. No fear. No relief. It was as if an invisible hand held the emotions at bay, even as she spotted the still shape of a dead man lying only a few feet away.
McGoven didn’t acknowledge the grisly sight. He merely slowed his pace so she could catch up. It was only when she winced, biting down hard on her bottom lip, that he turned to face her at all. Dangerously dark, his eyes went to her ankle, narrowing the moment she swayed on her feet.
A flash of silver was her only warning before he lunged. The next instant, she found herself swung into his arms, cheek coming to rest against the hardness of his chest.
She felt too stunned for shock. He was warm and cool at the same time. A light sheen of sweat, mixed with rainwater, clung to his skin. He smelled too. Like earth, mud, and everything dangerous and wild in between. Long and lean, his legs carried her through the trees as if he knew the way by heart.
This felt familiar, being carried in his arms, held against bare skin. The blood on his chin, however, wasn’t.
He didn’t speak. Not even a word of comfort to reassure her that what she’d just seen him do wasn’t humanly possible.
What could she say?Oh, by the way, you’re not a beast, are you?
There was no way around it. No explanation fit other than the obvious…
Hewas the wolf. Where the beast had been seconds prior, Officer McGoven had appeared. He even moved like one, weaving through the wilderness with an easy grace. It didn’t help any that the logical part of her couldn’t rectify why he wasn’t wearing clothes.
I just saw someone murdered right in front of me,she thought—almost calmly while her heart hammered in her chest.Two people,she mentally corrected.Ripped apart by the man carrying me in his arms.
She figured sheshouldhave been terrified. But the only thought to cross her mind, as Officer McGoven darted in between the trees, was that he had to be freezing.
Shewas—even winded and breathless beneath his windbreaker, or what was left of it. A hole pierced the sleeve; it must have torn when one of the men grabbed her. Irrational guilt made her heart sink. Though, the state of his jacket seemed to be the furthest thing from McGoven’s mind at the moment.
