Page 35 of His Rejected Mate

Kira shifted back and stepped toward me. “Wyatt? Are you all right?”

Seeing her safe and unhurt eased my rage. I opened my mouth to ask if she was okay, but an ear-piercing shriekerupted around us. Kira and I slammed our hands over our ears. A fucking banshee. Through the trees, I caught sight of the shadowy creature pushing through the foliage toward us.

Before it could let out another shriek, I grabbed Kira’s hand and ran. Taking a full blast from that thing could not only burst our eardrums, but actuallykillus.

Somehow, in our mad dash away from danger, I still managed to keep us on the right track. The last thing I wanted was to add to the time we were out in this godsforsaken jungle. The banshee fell behind us as we trampled through the jungle with all the speed we could muster.

Noticing a fallen palm tree to my right, I pulled Kira toward it. The fronds had formed a natural alcove, and we crawled under it. Hidden on all sides like we were in a tent, we sat silently, waiting to see if any other creatures were around.

“Come here,” I whispered to her. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

I ran my hands over her body. She had a few scratches and bites, but they all seemed to be healing rapidly with no trouble.

“I’m fine, Wyatt. Really.”

Her words did nothing to ease my fears. All my life, I’d prided myself on being able to control my emotions, but lately, that control snapped whenever Kira was hurt or in danger. My inner wolf freaked out in such a way that I had almost no control over him. And not only when it came to injury and danger, but other things as well. Like the night at the mansion when she’d been forced into heat by that potion Von had given her. The other alphas had noticed, and some—like Gavin—had gotten worked up. Butnoneof them had reacted as strongly me. It had almost felt like I was feral.

Could that be what was happening? Maybe I’d been away from my unofficial pack long enough that some feral instincts were coming out? Or was something else going on?

Kira moved my hands aside. “For real, I’m fine. Stop fussing over me.”

I inhaled, trying to steady myself. “You’re such a pain in the ass. I never should have let you talk me into this.”

Kira grinned at me. “I didn’t hear you arguing.”

“What was I supposed to do? Let you come out into this hellhole by yourself?”

“Aww, is big bad Wyatt Rivers worried about me?”

“Holy shit. Have you not been watching? I’malwaysworried about you. This place is so fucking…” I trailed off, the good-natured smile on my face quickly fading as a new scent caught my attention.

Seeing my face, Kira’s grin vanished. “What’s wrong?” she whispered.

I gripped her forearm tight, a signal to stay quiet. My eyes darted around, panic welling up within me as I became sure the scent was what I thought it was. Kira’s eyes widened. She’d noticed it, too.

Pressing my mouth to her ear, I spoke, my voice barely louder than the terror-filled breaths I was taking. “We have to run. It’s close.”

Kira nodded. Holding up three fingers, I lowered them in a countdown. When my last finger lowered, we leaped up and rolled out from under our cover. An angry wet hiss came from behind us as a massive silver blade sliced through the palm fronds. The revenant stood, glaring at us from under its moth-eaten black hood, glowing red eyes pinning us in place.

Lifting the scythe again, it opened its mouth, black tongue flicking over rotting gray teeth. We must have stumbled into the territory it had claimed for itself. We couldn’t fight it; Kira and I didn’t have the skills to do that. We’d needpowerfulmagical weapons to even have a chance, and then it would still be almostimpossible. Running was the only option. It’s what I’d done last time I’d come toe to toe with this thing.

“Go!” I screamed.

We bolted, leaving the revenant behind. The creature let out a hungry yowl of rage and chased after us. I spared a glance back, shocked once more by its speed.

“Faster. We have to go faster!”

Nodding, Kira shifted, and I followed suit. We were faster in our wolf forms, but the fucking nightmare behind us somehow sped up even more, its huge scythe slicing down trees and vines as it followed.

Unable to keep track of where we were going, I didn’t notice until it was too late that we were on a downhill slope. The hills on either side of us had risen as we moved farther downhill. A sinking sense of terror flooded me. Ahead, the hills had become jagged rock walls, ending in a right angle. The lips of the walls extended twenty feet into the sky. A complete dead end.

Kira and I skidded to a stop, then shifted into our human forms. We tried to climb, but it was of no use. Water drizzled down the stone from a creek above. All the rocks were coated in mucus-like mold and lichen. Behind us, the revenant hissed again.

I turned. Dread poured through me, turning my blood to ice. The thing was stalking toward us. Kira gasped in terror at the sight of it. Pulling her back, I put myself between her and the revenant. We were going to die. There was no way out. We would fight—that wasn’t a question—but the idea that Kira and I would be dead within the next few moments sent a wave of nausea through me.

The revenant raised the gigantic scythe high overhead and moved toward us. Thick, gelatinous saliva dripped from its black lips.

Kira dug her fingers into my back, grabbing a handful of my shirt. “I love you, Wyatt.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com