Chapter 6

Ileapt over the trunk of a fallen tree and landed on four massive, crimson paws, magic shivering over my skin. My teeth parted in a big, wolfy grin as I gave chase, pursuing the Cupid who I could now see charging through the trees ahead of me, white wings dragging behind them as they fled.

Edison ran behind me, slower on two legs than I was on four, but he threw magic past my body, getting so close to the Cupid that they screeched and veered off course. That screech was… animal. Not human at all. I revised my internal picture of a naked winged dude into a winged… what? Cat? Mole rat? I had no clue. They were big enough to be a large dog or a very small wolf, but I couldn't make out anything except white wings from this distance.

"Stop!" Brannigan yelled, panic sharp in his voice. "Stop! Don't hurt them!"

Dean, at the back of our group, growled so loudly and deeply that I knew he was in wolf form. I wanted to know the same thing—why was Brannigan calling off our hunt when our prey was right there? A few more minutes and I'd have them. I put on an extra burst of speed, the buzz and thrill of the hunt in my blood, encouraging me.

"Rebel!" Brannigan shouted.

Okay, fine. I wouldn't kill the Cupid, I'd just pin them to the ground while Brannigan explained why we needed to stop. Compromise.

I skidded around a tree when the Cupid flapped their wings and shot left. Dirt sprayed as I dug my claws into the ground, right on their heels, so close that vanilla custard scent coated my tongue, burnt by acrid fear. Good. They should be scared. I was big and deadly and pissed all the way off that they'd stolen my knife.

I put on an extra burst of speed when the trees fell away, open sky visible above a clearing—and a roar of frustration rattled my throat when the Cupid kicked off the ground hard, pumping their wings. They flew too fast for me to catch them.

Fuck!

I shifted back quickly, patting myself on the back for such a clean, rapid shift,1 and whirled on Brannigan when he and Slasher skidded into the clearing.

"Why did you tell me to stop?" I demanded, scanning the woods as Hugh, Dean, and Edison found us. All here. All safe. Thank fuck.

"I know that scent," Brannigan replied, not even winded. Rude. His eyes were frantic though, his skin a little ashen. "I haven't come across it in years."

Dean shifted in a rush, jerking forward with blazing whiskey eyes.

"The Cupid is a wolf," Brannigan said quickly, "from a long-extinct species. All the family lines died; their whole species were wiped out."

Dean froze, his anger fizzling out.

"A rare wolf?" I asked, trying to shove down the buzzing need to hunt.

"A winged wolf," Brannigan corrected, his eyes turning sad. "And it smells like a juvenile."

"A kid?" Edison asked, scrubbing a hand through his icy hair. "Shit."

"We do not hunt child," Hugh growled the second he'd shifted back, giving each of us a warning scowl.

"Of course we won't," I promised, rushing to him and hugging him tightly. With what his family had done to him, it was no wonder he was sensitive about a kid being hurt. I kissed the skin over his heart and rested my head there, listening to his heartbeat. "So, we're not hunting to kill anymore, but there's a kid living in these woods."

"Which is no place for a child," Dean muttered.

"So let's catch them and bring them to Blake Hall," Slasher said. "They'll be safe there."