Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

S edona

“Oh, God. What are you doing?”

The wind howled like the soulful sound of a wolf, snatching my words from my lips, lifting toward the night sky. I moved forward, pebbles and rocks still managing to dig into my thin tennis shoes.

Even though I was careful in attempting to flee, I felt turned around almost immediately. My heart was pounding in my chest, the rush of adrenaline keeping me focused. For now. I wasn’t certain how long that was going to last since I was so emotional.

I was jerked forward, slipping on one of the smoother rocks. Water sounds were coming from everywhere and I had no way of knowing how deep the river was.

Damn it. I’d gotten disoriented in the dark.

Apparently, my vision wasn’t nearly as good as a wolf.

Shit.

I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs one of my favorite movie lines.

“Why can’t I have a normal boyfriend?”

Instead of a savage wolf.

It was ridiculous to think that way, but my mind was incapable of processing it any other way. I’d just seen the most bizarre yet insanely gorgeous eyes that were entirely those of a wolf. Only larger, with more emotion in them.

Including anger.

Jax was powerful, but now I knew just how much. Ignoring what I’d seen was… All I could do. I was losing it all the way around.

I’d flown down the stairs so fast I wasn’t thinking. Racing out into the night when I had no clue what was waiting for me in the darkness was stupid. Irresponsible. But I’d just reacted.

Who could blame me?

A wolf.

And I was his girlfriend.

A strange laugh bubbled to the surface as I almost tripped over some rocks. That second the entire world seemed to light up as if I’d landed on the tarmac of a major airport.

He’d turned on all the exterior lights. The bastard didn’t want me getting away.

Well, fuck him.

Now I could also see better, able to jump over a small group of rocks before moving onto a large pathway leading toward the front of the house. At least I could head to the road. Yes, I’d travel at least a couple of miles on foot with the man hunting me, but maybe I could find a passing car along the way.

A girl could hope.

If I was lucky enough, I’d return home and hide under the covers with a pint of ice cream. Make it a half gallon. Definitely no more horror movies in my future. I was also giddy with the craziness I felt inside.

The meeting had been fascinating, mostly because of the intense testosterone in the room.

I’d thought my Wolfie boyfriend was going to kill the one dude.

Their mother? Oh, God. She really did think I was Jax’s mate. Maybe they were the nutty ones and I was perfectly sane.

Even if I’d seen Jax’s eyes and his canines?

Girl, you’re losing your grip on reality.

Yes, I was and right now, I was proud of it.

I bounded down the driveway and realized I needed to get off the road. Would he come on foot or bring his fabulous sports car to chase me down?

Or would he shift?

Decisions. Decisions.

A laugh bubbled to the surface as I lunged toward the woods, passing through the beautifully lit trees into utter blackness. It took almost a full minute before my eyes regained any focus. At that point, my skin was pebbled with goosebumps. I also had a shiver crawling down my spine.

I’d been impetuous leaving like I had, but I’d felt as if my mind couldn’t process another piece of information. I needed space, and my own things to try to bring me back down to earth.

The further I ran into the woods, the worse the feeling of disorientation. I was usually very good with keeping my wits about me. The only time I’d ever gotten lost had been…

When the wolf had saved me.

The big black one with the silver eyes.

I almost tripped again, slamming against a tree. The sound from stepping on a limb had been loud. Too much so. I remained where I was, catching my breath and listening to see if I was being followed.

It didn’t take long to realize I was. While Jax might be an excellent navigator of the woods, I could still detect movement myself.

He was close, but not too close.

In fact, it seemed as if he was creeping along. Maybe it was another type of animal. That was possible.

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my.

I rubbed my eyes, tears stinging them. I’d held up fairly well through everything, but this was too much, too difficult.

Too unbelievable.

With the hunt definitely on, I turned around in a full circle to ensure I was going toward the road and not back to the house. I thought I could see a twinkle of the lights in the trees but at this point, I couldn’t be certain of anything. My senses were wacked.

I took off sprinting again, shocked the foliage was becoming even denser. The natural barrier was great unless you were trying to escape.

Getting snarled in briars, I went down. Hard. The pain was worse than when he’d spanked me and I let off a single cry. The shrillness permeated the night sky around me. After that, I sucked in my breath to keep from making another sound as I tried to assess the damage.

My knees were likely bloody, my hands pricked by thorns. And every muscle in my body ached. As soon as I tried to stand, another cracking sound assaulted my senses. He was close.

Swallowing, I remained right where I was, praying he would pass by. When I sensed the bastard had likely found me, I took off sprinting, ignoring the anguish and the fact several low limbs smacked me in the face.

I had to be close to the road. I just had to be.

The wind whistled through the trees creating an entirely different howling sound. It was unnerving, the thought of a storm brewing yanking on my heightened level of anxiety.

The single new sound was something I’d never heard before. It wasn’t the cry of a wolf or a larger animal. It was low and husky, almost like a growl but not quite. My brain was still fried, but something pulled me back to the first night and the very first victim.

No.

It was close enough to what I heard to leave me in a new state of panic.

I knew in my gut the sound that I was hearing was similar to that night. Which meant…

There was no time to waste. I took off running, but the creature was on my tail. The horrible moment when your life flashed in front of your eyes occurred. I was a sitting duck.

Unless my personal predator found me.

My survival instincts took over and I allowed myself to scream. What good it would do I didn’t know, but I refused to die without fighting with everything I had.

Every awful thing I’d been through, every terrible situation with my ex and the brutal arguments flashed into my mind. I’d planned on giving him my forgiveness. Now I would never get around to it.

The silliness with my mother and her constant worry about me playing in the forest.

All the amazing emotions and dazzling electricity Jax had provided. I’d learned to live fully and completely.

If only for a little while.

And my sweet baby daughter. She’d grow up without a mother. My heart was broken, my mind still spinning as I ran. But there was no getting away from the monster.

Wolves were real.

They were dangerous.

This one would end my life and eat me.

Something told me I didn’t want my life to end without confronting the beast. I dropped to my knees, doing what I could to control my breathing as I searched for anything I could use as a club. Fate smiled on me for a few seconds, allowing me to wrap my hand around a solid piece of wood.

By that point, I’d run out of time. With one last effort to survive, I bolted in a perpendicular direction, racing as fast as I could.

I hadn’t realized I’d doubled back toward the driveway, the sparkling lights greeting me seconds later. I was almost relieved until I spun around in the other direction.

I’d seen the video countless times of the man rising from the dead. The blurry transformation had been all I needed to see in mixed horror and fascination that his body was increasing in size, his spine becoming twisted.

But the white lights wound around the dozens of trees provided a perfect and horrible revelation.

I could no longer hide behind science.

The high-pitched howl was still partially human, but with every second that passed, the creature continued to shift at a higher rate of speed. His metabolism was different than before, his human DNA cells being devoured alive.

Frozen and unable to breathe, I held out the thick limb, debating where I should hit him.

Electricity crackled in the air, a series of sudden vibrations skittering all the way to my toes.

I felt him.

I sensed him.

He’d found me.

Jax.

My mother had told me that every little girl needs a hero. I’d grown up thinking I didn’t need anyone. I’d still maintained that belief when I’d moved here. But the sight of the huge black wolf slowly making his way toward the misshapen monster challenged my earlier beliefs.

“Sedona.” His voice was low and husky, different than I’d heard only minutes before when he’d tried to provide assurance. Comfort.

Protection.

Even love.

The sight of Jax as he dropped onto all fours, his spine bending just as I’d seen with the monster was terrifying yet beautiful.

“Jax,” I whispered. I would know him anywhere by his rich and exotic scent. It wasn’t overpowered by an animal smell. Inside his luminescent silver eyes was still a man.

There was also at least a hint of humanity.

The entire earth vibrated as Jax completed his shift. I was in utter awe. There was no fear of him or what he might do. He was here to save my life.

All the anger and horrid feeling of frustration fell away. He was huge, much bigger than a gray wolf, but so similar to the creature who’d saved my life on the cold winter’s day.

He was also majestic and utterly beautiful.

He crept closer while the monster instantly sensed his presence. Every movement the beast issued was awkward, the continued transformation making it difficult for him to perform normally.

Jax used that to his advantage, racing toward the horrible monster, leaping through the air.

A gasp left my mouth before I could stop it, a scream following when the beast managed to throw a brutal punch. Jax’s wolf yelped as his body was pitched backward, but he rushed the inhuman being once again, issuing a savage series of growls as he attacked.

I backed away, my mind screaming that I needed to help him, but it was as if Jax was demanding I get out of the way. He insisted I obey him. My feet didn’t want to work and I almost fell on my face.

The creature was getting stronger and faster, the fight becoming bloody. They made lunge after lunge at each other, the howls and other guttural sounds something that would remain with me for a long time.

The stench of blood permeated the air, the wind carrying it directly toward me. I was terrified for the man I already cared about far more than I knew I should. The beast toppled Jax to the ground, the strength of the once dead man unbelievable to see and experience.

But Jax fought back, driving him away and pitching his fully extended body forward. As he bit down on the monster’s neck, the cry became unfathomable.

With every mutated cry, every bite and brutal action, I felt in my heart Jax was losing the battle. That couldn’t happen. When he was tossed back fifteen feet, I sensed the beast was moving in for the kill. No. No.

“No!” Without thinking, I rushed forward, lifting the limb as high into the air was possible. As I brought it down across the back of the monster’s head not once but twice, another realization hit me.

Werewolf.

The creature now stood at least seven feet tall, canines and claws highlighted in the twinkling lights. He reared back, trying to strike Jax again.

“No!” This time, I couldn’t recognize my voice. There was a deep rumble to it, a low and husky growl. I brought the limb down one more time, the piece of wood finally snapping into two pieces.

I felt her.

Oh, dear God, I felt her. A wolf.

My wolf.

It wasn’t possible. I couldn’t…

Another even lower growl grabbed my attention.

Jax was down.

He wasn’t moving.

Oh, God. Was he even breathing?

As the werewolf turned in my direction, I could see the red in his eyes. There was no sense of humanity. There was nothing to indicate any aspect of his former human self.

He was a killing machine, ready to slaughter me.

I backed away, tears sliding down both cheeks. “Jax. Get up. Please get up.” My cry went unheeded.

All was lost.

The sudden rush of electricity was followed by another wave of brutal current driving into every red blood cell in my body and I issued a howl of my own. My voice still wasn’t recognizable. My mind was only focusing on one thing.

Killing the werewolf.

Another growl brought a smile to my face. Jax was alive.

He was also enraged.

One more time he lunged forward, managing to tackle the werewolf to the ground. I stood frozen just as I’d done before, watching in awe as the man turned majestic wolf saved my life.

He also saved my soul.

The howls were as brutal as the action, the air filled with the sounds of upcoming death.

Suddenly, there was utter silence.

No night sounds.

No wind.

No vibrations.

No growls.

I dropped to my knees, taking gasping breaths as the panic shifted into utter relief. The sense of his presence was all around me and as he padded closer, I lifted my head to look into his eyes.

He was still there; Jax, the man I adored.

The one I’d been trying hard not to fall in love with.

There was no common sense that could help my mind, no logic that would define what I’d seen. I would stop trying. As my mother had once told me so very long ago, there were things in our beautiful world that defied explanation.

Jax moved closer and I stroked his snout. I would never need to fear what he was capable of or worry that I couldn’t handle the knowledge any longer.

This was a defining moment in our lives and one I would… Try not to remember.

“You saved me. You almost died.”

He huffed and nuzzled against my neck. He didn’t need to be able to speak. I knew what he was thinking.

He’d been prepared to die for me.

For the girl who’d tried to shove him away.

What life would bring after this, I wasn’t certain. Except I knew there would be additional bloodshed, horrible acts of violence.

Chaos.

Testing of humanity.

Murder.

But I would be able to handle the face of the crisis because I had to.

There was no other choice…