Page 19 of The Piper's Pursuit

The animal’s mouth was latched onto Steffan’s arm. It didn’t let go even when she stabbed it. She grabbed the bolt sticking out of its back and pulled it out. Before she could stab it again, the beast jumped off of Steffan and whirled on her, snarling and snapping its jaws. She held the bolt, pointing out. The animal jumped at her, twisting its body to avoid her weapon, and landed on its side on the ground. It was a bit slow getting back on its feet.

In that moment Kat stabbed the creature in the shoulder, just as Steffan’s sword point came down on the back of its neck. The animal slumped to the ground and didn’t move.

Blood was running down Steffan’s arm. “Are you hurt?” he asked.

Hewas asking ifshewas hurt? She blinked, distracted by his blue eyes staring back at her.

Steffan lifted his uninjured arm and placed his hand on her shoulder.

His hand was so warm. Her heart pounded. He had stepped between her and danger. He was wounded while protectingher. She had a sudden urge to throw her arms around him.

Strange, ridiculous thought. She would never, ever put her arms around Steffan. She hated him.

Except... she didn’t seem to hate him anymore.

Her heart pounded against her breastbone, stealing her breath for a moment. She quickly turned away from him, shrugging the gentle hand from her shoulder.

She stared down at the wolf. With her foot she nudged the large animal and blinked away all of the confusing emotions that had been coursing through her. The animal didn’t move.

Suddenly, Kat heard a growl, a snarl that raised the hair on her arms. She glanced at Steffan. His eyes met hers, but only for a moment.

Steffan sprang forward and grabbed his sword, which was still sticking up from the base of the animal’s skull, pinning it to the ground. He pulled the weapon free and held it up in a defensive stance.

Kat snatched her crossbow off the ground and fitted the bloody arrow into the mechanism, loading it by bracing the bow on the ground with her foot as she pulled the arrow and string taut.

Kat saw the eyes before she saw the rest of the beast’s body. It stalked toward them. Kat and Steffan backed away, putting the dead beast between them and this new animal. As it came closer, Kat gasped. It was just as big and gangly as the other one. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? How could it be that there were not one but two enormous beasts? Was that why so many people had gone missing?

Steffan was retreating slowly, just as Kat was, but he kept his own body between her and the wolf, waving his sword at the creature and yelling, “Stay back! Back!”

The animal crouched, then did a crawl-step, easing carefully toward the dead wolf on the ground. It sniffed the ground next to the carcass, then made a high, whining sound. Then it turned and trotted away, looking back over its shoulder at Steffan and Kat.

They both stood staring after the animal.

“Do you think it will double back and come around from another direction?” Kat watched as Steffan lowered his sword, his shoulders relaxing.

“I don’t think so, but we should go just in case.”

Once again, Steffan had placed himself between her and danger.

“I probably should have shot at it while I had the chance,” Katerina said. Why had she not? She must have been so shocked she wasn’t thinking.

“I’m just glad we lived to tell the tale.” Steffan looked at her, then down at his bleeding arm.

She forced a no-nonsense tone. “We need to see about that wound. Do you have any bandages?”

He shook his head. “It’s not bad. I’ve seen much worse.”

He probably had. He had two scars on his face, one below his eye and one above. Somehow they didn’t seem to detract from his handsomeness. But outward beauty did not matter. Handsome men could be just as dastardly as the ugly ones.

But then she remembered the man who died from his wounds after being attacked by the wolf. Would Steffan’s wound also become putrid?

“We must get you to a healer. Come.”

She retrieved her other arrow—the one that she had shot at the beast and missed. When she came back, Steffan was still staring down at the animal.

“There’s something about it.” He squatted beside the mangled animal. “It doesn’t look like a normal wolf. Or a normal anything.” He stretched out one of its legs. “It’s so large, it must be the Beast of Hamlin. And yet the second one looked exactly like it.”

Kat knelt on the other side of it. “It’s a wolf. Look at its head. But you’re right. It doesn’t look normal. The legs are longer and the body is bigger than any other wolf I’ve seen, but it’s also so skinny.”