Page 24 of Broken Moon

But first, I would save thealpha’s life.

I leaped, following thetrajectory of my blade, and hooked my arm around the killer’s neck. I grabbedthe blade with my other hand and ripped it from his chest and then, as hepeered at me with yellow, startled, ancient eyes, I plunged the blade into hisgaping mouth.

“Suckthis, bitch,” Iyelled.

The blade broke the creature’shold on Jared—I could feel the severed connection—but I didn’t look to see ifthe wolf fell to the ground, if his seemingly paralyzed body moved, if heopened his eyes.

All my concentration was on thecreature, because he’d recovered from his broken connection and was now aboutas angry as anyone or anything I’d ever gone up against. He roared, though hisroar was more of an earsplitting screech, like a train was slamming on itsbrakes right before it hit me, and he grabbed the handle of the blade.

The demon blade had gone rightthrough his cheek, releasing a blood that was black and putrid, and we tumbledto the ground as we wrestled each other for control of the knife.

In the back of my mind was atickle, a memory of a creature I’d read about long ago, and I knew that if Isurvived the night I’d chase down that memory until it led me directly to thisstrange, dreadful creature.

If I knew what it was, I’d knowhow to kill it.

Because right now, killing itwas just not going to happen. The wound on its cheek knitted as soon as theblade was pulled free. I began to fight then to regain my blade, and then formy life.

We were rolling across theground snarling and clawing and fighting like two rabid dogs after the bone thatwas my knife, and when all I could do was grab the razor-sharp blade, I didn’tthink twice.

It sliced my fingers to thebone, and I lifted my free hand to punch him in the throat, over and over, butstill, he managed to stab me in the chest. Deep. Hard.

He couldn’t suck the life fromme because I was not a wolf, and it was that strange moment that I rememberedwhat I’d read. He was a rare, mythical supernatural called anexsoloup,and once upon a time, he had been a wolf.

He stabbed me again, and I feltthe pain like an afterthought as I held onto him as tightly as I could and foughtto take back my blade. He wanted to run. He wanted to throw me off and run, butI wasn’t going to let him do that.

If I could just get my fuckingblade, I could stick it in his mad brain and kill him. Only then, I remembered,I actually couldn’t.

Only a demon could kill anexsoloup, according to legend, and I was a hobbled wolf, not a demon—despitethe fact that I carried a demon’s blade. But that was why he was terrified.That was why he’d rather run than fight me and was trying like hell to keep theblade out of my grip. Because of the demon blade, which likely held a demon’sscent, he believed I was a demon.

I struggled for one of thestakes in my belt, but as soon as I held it, I dropped it. I went for another.But then suddenly and inexplicably, Jared was there, and he was attempting topull me away from the creature.

He was physically stronger thanthe exsoloup, and definitely stronger than me. He ripped me away from the killer,threw me halfway across the ground, then he took hold of the creature’s hand,the one holding my knife, and forced the exsoloup to stab himself. Over andover and over.

But the exsoloup did not die.He screamed, and he bled black and red, and he finally managed to pull his handfrom the enraged alpha. Then he lurched, flew into the air, and dropping bloodlike red sleet, he got the hell out of there.

The alpha ran after him, but asI was attempting quite unsuccessfully to drag my poor battered and cut body upoff the ground, he came jogging back. It was then, despite my injuries and thetrauma of a crazy fight, that I noticed he was naked.

Back in the day, when I’d beenpart of a pack, seeing someone’s unclothed form was par for the course. When awolf shifted, his clothes generally shredded into rags. When we returned to ourhuman forms, we were quite naturally naked.

I’d been away from the life forso long, though, that I saw it like a human would see it. And if it had beenanother man, I wouldn’t have been so affected. But Jared Walkerwas...impressive. And that was putting it mildly.

He dropped to his knees besideme. “Kaitlyn. I’m going to carry you back to the pack and get you a doctor.Hold on.” And he dropped my knife and slipped his hands under my back and legsand lifted me into the air, and then started to jog from the woods.

“Wait,” I said. “My blade!”

He frowned at me as he ran.“I’ll send someone back for it. You’re bleeding out, wolf, and I’m not wastingtime for a fucking blade.”

I struggled against him. “I’mfine, alpha. Let me down.” As much as I enjoyed being held against his big warmbare body, I really was fine, and I was not leaving my demon’s dagger behind. Ikicked my legs until finally, and with an expression of equal parts amazementand frustration on his face, he let me slide to the ground.

I took off at a jog, focused onmy knife, and when I scooped it up and held it tenderly against my chest, Irealized I might have a problem. I was slightly obsessed with the blade, nodoubt about it.

“How are you still standing?”Jared asked from right behind me.

I whirled, the knife cradled inmy hands, then smiled somewhat guiltily, I was sure. “It looks worse than itis.”

“I saw him stabbing you,Kaitlyn. I saw the blade go in so deeply that you should have died. I know thatsomewhere inside you is your wolf—and she is likely a strong fucking wolf—butyou are more human than shifter and you should not be standing there talking tome.” He crossed his muscled arms over his chest and stared me down.

“It’s worse,” I insistedgently, attempting to keep my stare on his eyes and only his eyes, “than itlooks. I promise.”