Page 75 of The Red Moon

I squeeze my palm, painting my entire forearm red. “This what you want?”

The creature doesn’t say anything. It continues to advance a few more steps before it stops completely.

What? I squeeze again, allowing fresh blood to reach as far as my elbow.

The creature sniffs the air, and the ravenous expression carving the lines of its face distorts. Twists almost. Jaw unhinging, it no longer looks at me like I’m the next meal. The vampire stares at me vacantly as if I’m not even on the menu. It doesn’t make sense. It should want my blood. It should be starving for it. Only this thing doesn’t for some reason, and now, it turns its full attention back on her wolf.

“Get back here!” I scream.

The lone creature pays me no mind. It stalks closer to her, footsteps as silent as they are swift. She fights against the chain, pulling frantically when she finally sees what’s coming. Death. I’m not going to make it. The arrows won’t stop this thing. She’s going to die just like Ida. Only this time, I’ll be forced to watch.

A low rumble shakes the dirt, and spotlights shine on the soulless a few feet from her. No. Not spotlights. Headlights.

“Three!” Alexey yells triumphantly, his voice dampened behind the hard thump of the truck colliding with the creature. The windshield cracks. The front end crushes inward. And the soulless is swallowed underneath the truck and dragged nearly thirty feet. He slams on the brakes and pokes his head out of the window, every inch of his face beaming with satisfaction. “You said these things were difficult to kill.”

“They can heal like the werewolves, half-wit,” I fire back. “Running them over won’t stop them.”

Alexey dismisses me with a scoff. “Until I see them stand back up, my count is still—three!” he screams the last word as he’s ripped back inside.

I drop my crossbow and sprint for the truck teetering from the struggle. “Alexey!”

Four earsplitting pops echo throughout the property, and bright yellow flashes illuminate the vehicle interior.

“Alexey. Are you okay?” There aren’t any more gunshots, only the horrible sound of a body hitting the dirt on the passenger side. “Alexey!”

The soldier tilts his head out the driver window once more, this time with a cigarette hanging between his lips and black blood smearing his cheek. I can’t hide the relief washing over me, not even for him.

“Two and a half.” He winces and blows out a thick cloud of smoke. “Save the princess. I go get other truck not stained with vampire brains.” And with that, he peels off, driving toward the front gates. The shape of the vehicle fades first. The wincing red taillights are the last thing I see.

But I can’t lose focus. I race the rest of the way to the shackled wolf, ignoring the exhaustion taking over each limb. When I near, heavy snarls vibrate her chest regardless of how cautious my final few steps are. The sound becomes louder and more threatening. She glares from me to the bear trap, her glowing brown eyes taking on an even deadlier shape.

“Easy, Ms. Nat,” I say softly, lifting my hands in surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

She snaps at the air in warning.

“It’s okay. I’m here to help.” I kneel and reach for the metal jaws holding her in place.

She watches, the bridge of her snout wrinkling to reveal each long fang.

“Just let me,” I say, my voice straining as I pry them apart. It takes all of my strength until I finally feel a crack shudder up each forearm. The two clamps open just enough for her leg to slip out, metal teeth coated with her fur and blood. “There.”

Before I stand, she slashes a claw through the air near my throat. I thank the gods she misses, but I have no other choice than to drop to the dirt and backpedal away on my hands and feet. There’s no recognition in her eyes. There’s only the unmistakeable glare of wrath, and now it’s aimed at me.

“Ms. Nat,” I plead, but the words go unnoticed to the monster stalking closer. Thick lines of spit drip down her teeth. Deep growls silence the static in my ears. I might have helped save her from the soulless, but all I’ve managed to do is put myself at the bottom of food chain.

“You don’t want to do this. You⁠—”

Another swipe, this one narrowly missing my thigh. She gives a frustrated snarl and picks up the pace, forcing me back while I dodge every determined slash. It’s not her. Nothing about this animal is the woman that reminded me of my sister. And if she succeeds, I won’t just die. A piece of her humanity will, too.

She raises her claw once more to deliver the killing blow.

“Natalia!” I scream and yank the necklace from my shirt collar, snapping the chain clean off. The broken strands dangle down my wrist as I shove the crescent moon in front of me. Whether or not the silver will deter her or spark some sort of memory, I’m not sure. But as she stalks forward and catches a glimpse of the necklace, she stops.

Her pointed ears perk. The deep snarls lighten and eventually silence altogether. There’s a familiar flicker her eyes as they fixate on the sharp edges of the moon. She lowers her readied claw. Her chest lifts with a heavy breath, and when she exhales, her tightened shoulders slump downward. She recognizes it. Buried somewhere deep within this monster is the woman I have saved. Cared for like my own flesh and blood. She is still in there somewhere, and she remembers.

I stumble to my feet, keeping the necklace held between us at arm’s length. The wolf doesn’t attack, she only tilts her head to the side and studies it further. Then, the snarling returns at a louder and more intimidating level.

She’s not glaring at me anymore. No. All of her deadly focus is drawn on something behind me. A long hiss from the creature accompanies the sounds rattling her chest. It’s twisted bones snap into place. Shit. I fight the nausea boiling in my stomach and turn around. The creature is healing. Writhing each mangled limb until it can manage to stand. This thing won’t stop, and I know it’s only a matter of time before it comes for her again.