Page 63 of Fangs & Fur

The energy whirling between everyone grows thick, and I can’t breathe. I can’t think about anything else other than Tyler. He’s alone, scared, and hopefully still alive. My stomach clenches and saliva fills my throat with the need to be sick.

“He’s right,” I manage to choke out, clutching ‌my stomach. “Use me as bait to get the… Soultracker away from Tyler.”

Xander rushes me, his arms circling ‌my chest. “No, little mate. You won’t step foot beyond this house until it’s dead.”

“But…what about the doll?” Harlan whispers.

Xander tenses and Cole clenches his fists at his side, his entire body vibrating with shivers. “What doll?”

I sigh and slip my hand into Xander’s jacket, finding the pocket and the weight of the sticks and twine. Pulling it from its pouch, I show Cole, who doesn't make a move to touch the thing. Instead, he eyes it with disgust.

“A binding spell,” he spits, stepping towards the back door. “Good. That’s how we kill it. Noah will bring that thing with him. When we have Tyler, you’ll break the doll and Xander can turn you into a vampire.”

“Wait!” I cry and throw myself from the couch, practically running after Cole. “Couldn’t we break the doll now? Then Xander could change me here.”

Cole watches me ‌closely, his brow furrows. “That doll is what’s keeping that thing strong. When you break the doll, it’ll weaken the beast. But I’m not risking that thing retaliating and killing Tyler before we can get to him.”

Striding past me, Cole pulls the back door open and steps into the dim light of the sunrise. “When you break the doll, you’ll die. The spell can't be destroyed if you’re immortal; the doll has to be broken before you’re turned. And no one but you can do it.”

Xander clutches at me, his warmth surrounding me. “Then Noah stays by my side. Harlan was only able to be turned after death because his maker was with him.”

Cole nods. “Then it’s decided. Let's go.” He doesn’t say another word as he strides onto the back porch and through the garden.

Ambrose is hot on Cole’s heels, and the rest follow suit. Cassius cracks his knuckles as he passes, giving Xander and I a small nod and a shallow smile.

Xander cups the doll in my grasp, his thumb swiping over the back of my hand. “Little mate. Do you understand what is at stake for you? For us?”

I swallow as I feel the way my heart shakes my ribcage. But I manage to nod. “I’ll die.”

Xander sucks in a breath and holds me tighter. “Is this what you want?”

The weight of his question settles over me, heavy enough to steal my breath. Between the distant sounds of the group outside and the nervous energy burning beneath my skin, all I can do is tighten my grip on the doll. “I want to be a vampire. I want to be with you for eternity.”

Xander’s smile is sad, his eyes welling with unshed tears. Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, he cups my jaw with gentle hands. “Harlan is an anomaly. His maker killed him before his death. A cult ritual. But it’s not always that straightforward.”

My brow furrows as I turn from Xander to see Harlan speaking with Milo in the garden, their gestures clearly outlining a plan of attack.

“There’s a window in time the size of a second from the moment you die to me turning you,” Xander begins, his voice cracking as he shakes. “If I can't turn you fast enough. If we are separated… you’ll stay dead. You won't turn.”

My stomach revolts, but the echoes of calls from the garden fill the house as the group turns for the forest. There’s no time left.

Clasping Xander’s hand in mine, I hold our hands close to my chest. “I trust you, Xan.”

His eyes don't match his smile, and I know he’s torn between emotions. But Tyler is in danger, and we must kill the Soultracker. There’s no other options left.

I stand and let Xander lead me from the house ‌into the garden. Cole waits impatiently, and the moment we emerge from the house, he’s darting into the forest.

“The beast took him in this direction,” Cole shouts over his shoulder as he disappears behind the foliage.

Xander scoops me up and holds me against his chest. One by one, each vampire speeds in Cole’s direction. With a final gentle kiss to my lips, Xander tightens his grip on me and ‌slides his tongue across my lower lip. “Are you ready, little mate?”

I nod as the world blurs around us and the wind whips at my skin. Xander races after Cole and catches up with ease. “I’ll follow the Soultracker’s scent. It’s already getting stronger.”

Cole nods and somehow outruns Xander. Darkness licks up Cole’s legs as he propels deeper and deeper into the forest. Beyond fallen logs and quiet streams, we pass the dilapidated cabin and climb the steady slope of the mountain.

Higher and higher, the group pushes on as the sun kisses the tip of the mountain. Golden light refracts through the trees and casts ‌shadows that dance across the forest floor. It would be beautiful if it wasn’t for the faint echoes of distant screams and cries.

Everyone stills, silence falling upon us.