Page 20 of Taming the White Wolf
“It’s time you see what I really am.” Clothing rustled. Was he undressing?
She dove for the opening in the window, desperate to escape. He rammed into her from behind, sending her sprawling. She turned her head and put out her hand, managing to keep from hitting face first.
Shocked and aching, it took her a second to recover.Move!The survivor in her screamed the warning. She rolled to the side just assomethinglarge landed where she’d been. It wasn’t the shape of a human. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark. There was enough light filtering in through cracks in the boarded-up windows so it wasn’t pitch-black. She scanned the area, searching for her attacker. Her mind didn’t want to acknowledge what she’d seen. Or thought she’d seen. Maybe fear had pushed her over the edge into delusions.
A low growl reverberated a few feet away. Glowing eyes watched her. Her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest. Her throat tightened, making it impossible to scream. She inched closer to the window. There was no way Pietro wouldn’t be on her if she tried to escape. That wasn’t her goal. No, it was the broken piece of wood hanging by one nail.
When he lunged, she dove. Hands extended, she grabbed the board and yanked with all her might. It ripped free and swung with her momentum, hitting the creature behind her.
Yelp!
It was the same sound an injured dog would make, but this was no dog. Standing on four paws, it was bigger than any canine she’d ever seen, its fur blending with the shadows. It was the wolf-like creature that had been in her hallway, the one that had left the slashes on her door. And it had been a man. It was crazy. No one would ever believe her. Somehow, someway, Pietro was a wolf.
Werewolf.It was the stuff of horror movies and nightmares.
“Stay back.” The words were little more than a strangled whisper. She fisted the wooden board with both hands.
A menacing growl was his reply.
Sweat trickled down her back. Regrets poured through her mind—all the things she should’ve said, should’ve done. She shook her head in denial. She wasnotdying here. Not if she could help it.
Realistically, her chances weren’t great. Not if she didn’t get help. She was under no illusion she could fight off a wolf, not with a flat-ended board. If there was a sharp point on the end, she could have used it as a stake.
He might be a werewolf, not a vampire, but she figured if you stabbed any creature in the heart it would die. Maybe. What did she really know? If anyone had told her werewolves were real, she’d have laughed at them, thought they’d lost their mind.
Devlinhadtried to tell her, and she’d done just that. Hindsight was a bitch.
A growl right next to her had her swinging. This time, she got nothing but air. Her attacker was toying with her, enjoying her fear. She didn’t care what his reasons were. Every second that passed brought Devlin closer. Assuming he didn’t ignore her summons after she’d told him to get lost.
Her stomach dropped. It hadn’t occurred to her until now that he might not race to her aid. Talk about a stupid assumption. He owed her nothing, had probably written her off. She’d called him delusional, told him to go away, and ignored his calls. No, like always, she was on her own.
She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. Of all the possible endings to her life, she’d never once pictured dying in an abandoned building, a casualty of a werewolf attack.
Her fingers flexed on the board. She held it like she would a baseball bat. “You think you’re so tough? Show yourself.” Maybe it wasn’t smart to provoke him, but she was tired of his cat-and-mouse game. If she could goad him into making a mistake, maybe she’d have a chance. “You’re nothing but a coward, you mangy fleabag.”
Huge paws slammed into her chest, driving her to the ground. She shoved the wooden board up, jamming it between his powerful jaws before they closed around her neck. The muscles in her arms strained and bunched. The wood snapped like a toothpick.
I am so dead.
Curling her hand into a fist, she punched him in the throat. Too bad she couldn’t hit him between the legs. All males—human and animal—were vulnerable there. Barring that, it was eyes, nose, and throat.
Sharp teeth shredded her shirt. She brought up her foot and kicked. He jumped back and spit a piece of cloth onto the ground.
Her arm was still bleeding. It hurt like a son of a bitch, as did the rest of her. She grabbed the two pieces of wood off the floor. When he’d broken it, it had created jagged edges. Perfect for gouging eyes. She rubbed the corner of her mouth against her shoulder and glared. “That all you got?”
But the wolf was no longer looking at her. No, his gaze was pinned on the opening. Her heart leaped. Was Devlin out there? She needed to warn him. It wasn’t right that he risked his life for her. Or maybe it was a stranger. Unless it was an entire SWAT team with automatic weapons, whoever was out there wasn’t prepared to take on what was in here with her.
“Run. Get help,” she yelled. Her voice gained strength, determination flooding her. “Run!”
Boards were ripped away, widening the opening. Heart thudding, her fingers flexed around her makeshift weapons. Pietro spun around and leaped toward her. Caught off guard, she screamed and fell, waiting for sharp fangs to rip out her throat and razor-sharp claws to rake her skin.
Something huge and white rammed into her attacker. He flew and smashed into a wall. No, not into it. Through it. The force demolished the drywall and cracked the wall studs, sending clouds of dust into the air. It was another wolf. Pietro was big, but this one was enormous. It turned its head and caught her gaze. The pale eyes were familiar.
With a low growl, Pietro attacked. The two large wolves collided in midair and crashed to the ground. Zoe scrambled out of the way as they rolled toward her. The fight was vicious. Even though she couldn’t see clearly, there had to be blood everywhere. Huge claws and fangs ripped and tore.
Horrified, she watched, unable to look away. She was breathing too fast. Her head began to spin. Her stomach lurched. The room was closing in around her. Cupping her hands over her mouth, she forced herself to take deep, slow breaths until she was no longer in danger of passing out.
I have to get out of here.
