Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
The fog over the puzzle dispersed. The entire image was clear, and it made my stomach twist.
“My mission, Eli, is to kill these monsters. I don’t care that they wear human faces during the day. That they laugh like us and speak like us. These are abominations, and I’m going to execute them. I will give you one chance to run and to never look back. And don’t think of tying me to this. When they die in their were forms, they turn to dirt and ash when the sun comes up. There will be no evidence. No body to bury. No human to grieve.”
He took a step toward me. The blades had a wicked glint to them.
“And if you choose to stay, then I will need to finish you too.”
I believed him. He was going to kill me. Either I ran and saved my own life or stayed and gave it up.
It was an easy decision.
I’m not leaving you, Gabe.
I braced myself. I wouldn’t run, but I wasn’t going to go down easy. I would put up a fight. He may have had the upper hand with weapons, but he was still a forty-nine-year-old man who had plenty of leftover injuries from his time as a hockey player.
I could take him.
I had to.
I pictured him like an opposing player. I charged forward, trying to catch him off guard. At that exact moment, a loud crash and ear-splitting roar sounded from the opposite end of the clearing, stunning us both. Harrison, in his shock, whipped his head toward the sound, giving me his back for a split second.
Long enough for me to bend down, lift the stone on the ground with both my hands, and bring it down hard on Harrison’s head.
He fell like a rag doll. I dropped the stone, blood drumming loudly between my skull. A were ran down the clearing, looking like a massive shadow. It stopped just feet away from me and reared up on its legs, looking down at me with honey-brown eyes.
It was Raquel. I knew instantly just by looking into her eyes.
She looked down at Harrison and peeled her lips back, showing a set of canines that were as large as the daggers that had fallen out of Harrison’s grip. She reared back, ready to snap him in half. “Wait, wait, he’s still breathing, hold on.”
Raquel moved her face inches away from mine and growled at me. Her breath was hot and smelled like the pizza she’d been eating.
“I don’t want anyone to die tonight.” I lifted a hand and placed it against the side of her head, her fur soft under my palm. “Please.”
She huffed, as if annoyed, and stepped back.
“Okay,” I said, taking off my shirt. “Keep a lookout, then, while I tie him up to a tree, just in case he wakes up before the sun comes up.”
Raquel gave me an agreeable growl and started to prowl the perimeter of the clearing. I took a moment to collect myself, taking in a deep breath and realizing that not only was it going to be a long-ass night, but that the morning would bring about a celebration.
I’d done it.
I saved them.
I really do go it.
Chapter Thirty-Two
We’ve Got This
ELI
The chorus of birds chirping was a soundtrack I’d never get tired of. The warm mug of coffee steamed in my hands as I took another sip, my feet posted up on the railing as I looked out over the mountains. The air up here couldn’t be beat, either. Every breath was pure, barely touched by car exhaust and pollution, filtered by the sea of trees that carpeted the land around Gabe’s cabin.
Best of all, it was peaceful. The perfect place to come and decompress after the shit we’d been through.
A week had passed since the full moon faceoff. I still couldn’t quite believe how it all went down, but fuck, was I grateful that it was over and that everyone was safe. Dylan had been rescued, no one in either pack had died, and Veronica was also found and returned. Everyone walked away from a night that could have gone much, much worse.
Harrison included.
Once the sun came up and the wolfsbane wore off, the two packs realized who the true enemy was. I explained everything that was said to me, and they handled the rest.
Harrison was currently being held by the Hunter’s Guild for a tribunal for his crimes, while the government agency aware of shifters was helping cover his disappearance with a backstory. I’d learned quite a bit about the Hunter’s Guild in the process—a collection of people who only went after rogue shifters, those threatening to cause harm or reveal their secrets to the public. They were noble and followed a strict code that respected the balance. They weren’t supposed to go after innocent shifters, but Harrison had a bloodlust that couldn’t be satiated. The shifter that killed his daughter had been rogue, but he didn’t want to stop there. He wanted to eradicate as many shifters as he could.