“They’re here, in the tunnel.”
“Down there.” Logan pushed her to the left, down a narrow shaft. He knew they couldn’t outrun the bastards. Not like this.
“I don’t . . . Logan, where can we go?”
Her hand was on his chest, the only warmth to be found. He stared down at her for several seconds, watched as her eyes widened, filled with something else. Awareness?
“The only way we can outrun them is if I shift.” He waited for a heartbeat. “I know you’re scared of what I am, but you’ll have to trust that I wo
n’t hurt you.”
Her hand slowly slipped away and he was surprised at the strong urge he felt to grab it, to hold it against him and drink in her warmth and softness.
Logan backed away, his gaze not leaving hers, and when he thought she was ready . . . when the noise from down the sewer grew louder . . . he called on the ancient magick of his people.
His human clothes slipped away, disappearing into the nothing as mist rolled over his body. Limbs elongated and cracked—painfully—but it was something he relished—the pain. It spoke of his power and of his heritage and of the beast that lived inside him. As his body size tripled and quadrupled, never once did his gaze falter.
Kira’s face was pale, her mouth pinched, but she didn’t move an inch as he stood before her, a hellhound. Her fear had tripled and how could it not? He was the size of large horse.
The rumble of hundreds of trojans shook the foundation of the sewer. He bared his teeth and shook his head, stretching his long legs in front of him so that she would be able to climb on.
Her hands, tentative at first, sank slowly into the thick fur between his shoulder blades, but then she dug in with her fists and hopped on top of him. She slid forward and her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, her legs pinned tight to his ribs.
“Get me out of here,” she whispered hoarsely, “please.”
Logan took off. His long legs and preternatural speed carried them down the shaft in a blur of fur, fangs, and Kira. His nostrils flared as hundreds of scents flew at him. When he was in his hellhound form all of his abilities were amplified. He became the ultimate tracker, and once he was set on a scent there was no escaping.
He twisted and turned, going left and then right, picking up speed as adrenaline flooded his cells. After a while there was only the sound of water splashing against his paws, of his heart beating heavy in his chest, and of the ragged breaths falling from Kira.
He didn’t slow down—if anything, he picked up speed and held his head low as he streaked through the underground tunnels wanting to put as much distance between him and the trojans.
Eventually the dank smell of the sewer lessened and his ears pricked forward as he was able to filter other sounds.
A crowd. Laughter. Excitement.
By Logan’s estimation he’d been running for nearly an hour. He had no idea what was above them, but it was time to find out. The clock was ticking. He needed to get Kira back to the Regent Institute before her human form degenerated.
He came to a stop and waited for her to slip from atop his body before he called upon his human skin. He transitioned as fast as he could, welcoming the pain—anything to distract him from the conflicting emotions Kira brought out in him. Moments later he stood before her, staring at her in silence. The eerie glow from pipes above them danced off the water and encircled her in swaths of green light.
Her hair was a mess of tangles, her eyes large, luminous balls of oil. Her mouth parted and he saw the tip of her tongue. She took a step toward him, unsure, her tongue now moistening her lips as she bit down.
For a second he imagined that tongue wet and glistening, gliding across something else. Logan exhaled harshly, banishing the image from his mind just as quick. What the hell was wrong with him?
“That was . . .” She ran shaking hands through the tangles at her neck. “That was incredible. You’re incredible. I’ve never . . .”
“Christ. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that line, I’d be a fucking millionaire.” The result was worth it.
Her lips pinched briefly, and the fire he needed to see in her eyes returned. Considering what lay ahead, she sure as hell was going to need it.
Kira rested her hands on her hips and the tongue that had been teasing him disappeared, which, if he was to be honest, was disappointing.
“You may be an incredible . . . dog or whatever the hell you—”
“Wrong.”
“What?”
“A dog is a pet.”