“No, no. I prefer for you to come to me. I promise you will not be harmed” She outstretched a clawed hand.
“Yeah, right.” Shivering, Emma shook her head. “Plunging down the cliff robs you of killing me slowly.”
Saskia’s face twisted. “You jump and I’ll eat those boys as a snack.”
“What?”
“I told Bolton he can have them for his chimera projects, but if you leap to your death, I will eat them, one by one. Slowly.”
Emma frowned. “How do I know your wolf-men haven’t already slaughtered them?”
“I give you my word as a fellow lycan.”
“I’m yours,” said Emma, but didn’t budge from the edge of the cliff.
Saskia smiled and moved to grab her.
Emma held onto Saskia’s arm and fell back. Together they plunged over the cliff. In the distance, Emma heard the roar of a werewolf. Nik.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Nik reached the edge of the cliff, his claws extended. He got there too late. Emma was lost to him. His fault. In his monstrous form, he existed in a twilight world between monster and human. Drunk, but sober enough to know he’d lost his mate. Tears escaped his eyes. Despite the poison in his veins, Emma had brought out his humanity.
Nik peered over the edge at the distant ground. Saskia’s twisted body lay sprawled on the rocks. He cocked his head. Where was Emma? He had to get down there. Had she landed on a ledge?
Nik scanned the rock cliff, looking for a way down, but found none. He howled in rage.
A peregrine falcon screamed above him.
Nik growled.
The falcon swooped passed him, soared up into the air, and then dove below the cliff.
Still inebriated, Nik shook his head. Huh? He stared below. The peregrine landed near Saskia’s body, pecking at it. Not to feed on exposed flesh, but as if testing to see if she was dead.
The falcon took off and flew toward him. Then circled over him.
Nik stumbled away from the cliff and stared at the bird of prey.
The falcon landed on the ground.
You want to die, too. No problem. Nik charged the bird.
The creature flew off.
Nik smelled humans, live hu
mans. More to kill.
Bolton, followed by two of his men, approached. The men carried normal rifles, but he recognized Bolton’s weapon, a wolfsbane rifle.
Bolton shouted to his men. “Keep shooting while I take aim.”
Nik attacked as a hail of bullets struck him in the torso, shoulder and leg. Blinding pain stoked his rage and strength.
Bolton lifted his wolfsbane rifle.
The peregrine appeared and raked its talons across Bolton’s head. He snarled and snapped at the already airborne raptor. Bleeding, Bolton’s shot missed Nik.