gemstone, a screeching hiss reverberated around me, and I moaned as my
eardrums throbbed in pain.
Gritting my teeth and clinging to the pillar, I clutched the bloodstone to
my body. Seconds that felt like minutes passed, and then the screeching
stopped.
I steadied my heaving chest and looked around. The shadows and
darkness of the glen had faded away, and though the place was still dim, it
was a little less dark and creepy.
I leapt down from the pillar and landed hard on the jungle floor. “Okay,
nice job. Let’s find Jaxson.”
You still owe me a bacon cheeseburger, remember, my wolf said.
I had full confidence in Jaxson’s ability to take care of himself—I’d seen
him fight many times. Still, I couldn’t shake the worry and unease that had
settled in my bones. Lately, the more time I spent away from Jaxson, the
more I’d felt unsettled. It was strange and disturbing, and I didn’t like it one
bit.
I jammed the stone in my almost-too-small pocket, and hurried back in
the direction I’d come, careful to watch my footfalls so that I didn’t twist an
ankle or get my foot stuck again.
When I finally stepped out of the glen, I recoiled as my senses were
overwhelmed by the commotion ahead. Grunts and screeches cut through the
jungle, and the iron tang of blood burned my nostrils.
Jaxson.
Fear wrapped around my heart, and I shot forward, following the sounds
and smells. I broke through the trees but pulled myself back as Jaxson and
one of those monsters nearly collided into me.
Jaxson’s shirt was torn, and so was the flesh of his bicep, but he still
managed to tackle the beast and pin it to the ground. It was missing an arm
and looked worse for wear, and its shrieks cut out as Jaxson squeezed its
throat. The thing struggled under his grip, trying to slice at Jaxson’s back