“I know.”
His hand lingered for a second while his gaze lowered to my lips. My breath hitched as he turned, and I felt the sudden loss of his touch as I slipped the gun into the back of my jeans.
God, I needed to learn to control my reactions around him, but it was hard. He was dangerously handsome, and the attraction between us was electric. Every time we got close, I felt like a part of my soul wanted to claw its way out…though not in a bad way. I couldn’t explain it. It made no sense and was frankly weird as hell, like a relentless pushing against my ribs that strengthened every time he came near.
Jaxson handed Sam a pistol and slid another behind his waistband. Eight shifters stepped from the other vehicles. Tony, Regina, and a couple of others I recognized from our first jaunt to the she-wolf’s cabin near the lighthouse. They nodded at me, and I guessed everyone was warming up a little. That, or they expected me to die and were just being polite about things.
I took an unsteady breath.
Things would be fine. Jaxson had explained the plan of attack at the road stop. Everyone except him and Sam was going to shift. The wolves would split into two groups and surround the cabin, while we approached from the south.
The werewolves seemed to prefer attacking with claws and fangs over using guns. It made sense for fighting in the trees, where there would be a lot of cover. Plus, as far as I could tell, they were faster, stronger, and healed more quickly in wolf form.
I, however, was not a werewolf, and I had no control over the little magic I had, so I was really happy for the Glock. I touched it for good luck as Jaxson had everyone huddle up.
“You know the plan,” he said. “Go quietly, and be quick about it. Take out the sentries, then breach. But don’t forget—Billy is mine by right. If you see him, howl. Pursue, but don’t engage. We need him alive. He’s our link to the sorcerer behind this, and if he goes down, the bastard may slip away.”
Everyone nodded. I could practically smell their excitement, the urgency to run.
“Stay alert
,” Jaxson said softly. “Billy will be expecting us.”
I averted my gaze as the wolfborn stripped and shifted. The snapping of bones made my stomach turn.
“Ready?” Jaxson’s voice sent shivers down my neck.
I turned and nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He smiled, but I could see the pain in his eyes. This couldn’t be easy for him. Billy was a prick, but he was also Jaxson’s family. I really had no idea what that must be like.
With the rustling of leaves and the soft padding of stealthy paws, the wolves disappeared into the trees.
The fog seemed to blanket the forest in silence. Jaxson and Sam flanked me, and I followed their lead as we crept through the woods. My pace was slow. I didn’t have wolf vision and had to gingerly step over the rocks that littered the ground. Boots of speed were great, but boots of stealth would have been really handy.
Gunshots resounded through the forest, followed by two howls. My pulse raced. The tension in Jaxon’s shoulders was clear. He glanced at Sam, and they slowed. I bit my lip in frustration, wishing I could speak wolf.
Suddenly, loud cracks echoed through the trees behind us as bullets sank into bark. I ducked low behind a fallen trunk, unable to discern where the shots were coming from.
More gunfire erupted from the left, and bullets dug into the dirt a few feet behind me.
Wrong side of the tree.
I dove over the log, and Sam crouched beside me. Jaxson ripped off a few shots into the darkness, aiming for something flickering at the edge of my vision. Their eyes were so much sharper than mine.
My heart began pounding, and a bead of sweat rolled down my spine.
Deep breaths, Savy. You’ve got this.
No, I fucking didn’t.
I could shoot, but I wasn’t trained for gunfights in the dark. Lying on my stomach next to the fallen trunk, I suddenly had a greater appreciation for demons, which just tried to eat you and didn’t shoot back.
With gasping breaths, I reminded myself of why I was there. Why I’d left Belmont and gone to Magic Side—to find out who was hunting me. I was almost there. I just needed a face and a location.
A bullet ricocheted off a rock near Sam’s head.
We were surrounded.