This Dark Wolf (Soul Bitten Shifter #1) - Everly Frost Page 0,67
man with the broad face, who froze at the death howl of his comrade. The body hits the man in the chest and he loses his footing, scrambling to get back to his feet, dragging the body with him. The third attacking wolf yelps and darts out of reach, shifting into the form of a smaller man who races away with the broad-faced man, carrying the slain wolf between them.
Within seconds, the sound of doors slam and a vehicle speeds away in the dark.
Jace races to Tristan’s side.
“You let them leave,” Jace says.
“I want to send a message. I won’t be so merciful next time.” Tristan strides over to the two shifters who remain in the shadows, helping them to their feet and checking over their wounds.
One of them is a woman with auburn hair—she was the russet wolf. She quickly turns and reaches for her discarded clothing, but nobody seems to mind—least of all her—that she’s giving everyone an eyeful of her naked body.
“That’s the second time they’ve tried to get past us here tonight, Tristan,” she says, pulling on a black T-shirt and jeans. “I know we’re stretched, but we need reinforcements. Those fuckers love this bridge.”
Tristan exchanges a look with Jace before he turns back to the woman. “Do you have any problem with vampires, Bridget?” Tristan asks.
She doesn’t appear to turn a hair. “Nope. As long as the vampire’s on my side, I don’t have any problem at all.” Her face suddenly lights up with anticipation. “Wait! Is Iyana here?”
Tristan grins. “She is.”
The woman tips her head back with a whoop. “Best news all day. I’d love to have her help.”
“Then I’ll have reinforcements for you tomorrow night,” Tristan says. “Can you hold out here tonight?”
“Yeah,” she says, still catching her breath, checking her partner’s response. He’s a tall man, wiry, who appears slightly older. He has also hurried to dress.
He nods. “They shouldn’t attack again now that one of them is dead.”
Jace studies the bridge for a moment. “I’ll stay here just in case.”
Tristan also considers the bridge and the parking lot nearby.
“That felt too easy,” he says, a crease suddenly forming in his forehead. “What if—?”
His focus suddenly snaps to Jace. Even in the dim light, I see the blood leave Tristan’s face. “It could be a diversion like the one this afternoon.”
Jace grips Tristan’s shoulders, steadying his alpha, giving Tristan the same look that Helen gives me before she tells me to take a deep breath. “Do you sense anyone in trouble?”
Tristan’s gaze becomes distant. “No. But I can’t sense Tessa’s wolf. She’s invisible to me. Not like that first night.” He’s suddenly agitated. “Fuck! I never should have let her out of my sight tonight. I need to make sure she’s okay.”
“There’s no way Baxter Griffin could know where she is,” Jace hurries to say.
Tristan pulls away from him, already launching into a sprint, his arms and legs pumping as he runs back along the street.
Jace yells after him. “If you can’t sense her, then neither can he! Nobody can.” He lowers his voice. “Fuck, I hope I’m right.”
I pull back into the shadows so that Tristan doesn’t see me as he races past. He won’t be able to sense my presence with his power, but he could still see me with his human eyes.
I’m shocked at the focus and determination on his face as he runs past. I remind myself that I’m important for his plans. He doesn’t care about me. He can’t afford to lose control of me.
And I can’t afford to lose control of myself right now.
I need to return to my human body as fast as I can.
I tell myself that even when I’m separated from my wolf’s energy, I’m still strong. I still have my power. She’s one part of me, but not all of me. If Tristan returns to the penthouse before she does, then I can keep her outside until she can rejoin me when he won’t see her.
I’m not ready for him to discover that I can separate from her.
Tristan is a running blur ahead of me on the street now. The rain starts to fall and suddenly, all the smells of the city overwhelm me. Tristan’s scent becomes harder to detect.
No! I need his scent to find my way back to the penthouse.
I squint in the rain, panic rising inside me before I recognize the square up ahead.
Relief fills me, but it’s suddenly ripped away from me as if my heart’s on a