Werewolves Be Damned - By Stacey Kennedy Page 0,20

bit off.

He took a slow step toward her, matching her retreat. “Might I remind you that you were the one who asked for this? Your fear is what’s stopping you here, nothing else.”

She reciprocated by taking two giant steps back. “No shit. Of course, it’s my fear stopping me. You’re going to kick my ass.”

His stare held firm, and he no longer approached her. “If I thought you truly needed more time to deal with this, I wouldn’t push you. But you went to Briggs’s, which showed bravery, and you handled the assignment last night. You have more guts than you think you do.”

She glanced around the empty cathedral. If she booked it, no one would see, and she wouldn’t die from embarrassment. “Clearly I wasn’t thinking straight when I agreed to this. Isn’t there a female guardian who can train me?”

As if she had said nothing at all, he continued, “The sooner you discover your abilities, the sooner you’ll realize you have no reason to be afraid. Then you can have that revenge that’s eating at you.” He took one step forward. “I know you believe my size matters here, but it doesn’t—”

“Liar,” she snapped.

Again, he took another step forward, closing in on her. “There are many female guardians, and they can hold their own against me. I’m being nice by only pushing you.” He stared down into her face with a firm look. “Now hit me.”

As if that would warrant her agreement, the big brute. “Might I remind you that I lived a simple life in Carson City with no idea about the Otherworld only a month ago?” She backed away from him, not caring if her fear showed.

He matched her steps. “This fear is part of the human that lives in you. It’s not a natural feeling for a guardian to be afraid. You simply have to see past it. The time to discover this is now. You want to find the wolf that killed your family. This is how you gain that freedom to hunt him.”

His words struck her in the heart and she stopped in her tracks. Kyden was right—she owed this to her family. Closing her eyes, she inhaled a deep breath, then she forced herself to put on a brave face. She opened her eyes to a dead-serious Kyden. “You won’t punch me back, right?”

He nodded. “Promise.”

Exhaling to shed the lingering fear, she approached him, drawing on the rage that she wanted to unleash on that werewolf. Not giving herself the chance to back out, and with a deep hatred fueling her strength, she cocked her arm back and landed a hard blow to his jaw.

Shocked, stunned, astonished, amazed—she experienced it all as she watched Kyden soar through the air.

I’m friggin’ Wonder Woman.

The moment he hit the floor, toppling ass over teakettle, that revelation vanished. He jumped to his feet and ran straight for her. Panic made her dizzy, and instinct told her to flee, but she doubted she’d escape him. She decided to take the chicken’s way out, she closed her eyes, waiting for the hit.

Waited…waited…waited.

Cracking open an eye, she noticed Kyden was an inch from her face. He gave her a shit-eating grin. “Plan to fight with your eyes closed, do you?”

She nodded with total certainty. “I ain’t fighting. I’m surviving.”

He chuckled. “Again.” He winked. “Level me.”

Not at all happy about it, she swung her arm back, then flung her fist straight into his stomach. He grunted, bending slightly from the hit, and she smiled. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Bringing her arm down low, she swung it up, hitting him square in the jaw.

Watching him soaring backward, Nexi didn’t waste her advantage. She lunged, plowed into him and they both slid across the floor, a tangle of limbs. As Kyden hit the wall, she bounced off his chest and laughed, shocked by her strength. They weren’t kidding about the guardian power; she’d knocked him around like a rag doll.

Him—Mr. Muscles.

“Hells-yeah, that’s awesome.” Jumping to her feet, she headed toward the center of the room when a scuffling sound came behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to discover that Kyden had risen, and not only that, but he was also charging straight for her.

Her sense of superiority vanished.

He connected with her before she even had a chance to move. Somehow he stepped in behind her, latched onto her arm, and gave her back a steady push. She flew across the room with his hard body braced against