lupine, but his teeth were fully exposed in his snarling mouth and smoke was billowing from his throat. The shreds of a tan suit hung around his gaunt, monstrous body, the edges of the fabric still singed and smoking. Colt stood frozen in shock for a moment as Andrew struggled against the monstrous Alpha whose hands were wrapped around his neck.
“Hold still, you brat, and let me roast you,” Christopher—at least, Colt thought it was Christopher—seethed.
“A little help!” Andrew cried, noticing Colt before Christopher did.
Colt shifted and leaped to take Christopher down. The other ghoul’s eyes were black with molten rims like lava, and they widened in surprise before Colt collided with him. The moment Colt’s hand closed around the other ghoul’s neck, he cried out in pain as his skin was burnt.
Fucking variants.
Colt let his claws extend fully, since that was the only way he was going to be able to do any contact damage. Christopher snarled fiercely and tore at him. The other ghoul didn’t have claws, but the more he swiped and thrashed, the more his skin seemed to bubble with the heat, as if a fire was roiling underneath it.
Andrew fired his gun, and the bullet hit the ghoul’s head, but it didn’t stop him. He didn’t even seem to notice. The second one just grazed Colt’s shoulder.
“Thanks for that!” Colt snapped, kicking Christopher to throw him off.
The grass singed around the variant’s fingertips, and as he pressed a hand to the tree trunk next to him to raise himself up, the bark caught flame.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Colt growled in frustration.
“What the hell is that?” Andrew cried.
“I don’t know! I don’t carry around an encyclopedia of ghoul variations like a fucking dweeb.”
“There’s a goddamned encyclopedia and you haven’t read it?” Andrew bellowed as he emptied his gun into Christopher.
The ghoul didn’t flinch. He kept snarling, his eyes locked on Colt as he approached. “What a surprise. Did I almost eat your human fuck toy?” he taunted. The insinuation that he’d fuck Andrew was far more offensive to Colt than anything else. “No matter. I never liked Evelyn’s plan to use such a sentimental creature from the beginning. I told her it wouldn’t work. That your weakness would make you harder to control, not easier, but she had to do it her own way. You know how women are.”
“You’re an Alpha,” Colt growled in disbelief. “How?”
“You think everyone on the Council follows the rules?” Christopher sneered, snapping a branch off the burning tree. The top of it was already on fire. “I’m the one who wrote them. Rules are for those who were born to serve, not those who make them.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Colt said, dodging the branch as Christopher swung it. Andrew wasn’t so lucky, but the fact that Christopher had managed to knock him a few feet away was probably for the best.
“You know, generally speaking, you’d need to decapitate a ghoul to kill him,” Christopher said, taking another step toward Colt. “However, I’ve found that given my unique nature, I have the option of roasting first and then taking my time until I’ve consumed enough that it no longer matters. I even hear rumors that sometimes, you stay alive until the very last moment. Care to find out?”
“Sounds fun, but I’d rather not.”
Christopher lunged at Colt and rammed the branch through his side. Blood pooled in Colt’s mouth, but he reached out to grab Christopher instead, bearing through the searing pain in his hands as the other ghoul’s flesh burned him. He tore the branch out as he pulled Christopher toward him, impaling the other alpha on it. Christopher lurched forward, and Colt pierced his chest with his claws, tearing out his heart before he could recover.
Colt pulled himself off the branch and blood flowed from the wound in his side. Christopher collapsed, slumped over the branch that was still impaling him. Colt panted as he held the ghoul’s heart in his hand.
“You killed him,” Andrew cried, running over to them. “Now, what are we supposed to do?”
“Ghouls don’t die when this stops beating,” Colt said, holding up the ghoul’s heart. It was larger than usual, and he hated the fact that he wanted to eat it so fucking bad. It was practically roasted, and the smell of burning flesh he could tell was churning Andrew’s stomach was making his own mouth water. “It’ll just keep him calm for the ride. You have cuffs, right?”
“Not officially.” Andrew pulled a pair out