The Breeding Experiment - Laurann Dohner Page 0,26

Elth shot his weapon but it wasn’t at them, instead aimed at whoever they were fleeing from.

In shocked awe, she watched as Gnaw leapt forward. He didn’t attack the aliens at first, instead landing on his hands and feet, bent over—and then his body began to instantly transform into another shape. It happened so fast that within a few blinks, he’d gone from being himself to becoming a beast with four large paws sporting long, sharp claws. It looked strange to see that scary creature wearing torn pants, the waist split open.

He roared in rage and attacked the Elth.

They tried to flee from him, but the big alien cat moved too fast. He took them down, their shrieks loud as his claws tore open their skin. White stuff sprayed the walls, floor, and even the ceiling. Some of it hit Darla, too. She flinched but couldn’t take her gaze off Gnaw as he tore up the Elth with his lethal claws, stomping on them once he had them down. The thick white stuff that must’ve been their blood spread across the floor around them.

Gnaw slipped on it with all four of his big paws when he was done killing the aliens. The pants weren’t on him anymore, the destroyed material scattered with the dead bodies. His long claws scratched on the floor as he moved. He turned his head, and the only thing she identified in that altered beasty face of his were his beautiful eyes.

He jerked his head at her and started to walk slowly in the direction he’d indicated.

Darla was shaking as she used the wall to get to her feet. There was no way she could follow him without stepping in the white blood still spreading on the floor from the torn up corpses of the Elth.

“Oh frack,” she hissed, locking her gaze on Gnaw as he prowled away from her. As scary as he currently looked, she didn’t want to be left behind. That meant following. He hadn’t attacked her. It had to imply that just because his body was in another shape, his mind remained the same.

The stuff she stepped in had the same consistency as lukewarm soured milk. It was a little chunky. She gagged but refrained from puking. There was no way she wanted to lose sight of Gnaw. She continued to walk, almost tripping over a thick tentacle. It forced to her look down, stepping carefully over the Elth until she cleared the last body part.

Beastly-looking Gnaw glanced back, seeming to make sure she followed him, and then picked up his pace. She jogged to keep up. It was still shocking to see him this way, even though she’d learned from the news that they were a shifter alien race. They hadn’t shown what Veslors looked like, though, with their huge cat bodies.

There were slight noises ahead, ones she identified. It was the same sound she’d heard when the Elth fired their weapons. Gnaw suddenly roared and rushed around a corner, leaving her behind.

Darla froze when high-pitched shrieks followed. Then she forced herself to creep forward, peeking around the curve of the wall.

Gnaw had two of the aliens on the ground, batting at them brutally with his huge paws. His claws tore them apart and their white blood sprayed everywhere.

She silently swore to never drink milk again. Ever.

A third Elth came out of a door that suddenly opened near where she was hiding. Gnaw seemed so focused on finishing off his alien pray that he must not have heard the hiss. He didn’t even glance over his shoulder to indicate he knew the other Elth had entered the hallway.

Outrage filled her as the Elth raised one of its tentacles, revealing a weapon he aimed toward Gnaw.

She reacted on instinct, rushing around the corner, and throwing herself at the tall alien.

Her intention had been to tackle him and take him to the floor. Instead, it felt as if she’d slammed into a clammy, slightly squishy pillar. Neither of them went down.

The Elth twisted his gelatinous body her way, loosening her hold on the part of his body just above where his tentacles started. His three eyes widened, probably surprised by her attack. Then something wrapped around one of her thighs, squeezing painfully. It felt as if her bones were being broken. She screamed and managed to raise her arms, clawing at the white skin of what should be his face. It was near his mouth, since he was too tall for her to