She was screaming, unraveling, and yet she did not return to her flesh. I prevented that, as I will prevent you.
That's what you were doing when you touched her forehead, I replied, suddenly realizing what had happened.
He nodded. By touching her, I not only marked her with what she was, but I pinned her in place while I drained her, both in real life and on the plane.
Well, he wasn't going to be touching me, that was for fucking sure. So basically, you're a coward.
Anger snapped around me, thick and fast. I am no coward, huntress. As you can see. He made a motion with his hand. Silver spun out of the darkness, slashing toward my torso. I raised Amaya and steel clashed with steel.
Coward, I spat. Everything you do is from a distance, Taylor. Why? Do you fear getting close to someone who can actually defend herself?
More steel came out of the shadows. I slashed and parried and battered it away, calling him a coward at every blow. His anger grew, and the attacks became more furious, until all I could see was silver and all I could feel was blood and pain.
Now, I said to the Dušan. Do it now.
She ripped free with a scream that seemed to echo all the pain and fury that filled me, and formed shape, growing and expanding as she hurtled toward Taylor.
I felt his shock as strongly as if it were my own; then the steel assault stopped and he began to fade—but nowhere near quickly enough to escape. The Dušan whipped across the shadows and wrapped around him, coiling so tightly she would have snapped bones if he'd actually been wearing flesh.
He screamed then, and began to struggle, but to little avail. The hunter had finally been snared.
I blew out a relieved breath, and lowered Amaya as I walked toward him. Fury battered me, but it was tinged now with fear. His fear, not mine.
It felt good.
There's one thing you don't know about me, Taylor, I said softly. I'm not human.
His fear increased. God, it was so sweet. No, you're not. You're a werewolf.