The Vow (Black Arrowhead #1) - Dannika Dark Page 0,52

wolves avoided deadly conflict. At the moment, I wasn’t sure what we were defending except for our lives.

Lakota backed up against me, using his body as a shield as he bared his teeth. As instructed, I kept my eyes submissively low and never made eye contact. Their growls and snarls sent a shiver up my spine, reminding me that they had us outnumbered. I could imagine those teeth snapping at me, and I knew exactly how they would feel. The scars on my right foot served as a reminder that no one was safe from bad men—not children, not women, not innocents. That attack had been a blessing in disguise, making me less naive.

Tension mounted. The birds fluttering in the nearby trees fell silent, as if sensing an impending battle.

Without warning, a wolf lunged at Tak, viciously snapping at his neck. Lakota assailed the largest wolf and locked his jaw around its throat. When the remaining two wolves swung their gazes toward Lakota and Tak, I fled.

My feet barely touched the ground. I reached the horses in no time flat and snatched the quiver. My hands trembled as I held the bow and pulled out an arrow.

“Stay calm, stay calm,” I whispered, nocking my arrow and then pulling back the bowstring. I was panting hard and trying to steady my breath.

Tak’s horse whinnied as the wolves savagely thrashed one another about.

“Move,” I hissed.

They were like a cyclone of energy, circling and jumping so quickly that I couldn’t get a clear shot. Lakota’s wolf ruthlessly drew blood from a brown wolf caught between his massive jaws. When a third wolf whirled around and bit Lakota on his haunch, my shot was clear and my aim was true.

The arrow sliced through the air and struck the rogue in the side. The red wolf yelped and toppled over, immediately shifting to human form. He still had the arrow buried in his chest, and everyone knew that shifting with an object inside you could cause permanent damage. That was why many Natives still used archaic weapons. Heck, even my grandmother used a bow.

Tak rose up on his hind legs in an impressive display. He then collided with one of the wolves in a violent tornado. I lined up another arrow.

Lakota’s rival wriggled free and circled around him faster than a heartbeat. I held my breath and pulled the bowstring taut. Just as I let go, my target caught sight of me and turned. The arrow grazed his leg, which galvanized him into action. The whites of his eyes gleamed as he barreled after me, his fangs wet with blood.

When Lakota realized what was happening, he gave chase. There wasn’t time to pull out another arrow.

I had no alternative.

I shifted.

Lakota’s muscles burned like fire as he tore after the wolf. He had the ability to stay awake for several minutes into his shift before blacking out, so he needed to utilize every second. When Melody’s eyes widened with fear, he dug his nails into the dirt, gathering speed. Catch him. Catch him.

His heart nearly stopped when Melody shifted and fled. He barely had time to process it since his eyes were locked on the wolf. He slammed into him with brute force, and they rolled across a bed of leaves. When the wolf reared around and sank his fangs into Lakota’s shoulder, a second shot of adrenaline kicked in and gave him the energy needed to take on the large animal. Lakota used his hind legs to throw the wolf off-balance and end the fight as quickly as he could. Tak was battling two wolves, and Lakota wasn’t sure about the third, who’d gone down after Melody struck him with an arrow.

When the wolf lost his balance and fell onto his side, Lakota lunged for the exposed jugular. Blood filled his mouth as he thrashed violently until the wolf finally went still. Without a second to spare, he turned around and charged back into the fray.

Tak had one of the wolves pinned, but a second wolf had bitten his back and looked like he was attempting to tug hard enough to pull the hide off. Lakota crashed into him, and they struck a tree. He bulldozed the animal with his merciless gaze, and when he saw a flicker of fear, he knew the battle was over. With lightning speed, the wolf escaped in the opposite direction.

Lakota felt his awareness dimming, so he shifted to human form and then back to his wolf, the wounds on