Wild Hunt - Kali Argent Page 0,43

Only a disturbance of the air announced her approach, giving Cade just enough time to throw his arm up to block her attack.

Three-inch claws sliced across his forearm, tearing the sleeve of his jacket and ripping open his skin. Searing pain radiated out to his fingertips, causing his grip on the gun to fail. The 9 mm tumbled to the ground, lost somewhere in the shadows.

Cade didn’t waste time mourning the loss. The single bullet wouldn’t have done him much good anyway. Besides, he had bigger problems. The blood dripping from his arm hadn’t gone unnoticed, and the scent was clearly inciting the others in the pack.

A male lunged at him, mouth open and fangs aimed directly at Cade’s jugular. A right hook to the jaw barely seemed to faze the beast, but the violence sparked a flame within his comrades.

Pulling a dagger from the sheath on his thigh, Cade swung out at the next male who darted toward him, slicing a horizontal line across his bare chest. The Ravager screeched, a high-pitched keening noise that resonated through the barn. The growls started then, as well as strange chuffing noises, almost like coughing but more ominous.

More Ravagers pounced, one swiping him across the ribs while the other barreled into him, pinning his back to the ladder and sinking his canines into Cade’s shoulder. Blinded by the pain, he cried out as he shoved the beast off him and swung out wildly with his blade. With so many bodies gathered around him now, it was impossible to tell who or what he cut.

He received another bite, this one to the thigh. More claws slashed across his torso, shredding his cotton shirt and parting his flesh. The pain was blinding, consuming, but he kept swinging, determined that if he had to die, he would take as many of them with him as he could.

His head started to spin. The muscles in his legs trembled. His vision blurred and dimmed at the edges. God, he hoped Mackenna had made it out and was somewhere far away and safe.

A howl rent the air, the sound eerie, haunting, and filled with threat. Time froze. Ravagers ceased their attacks and turn as a unit toward the barn doors. Even Cade stopped fighting, utterly mesmerized by what he was witnessing.

Frame in the doorway with the sunlight glinting off its russet fur, a wolf the size of a goddamn bear lowered its massive head and bared its fangs. The growl that rumbled up from its throat vibrated deep down in Cade’s bones and sent a shiver of dread rippling along his spine.

At first, the Ravagers seemed just as stunned as he felt, but it didn’t take long for them to come out of their stupor. Clearly seeing the wolf as the bigger threat, they abandoned their assault on him and rushed at the animal. Some prowled around it, mouths open and fangs bared, while others leapt onto its back, tearing and ripping with their jagged claws.

Even their superior numbers were no match for the beast.

One swipe of its enormous paw sent three Ravagers to the ground. Only one got back up. Whipping its head around, the wolf snapped at the two Ravagers on its back, catching one by the thigh and sending him sailing across the room. A sharp twist and a powerful kick of its hind legs dislodged the other Ravager, sending him flying into the air where the wolf caught the male by the neck, easily dispatching him with a single bite.

Filled with the illogical rage of the young, the remaining four rushed forward, heedless of the danger. Without leadership, they lacked the skill and discipline to take on such a challenger. They pounced when they should have retreated. They lunged when they should have feinted. Instead of working together, they attacked without coordination or strategy.

They never stood a chance.

When it was all over, when every Ravager sprawled bleeding and unmoving on the ground, the wolf shook out its long coat and limped forward. Cade took a step back and lifted his knife, pointing the tip of the blade at the creature. He’d seen with his own eyes what the animal could do, the violence it had meted to men and women far stronger and faster than him. If it wanted to hurt him, he could do nothing to stop it.

Seeing his reaction, the wolf lowered its head with a whine. Then, it crept forward, head still down, until it stood mere inches from him. Hot