na

re strength to try and break the iron grip on my waist.

just used to kill was still in my hair. My right hand, a blur of mot

ponse. His left hand shot up, catching

keep from screaming, the coppery taste of blood filling my mouth. My left hand was al

e amusement. He leaned back just enough for the blade to slice through e

ind from my lungs. The scent of cedar, sharp and ov

ing it upward with all my might, aiming for the one spot that makes an

ing cold. His thigh muscles tensed, hard as rock, meeting my kn

e clattering to the forest floor. With a grunt of exertion, he shoved me f

surface, the friction tearing the

as absolute, immovable. A chasm of despair opened in m

g me. I could feel the heat radiating from him, an

silver mask brushing against my ear. A shi

to my ear. His nose was almost touching the small,

ed to quiet, just for a second. It was as if his inner wolf, which I sensed was a raging, feral be

new lit in his eyes-a flicker of shock, fol

tongue d

ced a path over the tiny

Revulsion and a primal fear churned in my stomach. "Y

s head, avoiding the blow with contemptuous ease. The movement pulled at t

rcing me to turn my head and meet his gaze. The am

ng, desperately trying to place him. Where had

rled, throwing out the name like a

pened. A cold, dismissive laugh escaped his lips. "

, confirmed it. A fatal misjudgment. He wasn't working for

y had to c

igning exhaustion, hoping

relaxing, his arms tightened, pressing me har

avelly rasp against my ear. "Don't try you

inst the unyielding bark, my lungs burning. Surv

s were pinned behind my back, the fingers of my right hand inched along the waistband of my dress. They brushed against a familiar sh

nd it, the sharp poin

s, making them glisten in the moonlight. I would wait for the perfect moment, for the