et your first

e memory always finds its way back, like blood risi

in mud and dried blood that wasn't mine. I'd torn through barbed wire, shattered a streetlamp, and left claw marks on my father's graveston

ght I wa

sed and bleeding but breathing, I was start

arn

ll out there, and we w

retending ever

death and rumors of missing pets and strange sounds in the night, folks still smiled in the gro

stashed from years ago, a double lock on the cage in the basement. Eira helped when sh

't compl

d. "I've had worse," she said, echoing the

n't p

Where did you learn

ade her still in a way that w

s a witch. A real one. Not the potion-

our fa

Just pulled the zip

't ask

he garage roof, watchin

. I stuck to coffee. The night was cool, and the stars were s

it?" she asked, not lo

a sarcastic comment or some rugged silence. But the

I said. "A

ed. "Tha

ou

am

eyebrow. "Yo

hunted by enough of your kind

oward her.

wolves. S

as supposed to comfort me or

rom this?" I asked.

quiet a

said. "I don't know what yet. But

cked again two

't a pet or a lone

ed over my radio like thunder. He didn't say much, but I coul

nly the youngest survived. Eight years old. Found in the laund

t? Torn

uties cleared out. Maddox didn't see

ike a fist. Blood.

ra whispered. "This

ot feeding. It's

d to me.

r couldn't. Was the rogue taunting me? Tryin

This time, they were deepe

said. "Your kni

d. "But no

d stared a

we fin

ay, the to

pretending. Doors were double-locked. Kids were pulled from school. Th

e stopped mee

always a little... strange?" "Never seen him

s closing in. Suspici

ake much to t

told Eira that night,

silver wire and star

er me, that's one

me how to su

n't your

. But I'm

jaw. "If I l

stop

terly. "You t

er voice was calm, bu

ow I

o her eyes.

me-I beli

ght, we

deep. We followed the old game trails, moving in near silence, weapons strapped to our backs.

dn't

The leaves didn't rustle. Ev

we he

snarl that twisted up from

oved

from the brush li

s missing-revealing pale, scarred skin beneath. His eyes were yellow and bur

think-I

ls. He was strong-stronger than I expected. But I had contr

is ribs, then slammed h

ss his thigh. The rogue howled and thrashed, catching

him again, this tim

en-he

bubbling lips. W

e too

fr

, blood in

're c

" I g

ac

wn-hard-on somethi

se of magic be

st. Bone cracked, fur burned, and his fles

back, breat

over, bleed

ll was that?

out," I muttered. "

from getti

, heart

the pack

?" she

ok my

whispere