Hunter's Moon

I just needed to keep my head.

Fonthill tugged Nadya’s arm higher behind her back until she rose up on her tiptoes to keep him from breaking it. With a sick smile, he slid the barrel of his silencer along her cheek. Nadya sobbed, and I clenched my fists. Please let Aren be on his way.

“I make the rules, bitch,” Fonthill growled. “Now, get your ass out here, hands where I can see them.”

I couldn’t delay him any longer. Shit.

“I guess our courtship is over then.” I stood, my hands open in front of me. “Now let her go.”

His lips curled back from his teeth, sneering below his goggles. He licked his mouth, and I caught the scent of blood. Nadya’s lip was cracked at the corner, swollen, but other than that she didn’t look injured. A drop of blood hit her shoulder before I realized it came from Fonthill.

His lips weren’t wet. They were covered in blood.

He held onto Nadya and waved me over with his Beretta. “Get over here, and stay away from the gun, or I’ll put a bullet in you and keep your sister for myself.”

“Don’t do it, Sash.” He smacked Nadya again.

“Shut up, you little cunt!”

“Leave her alone! It’s me you want.” I hustled away from the safety of the woodpile and into the clearing. He could shoot me now, but I didn’t see any other way to play it.

He started to come near the edge of his plywood barrier when something made him stop. He tipped his head and sniffed the air. In one swift movement, his free arm clamped around Nadya’s neck, and he pointed his gun at her temple.

“You stupid bitch!” He screamed. “I told you no wolves.”

He pushed the slide back on the Beretta, loading a round into the chamber, and my heart sank. Suddenly, Nadya slammed her elbow into him, landing the blow right under his ribcage. At the same time she kicked her heel back and up, nailing him in the groin.

I heard a bullet ricochet, but he didn’t let her go.

Before Fonthill could retaliate, a voice boomed from the darkness.

“This mission is over, solider.” General Sloan stepped into the clearing in full dress uniform. His stature was every bit as commanding as his voice. “Major Fonthill, attacking civilians wasn’t what I trained you to do.”

Fonthill jerked Nadya in closer, his eyes narrowing. “Fuck you, Sloan. You and your scientists juiced me up, and then when I wasn’t your perfect machine, you tossed me aside like garbage.” Bloody spittle flew from his lips as he pressed the barrel harder against Nadya’s temple. “I was proud of what I was, but you promised you’d make me even better.” He licked Nadya’s cheek, leaving a bloody trail on her skin as his eyes sparkled. “How do you like your monster now, sir?”

General Sloan opened his hands. I thought he was an idiot to approach this madman unarmed, but if Sloan was here, no doubt Aren and the other wolves were, too.

Somewhere.

“You knew the risks when you volunteered for the Lycan Squad. We did the best we could for you,” General Sloan said. “I got you that job with the police department, remember?”

“And she fucked it up for me.” He glared at me, the corner of his mouth curling into a twisted smile as more blood oozed down from his nose. “She got me kicked off the force. Left me with nothing.”

“You beat up a female officer,” I said through clenched teeth. “No one did that for you.”

“Shut up, bitch!” he screamed, pushing his goggles off his head. They clattered into the dirt, leaving his crazed bloodshot eyes uncovered.

I almost wished he’d kept the goggles on.

His wild gaze swooped back toward the general. “Why are you here anyway? This is none of your fucking business, sir.” Bloody spittle showered out of his mouth.

“You shouldn’t have attacked a civilian, Major.” A deep-seated growl colored Miller’s voice, and his eyes glowed with intensity. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but if it helped my sister, I didn’t care. “It made the news, and now you’re a target with your employer.”

“Get out of my head, General.” Fonthill winced. “It hurts enough without you inside, too.” He gasped and grit his teeth before shaking his head, fresh blood trailing down from his nose. “Nero can go fuck themselves.”

I needed to get Nadya away from him.

“I’m already dying. My friends are all dead. You think I don’t know that?” He tightened his grip on my sister. “I’ve been pissing blood for a week. Can’t eat, can’t sleep.”

“Put down your weapon, and let me try to help you.” The general held out his hand, his tone calm, more compassionate. “We can find a treatment.”

“Treatment?” Fonthill’s eyes widened, and his jaw clenched in pain. For a second I thought maybe we’d caught a break, but he regained his equilibrium. “It’s too late for that.”

“Just let her go. Take me instead.” I drew his attention, hoping to get Nadya free from his grasp. “You can collect your bounty money and retire.”

“I told you to shut up!”

A muffled whistle and pain flared, stealing my breath away.

I didn’t realize I’d been shot until I hit the ground.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Aren

Fonthill swung his gun, and I burst out of hiding, racing to knock Sasha out of harm’s way. My ankle seized, pain shooting up my leg. I pushed forward anyway.

But I was too fucking slow.

He pulled the trigger, and Sasha went down.

“No!” I shouted, collapsing beside her, the raw ache in my ankle forgotten.

Fonthill turned the gun on Nadya again. “I said no goddamn wolves!”

I scooped Sasha up, struggling to get her behind the wood barrier while she shifted, trying to see her sister.

“I came alone!” she yelled from my arms.

“Let the girl go, soldier. What good will it do to kill her? She’s got nothing to do with this.” The general took another step closer to Fonthill.

I laid Sasha down behind the shelter of the lumber pile. The stench of her blood assaulted me, and my heart pounded as I searched for the source. “Where are you hit?”

She winced. “It’s my leg. I’ll be fine.”

I found the gunshot wound in her thigh, blood seeped out like oil. “You’re not fine. We need to find Jason.”

“We need to save my sister.” She met my eyes, determination mixed with the pain.

“Miller is working on it. We’ve got to stop the bleeding.” I pulled my shirt off and pressed it to her wound. She hissed a little, biting her lip, then she took the compress and scooted to the edge of the pile.

We looked out as the general made a move closer to his loose cannon. “Let her go, Major. I give you my word, we’ll get you help.”

“Your word isn’t worth shit. It’s too late for that.” He started to smile, a bloody smile as the tendons of his neck strained. “But you were right about one thing. What good would it do me to kill her?”

My brow furrowed as I squinted to see better in the darkness. It almost looked like his neck was getting thicker. Crazed laughter erupted from his bloodied lips as his facial features cracked and mutated. “Why should I kill her…” His speech was garbled, wet. “When your fucking mutation can do it for me?”

His face jutted forward, changing so fast I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“Oh shit,” I gasped, pulling in a breath to shout. “He’s shifting!”