“I can explain.”
“Then do it!” Her voice rose a few decibels, but she couldn’t help herself. Her head began to throb and her vision shimmered. It was like her brain was fighting something. But what?
“If you come with me, I’ll do my best.”
“Come with you? Are you crazy?” She waved her hands in the air. “I don’t even know you.”
There was a flash of pain in his face, so fleeting she almost thought she imagined it. “There’s no time for this.” He made a grab for her, but she sidestepped him. “Sabrina!”
She sprinted out of the studio and headed toward the kitchen, then grabbed the butcher’s knife out of the block. Spinning around, she held the knife in front of her. “Where are you?” Carefully, she crept into the living area. Was he still in the studio? There was no time to lose. Although her stomach turned at the thought of leaving the apartment, what choice did she have? And so, she made a mad dash for the front door. Lunging forward, she reached for the chain, but something jerked her back, like an invisible force.
“Don’t even think of escaping.”
It was not the blond man who spoke. No, this voice brought a cold chill to her veins, and something inside her screamed danger. “Who … who’s there?” Her body pivoted on its own, like a puppet hanging from strings. “You …”
The bald man cracked a smile, his skin breaking like cracked porcelain. “Sabrina Strohen,” he said, lifting a gnarled, ashen hand tipped with long fingernails. “You will be of good use to us.” He wore a blood red robe, and three more people wearing similar robes stood behind him. “Don’t worry, we won’t kill you … yet. Why would we, when you can help us hit two birds with one stone?”
“What are you talking about?” She gasped when her body refused to move. “What did you do?”
He moved closer to her. “We need you, Sabrina. There’s no escape.”
Oh God, what the hell was happening here? How did all these people get into her apartment without unlocking or breaking down her dead bolted and chained door?
A thunderous sound from behind the robed men made her freeze. Then, a large white blur burst out from the doorway to the studio.
“Insolent cur!” the bald man screamed, spittle spraying from his mouth. “Get him!”
“What the—” Surely she was seeing things. Did those men drug her or maybe there was a gas leak in the loft? Because she just couldn’t believe that a large white wolf was standing in the middle of her living room.
One of the men swung around and lifted his hand to throw something at the wolf, but the animal dodged to the left, then lunged forward. Its great maw opened, baring large teeth that sunk down on its would-be attacker’s arm. The man let out a scream as the wolf easily flung him aside.
“Dirty dog! You—Ah!” The bald man was flung aside and hit the wall.
Whatever bonds were around her loosened unexpectedly, but it was too late to stop her body from collapsing. The floor vibrated as the sound of claws clicking on the hardwood came harder and as she looked up, she saw the giant wolf lunging toward her.
“No!” She put her hands up to her face and braced herself. The wolf’s body slammed against her, and she waited for the impact of the door on her back, but instead, tumbled backwards. Furry limbs wrapped her up, as they continued tumbling on the damp, grassy ground.
Grass?
She landed on top of the wolf with a loud, “Oomph!” and that’s when the smell hit her. Chocolate, with a touch of mint. That scent …
Swiftly, she rolled off him and scrambled to her feet. Oh God, she must be hallucinating but it all felt real—the night breeze, the soil under her bare feet, and the fact the she was outdoors for some reason.
What the hell was going on?
Chapter Three
Cross knew it wouldn’t be easy convincing Sabrina to go with him, but he didn’t expect things to go south as they did. Maybe he should have planned things better, but if he had taken his time, the mages would have gotten to her first. In retrospect, there really was no other choice.
She stood there, frozen, eyes wide as she watched him warily. He was still in wolf form. He hadn’t intended for her to see him this way, but when he heard the mages arrive back in her loft, he knew it was the only way he could surprise and overpower them. In his dealings with the mages in the last year, he learned never to underestimate them. They always carried potions and recruited some truly powerful blessed witches and warlocks on their side. He and Daric barely made it out alive of that last mission in Russia.
“Don’t kill me, please,” she whispered.
The fear in her voice slashed at him, and so he made a decision. A rash one, for sure, but he didn’t have much of a choice. So, he put his wolf away, tucking it deep inside him as he transformed back to his human form. Thankfully, he had done this so many times that it was automatic for him to recreate his clothes as he shifted so he wasn’t buck naked in front of her once he was fully human again.
“Y-y-you …”
“Sabrina, I can explain.” Though she flinched when he used her name, she didn’t run away, which was a good thing.
“I don’t understand!” She threw her hands up. “What’s going on? What … who were those men,
