They both nodded at him, and he was confident that Damon would be taken out the second the opportunity arose.
Raze stepped closer to Janine. He moved slow and kept his gait smooth so Damon wouldn’t feel threatened. He had no doubt that he would snap her neck without a second thought. He gave Janine a tight smile and focused on Damon.
“Let’s get this over with.” He itched to rearrange Damon’s face for him.
The situation was near unbearable. This was not how he wanted to change Janine. He’d hoped that, at some point in time, she would agree to let him change her, but not like this. He’d imagined a calm, cool, clear night in the woods, not unlike tonight, only he and she would have been alone. He would have held her in his arms, told her how much he loved her, and as they made love, he’d have claimed her completely.
73
Lycan It
S. K. Yule
Janine’s breath was sporadic, giving away her fear, but other than that, she looked at him with determination and acceptance of what was about to happen. She was a spectacular woman, and she was his. He stepped closer and Damon forced her head to the side.
“I don’t want you to hate me, Janine,” Raze whispered.
“The only way I will hate you is if you let this creep bite me instead of you.” She gave him a tremulous smile.
He was proud of how brave she was being. “I love you, Janine.” He couldn’t go through with this unless she knew how he felt.
She let out a small cry that sounded like a hiccup. “Oh, Raze.” Tears pooled in her eyes and made them sparkle. “I love you too.”
“Enough! Do it now!” Damon yelled.
“Do it, Raze,” she pleaded.
She loved him. She actually loved him. He’d never thought in a million years that she’d return the sentiment. He tilted his head, kissed her neck and licked at the silken skin. He breathed her scent deep into his lungs and it soaked into every muscle, every cell, every part of him. She’d be imprinted on him for as long as he lived, and lodged in his heart for eternity.
Every fiber of his being balked at what he was about to do. He opened his mouth and his canines elongated. He lowered his mouth closer, closer to Janine, but at the last moment, he sank his teeth into Damon’s arm and ripped a chunk of skin and muscle away from the bone. Damon screamed out his fury, and the split second of distraction allowed Raze to jerk Janine from his grasp and tumble her to the ground underneath him.
He tucked her close and rolled them a couple feet from Damon before helping her to her feet. By the time they stood, Brent and Anthony had Damon pinned to the ground. Damon snarled and howled, bit down on Brent’s arm, shifted and tried to flee, but the ancient lycans were too fast.
Brent changed and tackled Damon. Just as their bodies hit the ground, claws shot from Anthony’s fingertips and he sliced through the thick fur and skin of Damon’s neck, severing his jugular.
The wolf choked and shifted back into Damon’s human form where he lay in a puddle of blood. He gasped once and was quiet.
74
Lycan It
S. K. Yule
“Sorry, Raze. I know you wanted to take him out, but we couldn’t risk him getting away.” Brent had changed back to his human form and the injuries Damon had inflicted on him before he shifted were healed.
“No worries. I’m happy as long as Janine is safe.” He held her close and gave her a gentle squeeze.
“You both all right?” Anthony seemed restless.
“Yes.” Janine hung on tightly to Raze. “Thank you.”
* * * *
Janine watched as Anthony and Brent disappeared into the woods. She shivered as the adrenaline rush from being scared started wearing off, and the cool night air settled into her bones.
“Let’s get back to the cabin.” Raze nudged her in the direction of their lodgings, but stayed close behind her.
She shivered again. Damon had deserved what he’d gotten, but it didn’t make what she’d witnessed any less tragic or terrifying. She was tired and a bit sore from being tossed around and manhandled. Worst of all was the way her head pounded from the hair Damon had ripped from her scalp when he’d first grabbed her.
“Yeah. I’m cold and tired.” She kept walking, and as the cabin came into sight, relief washed through her.
She couldn’t believe what had almost happened. She had thought Raze would change her, as Damon had demanded. Strangely, she hadn’t been that upset about the prospect. She’d been terrified at the thought of becoming a lycan, but it had become somewhat of a trivial matter when she thought Raze’s life was being threatened. When he’d offered himself up to Damon in exchange for her, she thought she’d have a panic attack.
The thought of Raze dying was more than she could bear, and at that moment, she’d come to realize that she never wanted to lose him, and if that meant becoming like him, so be it. To be honest, the wolf Raze shifted to was nearly as beautiful as he was in the flesh. She stopped, and he frowned at her.
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Lycan It
S. K. Yule
“Something wrong?”
She nodded. “No. I was just wondering, since you are still naked and all .
. .” She boldly looked him up and down, then promptly blushed. “Well, I haven’t really seen you up close after, well, you know.”
He grinned, and before she could blink, a big, golden wolf stood in front of her. She
