N. Walters - Alexandra's Legacy

As she lay there, she silently thanked her father for all the shooting lessons she’d had since she was a kid. She hadn’t had to think in order to act, but had done it purely on instinct.

Her limbs were shaky, but she managed to grab her gun and crawl back to the trunk of a tree. Briefly, she rested her forehead against it. Where was Joshua?

A low, menacing growl echoed around her and her fingers closed around the hilt of her weapon. How many bullets were left? She thought she’d fired seven shots—four today and three back at the garage. Had it been more?

Steadying herself against the base of the oak tree, she took several slow, deep breaths to calm her breathing. She didn’t hear a sound, but suddenly a man stepped into view about fifteen feet away. Had her shots given away her position to the bounty hunters? Man or werewolf? She didn’t know and couldn’t take a chance. She fired off a round.

She swore when he ducked out of the way just in time to avoid being hit. Bark exploded from the tree just above her head and she ducked before popping up again to return fire with two quick shots. As she pulled back behind the tree, she admonished herself for wasting her ammunition.

“That’s what he’s trying to do and you’re obviously playing into his hands,” she muttered as she shifted to the next tree. The man shot at her again, but this time she didn’t return his fire. She’d already wasted three of her precious bullets on him. She needed to make every shot count.

“Come on out,” a male voice yelled. “We don’t want to hurt you. We only want the wolf.”

Yeah right. Like she’d believe that. She crept as quietly as possible through the trees, scooting from one to another. Another shot grazed the tree in front of her and she flinched.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the forest. Alex wanted to cover her ears against the horrid sound, but couldn’t move. Then silence. Joshua had found one of the bounty hunters.

Alex swallowed, but it wasn’t easy. Her mouth was as dry as sandpaper. Her stomach churned. She took a deep breath and then another. She dropped to her knees and sucked in air just as another shot rang out, shattering the bark just inches from her chest. Splinters of wood flew wildly and she was thankful for the protection of her leather jacket.

Flinging her body to the side, she fired from flat on her stomach, sending three quick shots in the direction of the shooter. She was swearing even as she was dragging her body across the forest floor. They had somehow surrounded her. And just where in the heck was Joshua?

Several more shots were fired in quick succession. One of them plowed into the ground beside her. She felt a sharp sting in her arm. Whether it was a rock from where she’d flung herself to the ground or a shard from the exploding tree trunk she didn’t know and she didn’t have time to check.

She saw a tiny movement in the trees just a few feet away. Saying a quick prayer, she fired. A man’s body jerked into sight and he swung his rifle toward her. She fired over and over, emptying her gun into his body. He toppled backward, his rifle dropping to the ground beside him.

There was no time to breathe as two wolves, both a dark brown, sauntered into view. “Shit!” She dug her feet into the ground and scuttled backward. They lowered their heads and growled menacingly.

She raised her weapon and pulled the trigger. The metallic click reminded her she was out of ammunition. Dropping the Glock, she grabbed her two boot knives out of their sheaths, flinging them in rapid succession. Both animals were quick, their reflexes astounding as they managed to sidestep the blades at the last possible second. She was well and truly screwed.

Keeping one eye on them as they stalked closer, she groped her hand out, trying to find a stray branch. A rock. Anything she could use to protect herself.

The larger of the two wolves growled menacingly as it slunk forward, saliva dripping from its powerful jaws. It gathered itself to jump. She could see the bunching of the muscles in its hind legs and braced herself for the attack.

The animal sprang, its powerful body practically flying as it launched itself into the air.

It never touched her.

Out of nowhere, a massive black wolf plunged into its side, sending the brown wolf hurtling back to the ground.

Alex sank to the ground. Joshua had finally arrived.

Joshua didn’t think as he launched himself into the air. He didn’t have to. Instinct had taken over. He was in the fight of his life. He could allow no one or nothing to harm Alex.

He plunged into his opponent’s side, taking him to the ground in a flurry of fur and snapping jaws. Sinking his teeth into the other beast’s neck, he held on.

Alex cried out and he swiveled his head toward her in time to see the other wolf lunge at her. He flung his opponent away and leapt at Alex, knocking her out of the way. Taking the full impact of the wolf on himself, he barely avoided being bitten before nimbly gaining his feet.

Positioning himself in front of Alex, he faced off against his two opponents. The first one was slowly staggering back to its feet, bloodlust in its eyes. The second was pacing to the side, trying to go around him. He backed up, all the while keeping his gaze on the other two wolves. He herded Alex back toward the base of a large oak tree. He’d left his clothing behind it when he’d shifted. If he could get her back there she would be able to find his hunting knife. He didn’t know how much ammunition was left in the handgun, but it wouldn’t be much help against werewolves. The silver-coated knife would be much more effective in slowing them down.

He bared his teeth, emitting a low, powerful growl as his opponents shifted closer. Both bounty hunters were dead. He’d killed one and Alex had shot the other. He’d smelled the other carcass and knew she’d also managed to kill a werewolf. Most women would be cowering or screaming. His woman looked pissed off as she continued to scout around for a weapon.

He’d killed two more werewolves in the woods, ones he hadn’t recognized. He’d also taken a few hits. These wolves, unlike the ones from the city, were seasoned warriors and no easy target. They’d gotten in their share of blows and he was bleeding from several different places along his sides. His shoulder was also bleeding again from the crossbow arrow. Because it had been silver-tipped, the wound would take longer to heal. Thankfully, the damage to the bone itself had fused and healed during his transformation to his wolf form.

The two wolves before him were gathering themselves to attack. He could sense the anticipation in the air, along with the stench of blood, fear and excitement. These wolves didn’t want to mate with Alex. They wanted to kill her. That’s why they had joined forces with the bounty hunters. These wolves were obviously part of the extreme packs who didn’t want to water down the blood of the species with half-breeds.

Well, too bad for them. They weren’t getting anywhere near Alex.

He’d managed to push her back to the base of the tree. Hopefully, she’d find his belongings. Not that it truly mattered. He planned on protecting her. But he knew she’d feel more secure if she had a weapon.

He could hear her deep breathing. Smell the stink of fear and blood that mingled with her sweat. He longed to coddle her, to take her away from all this death. He wanted to strip her naked and bathe away the stench that now coated them both. His body responded immediately to thoughts of her naked. His muscles flexed, rippling beneath his fur coat.

He was truly losing his focus if all he could think about was Alex being naked when he was faced with two vicious opponents. Shutting off his thoughts, he turned all his attention to the beasts in front of him.