Jocelynn Drake - Burn the Night

“They’re hunting us, Mira,” he growled, balling his fists at his sides. “They are hunting us!” The remaining wolves that had attacked the humans ventured over to Barrett’s side and were milling around, growling and snapping as they sensed his anger and frustration.

“We need to find out who these men are and how they found out about the shifters,” I calmly said, knowing that he was going to hate my suggestion. “We need to capture a few of these men alive.”

“They’re hunting us, Mira!” he repeated, and I knew what that meant. In his mind, it meant that every one of these gun-toting bastards needed to be shredded by the pack. But if we didn’t know how the information was leaked, it would never be safe for the pack to hit these woods again on a full moon.

“If we don’t get information, more will come. They will keep coming until they pick off every last member of your pack. Some have to be left alive.”

“Fine,” he bit out after a minute of tense silence. With every muscle tensed in his lean body, Barrett closed his eyes, seeming to block out the world around him. He then opened his eyes and looked down at the smaller wolf at his side. His sister gave a little yip before running off into the woods with a pair of other wolves flanking her.

“I’ve reached Nicolai,” Barrett explained. “He’s pulling back some of the pack to the clearing. He will guard my sister and some of the younger members that haven’t the strength to change back into human form just yet.”

“Do you want me to send Danaus back as well?”

“No, keep him hunting. That’s what he does best. Have the survivors brought unarmed to the clearing.” Barrett then bent over and turned back into wolf form. As a wolf, he could move through the woods with more stealth, sneaking up on his prey as he blended in with the darkness.

With a quick touch of my mind, I relayed Barrett’s instructions to Danaus before setting off myself into the dark woods in search of my own prey. There were only sixteen humans out in the woods with guns. We needed to keep at least some of them alive. I had a dark feeling I knew who was behind this attack. I just needed to know how .

With blades gripped in my hands, I slunk through the woods, treading as silently as possible as I headed toward the closest group. A rumble of growling flowed around me as I drew closer to my prey. Wolves circled the group, keeping their bodies hunkered down close to the ground, hidden among the ferns and low-lying brush.

My knives winked in the light of the full moon as I wiped away the cloak that had hidden me from the view of the humans. I smiled, my pale skin seeming to glow in the light that broke through the trees. They raised their guns toward me but offered no warning as they each fired off a shot. My smile never wavered as I dodged the bullets and then returned to my relaxed stance, casually spinning one knife in my right hand. Humans were an easy target for me after so many centuries fighting nightwalkers, lycanthropes, warlocks, and naturi. Under most circumstances, I could easily let them go with a couple superficial wounds and a good scare. But this time I was struggling to follow my own advice. They had attacked my friends and comrades. They endangered James’s life and now they were shooting at me.

“You have no idea who you’re fucking with.” Lunging forward, I knocked the guns out of the hands of two of the four men before plunging my knives deep into their abdomens. As they bent forward in pain, I pulled my blades free and turned to the other men. One managed to get a point-blank shot to my stomach. I lurched backward a step as the bullet ripped through me and into a nearby tree with a thunk .

“My turn,” I snarled before stepping forward. I grabbed the end of the gun and yanked it out of his hands before slamming the stock against the side of the man’s head, the wood splintering as he crumpled to the ground. With only one man left, the wolves hovering on the fringe of the fight lunged forward, taking him down before he could get off a shot. The two men I had initially wounded with the knives were also shredded into pieces.

Frowning, I reached down and grabbed the collar of the man I had knocked unconscious. A couple of wolves growled at me for taking away their prey, but they quickly backed off. As much as I hated it, we needed to keep a few alive.

Are you all right? Danaus suddenly demanded. I could sense him drawing closer to me, his concern wrapping around me as his powers searched my body. He knew I was wounded.

Just a minor flesh wound. You? I replied, warmed by his concern. It helped to temporarily wash away the hatred seething inside of me, demanding a little more blood of my own.

Couple scratches. I’m having trouble keeping these bastards alive. The wolves . . .

I know, they want blood, and they deserve it.

I’ve got two that I’m taking back to the clearing, he said.

I’ve got one. When you get to the clearing, stay there and guard the attackers. We need them alive for at least a little while longer so we can find out what’s really going on.

I’m not leaving you out there alone, Danaus warned.

There are only a few left and this is my domain. I won’t be alone. The wolves will help me finish this.

When I reached the clearing, I found Nicolai circling a hunter who was seated on the ground clutching his bleeding arm to his chest. The other wolves were hovering close on the fringe, snapping and growling as well. I dropped the unconscious man next to the other man. The wolves’ anger and sense of betrayal was thick in the air.

“Danaus is bringing two more,” I told Nicolai. “Keep an eye on them. Keep them alive. We need information.”

Nicolai answered with a disgruntled snort, but I knew he would follow the orders—he was a good soldier and loyal to his pack, even if he was planning to leave it.

“I’ll be back with more,” I said, and then smiled as another human cry of pain and horror echoed through the woods. The wolves had struck another blow. Entering the woods, I scanned the area, discovering there were only a handful of scattered humans left. They had disbanded in terror and were now trying to run for safety. Launching myself forward, I flowed through the woods like water through a well-worn riverbed. With a few well-placed hits to the back of the head, I knocked out three more before they could reach their vehicles at the edge of the forest.

I sighed as I tossed the smallest of the three men over my shoulder and dragged the other two back toward the clearing. The wolves would take care of the remaining two. There was no use trying to save them. Barrett’s pack never hunted humans. In fact, they were careful to steer well clear of any human territory. The worst that ever happened on a full moon hunt was that they might bring down a buck or flush out a few hares. They ran together as a pack, enjoying the stretch of muscles and the feel of the wind through their fur. They reveled in their connection to the animal that existed within them. The humans had tried to destroy that, and there would be no quarter.

Upon reaching the clearing, I dropped the ones I was carrying with the other survivors, bringing our grand total up to seven of the more than twenty who had gone out into the woods to hunt the shifters that night.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Barrett and the remaining members of his pack trotted out of the woods. A couple of the wolves were moving slowly, limping as they favored wounds. The man who had been shot in his wolf form managed to heal enough to change back into a wolf, though one side of him was covered in blood. His connection to the earth was stronger while in wolf form, and the earth magic had sped the healing process.