Krissy

Jase left me shaking. Both from his mind-blowing kiss…and the other thing.

It was like my dream. Kind of.

I mean, no desert, no horse, no armour. Definitely no ditching me like an asshole. I could have done without any of that.

I had to lean against the front desk to keep from falling to my knees. Too bad it didn't keep the sting of hot tears from burning the corners of my eyes.

I had been shocked, sure. But just like the dream I wasn't afraid. Guess he didn't know that, not that he gave me a chance to say as much.

I dabbed at my temples, willing the tears not to shed.

Christ, I could still taste him in my mouth, still felt the warmth of his hands. It was fireworks every single time that he touched me. And kissing him? It was like being blown apart and put back together in the same moment.

Now he was gone and I was terrified that I would never feel that sensation again. After kissing Jason Knight only once, I felt as though I was ruined for all other men.

What a helluva thing to have screaming in my brain for the drive home.

Jase

Krissy's scent was seared into my nostrils, her horrified face burned into my retinas. Yet my wolf whined, as if in pain. Everything inside me screamed to turn around, go back to her. Riding on my bike wasn't going to cut it. I needed to shift.

A small stroke of fortune for me that the clinic was in the Sabino neighbourhood, near the foothills. I made the turn onto a road that would lead me up further into the Catalinas.

Off the beaten paths and into the brush, I parked my bike and stripped off my clothing. I was already running as I shifted into my wolf form.

When I ran with Garrett's pack last full moon, it was clear that I was an outsider. While the other wolves were either silvery grey, white or black, my fur was prominently reddish brown, like clay. Not as bold a shade as Foxfire's fox, but if you only saw me in a blur, you might mistake me for a giant fox.

I tore up the earth as I flew through the woods at top speed, my mind still buzzing with Krissy's image in high definition.

I flushed a rabbit, chasing it to its warren, but I didn't have the drive to kill, it would do little to curb my frustration.

Perhaps I was better off remaining in the woods a wolf. Allow myself to succumb to moon madness and wait for Garrett's pack to seek me out and put me down. Death seemed better than living without Krissy, which I knew I had to.

Lost in my self pity, I had weaved my way back to paved road, the highway.

The SUV mowed me down before I knew what it was.

Two sharp pains as both righthand tires plow over me, cracking ribs. It takes more than that to kill a shifter, a lot more. We heal very quickly, but that didn't mean we didn't feel the same amount of pain. I felt the hot trickle of blood down my muzzle, the scruff of my neck, my legs. I fought to gain my footing to remove myself from the road—

The SUV had reversed and hit me again.

It was actively trying to kill me.

Again I fought to stand but this time my back right leg was broken, I wobbled as I tried to gain balance on the other three.

The SUV surged forward again to hit me a third time, this time sending me flying through the air so many feet away to land in a shattered heap.

I could hear the SUV stop and I was blinded by high-beams. The engine cut and two doors opened and slammed shut.

The wind shifted and I knew who it was just before I heard the voice.

"Fuck Mort! He wants this one alive! Not to mention his dangly bits in working order! Strong alpha DNA is a hot commodity."

Malcolm.

In spite of my searing pain, I growled deep.

"Need him unconscious." Was Mort's matter-of-fact reply.

"That's what the tranquilizer was for, jackass!"

"Can still use it."

I heard feet shuffling away from me, like they were moving to the back of the SUV to get something.

Tranq gun.

There was no way I was letting them take me without a fight. One last time I struggled to stand…and failed. Then in the light of the high-beams, I took in my surroundings and noticed I was a foot from a ledge. Tucson sprawled out mere miles below me. Risking a fall was a better option at this moment. I gathered up the last of my strength, dug in my claws to crawl towards the edge as I heard the slamming close of the vehicle hatch.

With a thrill of manic glee I heard Malcolm curse before I felt the sting of a tranquilizer dart in my shoulder. They were too late, I was already falling. Everything went black.

Krissy

A loud thud echoed in the cab of my truck at the same time something heavy rocked it in its frame.

I shrieked at the surprise, thinking from the force of it that I had been hit by another vehicle.

I slammed on my breaks and looked out frantically.

I was alone on the road.

Confused, I put the truck in park, climbed out and started to look around. I saw nothing until I glanced into the bed of my truck and saw a dark shape where there should have been nothing.

It was a wolf. A very large and severely battered wolf.

My hand flew to my mouth as I gasped. Was it dead?! I inched to the side of my truck and peered over, focusing on its massive, blood and dirt matted chest.

No. Not dead. Still breathing.

But maybe not for long if I didn't help it.

But how had it gotten into my truck?

I turned around and my eyes slowly traveled upward. There was a cliff…and headlights shining around two dark silhouettes.

I froze on the spot.

I wasn't sure if they could see me, but I wasn't going to stick around to find out. Anyone who could toss a wolf like that over a cliff wasn't someone I wanted to meet. I scuttled back behind the wheel and burned rubber, getting halfway home before slowing to the speed limit. Maybe it was the handful of pets kennelled there, but for some reason I didn't want to take the wolf back to my clinic. I wanted it in the safety of my home.

Might not be safe much longer if you do this.

Foolish as I was, I was willing to take that risk.