Chapter 169

Chevalier chuckled.

“How chivalric.”

In a flash, he pointed his gun at Jeffrey’s leg and shot him with a silver bullet. I screamed as Jeffrey fell to the ground, clutching the wound and groaning loudly. I dropped to the ground beside him, a bullet whizzing by my head as I did so.

“Jeffrey—”

“Run!” Jeffrey said through gritted teeth.

I didn’t need to be told twice. I stood up and rushed for the back door. Narrowly dodging another bullet, I flung the door open and raced into the backyard.

My bare feet carried me as quickly as they could across the large lawn and toward the woods behind it. Perhaps if I could reach the woods, I would be able to hide among the trees until Andrew arrived, or maybe I could reach one of the neighbors’ houses and get help. It was a long shot, but it was better than nothing—

A bullet shattered the dirt beside my foot. My heart leapt, and I ran faster than I thought possible.

“Run, run, as fast as you can.” Chevalier laughed. “I love a good hunt!”

Susan snarled deep inside me.

“Stay,” she commanded me. “Fight him! Show him who is more powerful here.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. There was no way that I could fight against someone as deranged as Chevalier, someone as experienced as him…

Another bullet hit the ground in front of me. My breathing hitched. He was getting closer.

“You’re going to have to be faster than that,” he taunted me.

I looked to the woods ahead. They seemed to be an eternity away and only getting farther. Chevalier’s footsteps were growing closer—and faster.

I would never reach the woods before Chevalier got to me, not at this rate. I had no choice. I had to fight.

Skidding to a halt, I turned to face Chevalier. He stopped six feet from me and took aim. I dropped to the ground, and the bullet whizzed by above me, right where my torso had been.

As Chevalier readied his gun, I let Susan in. My transformation occurred quicker than Chevalier could shoot, and by the time that the bullet was headed my way, I stood in my full wolf form, my torn clothes scattered around me.

I ran straight for Chevalier, easily ducking away from the bullet as I met its trajectory. Chevalier’s eyes widened as he saw my enormous, savage white wolf form charging right for him. He threw his gun aside and immediately transformed into his own full wolf form, preparing to meet me head-on.

The black wolf standing in his place growled maliciously and crouched low. I sprang at him, and he jumped back at me. We tumbled backwards in a heap of fangs and claws.

We landed with me pinned beneath Chevalier. He dove for my throat, and I snapped at his snout. He yipped as blood ran down his face, but he did not relent on his attempts to strike at my most vulnerable spot.

I kicked at Chevalier’s underbelly with my back legs, clawing at him until he was raw and bloody. Chevalier swiped at my face repeatedly and left me howling in pain when he struck my eye. Now unable to open one eye, I swung and bit wildly, sometimes striking Chevalier’s flesh but just as often getting only a mouthful of air.

Then I felt it, his hot breath on the soft flesh of my throat. My heart raced. I could sense the points of Chevalier’s fangs as his mouth began to enclose around me.

I managed to wedge all four of my paws beneath his underbelly and shove him off with all my might. He flung backwards, giving me just enough time to jump to my feet and run at him. Before he could regain his footing, I had him pinned.

I snarled in his face, a challenge that he chose to return. He would not surrender peacefully.

“Finish him,” Susan ordered. “He will not submit. Finish him.”

My human mind told me that I could not do that, that it would make me no better than him. My animalistic instincts, though, told me that this man had come to take my life, so it was only right for me to do the same to him.

As the two sides of my mind fought for dominance, Chevalier took advantage of me being distracted and bit my front leg. He ripped out a chunk of flesh, causing me to howl in pain—and anger.

Suddenly, I could only see red. The human side of my mind went silent. All I wanted was Chevalier’s head.

In a flash, I struck at his throat. My fangs dug into his flesh, and his bitterly sweet blood flooded my mouth. I lingered on the sinfully delicious taste before pulling back and ripping the flesh out of his throat.

I spat out the chunk of meat and howled at the sky, declaring my dominance for all to hear.

When I looked back down at Chevalier, he had returned to his human form. He gurgled and spluttered blood before finally lying still, never to bother me—or anyone else—ever again.

I stared into his motionless blue eyes. A chill ran through my body.

I shifted back into my naked human form. Trembling, I raised my hand to my lips. When I pulled it back, I found blood covering my fingertips.

Chevalier’s blood.

I closed my eyes tightly as tears trickled down my cheeks.

“Oh my Goddess,” I whispered. “Oh my Goddess, oh my Goddess.”

“Crystal!” I heard a voice calling for me from the house, Andrew’s voice.

I quickly wiped the tears away from my face. I didn’t want Andrew to see me in this feral state, but I especially did not want him to see me breaking down again. Not until I could explain to him what had happened.

I could only hope that he would understand why I did what I did.

“Crystal?” his voice called again, closer this time.

“I’m out here!” I yelled. My voice strained, but with Andrew’s advanced hearing, I was sure that he could hear me.

A few minutes later, I heard an exclamation of frustration as, I assumed, Andrew found Jeffrey by the back door. Then he appeared in the back door, searching. I waved at him, and his head darted to me immediately.

Andrew ran towards me, three guards following closely behind him.

“Crystal!”

He knelt beside me, placing one hand gently on my back. He looked from me to Chevalier’s body and back, taking in the blood dripping from my lips and chin. His eyes closed momentarily, then he nodded solemnly, as though to indicate that he understood what I had to do.

“Are you okay?” he asked, rubbing my back in little circles.

I looked back at Chevalier. His eyes stared up at the starry night sky, taunting me with their lifelessness. An emptiness snaked its way into my heart as my gaze fell upon the bite mark in his throat and the crimson blood that stained the flesh around it.

“No,” I said, my voice flat. “I’m not.”

Andrew took his suit jacket off and slipped it around my shoulders. I pulled it in close to myself and let out a little whimper.

Andrew wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his torso. I buried my face in his chest. Then I cried, and cried, and cried.