Xochitl slowed her pace as she caught up to Kai. "What the hell, kid?"
Kai threw up his hand as if to say "quiet."
¡Híjole! He's a carbon copy of Lucy.
"What?" she whispered.
"Pendejos." Kai crouched down and pointed to an alley between a deserted barbershop and a dilapidated pink Victorian house trimmed in purple.
"Shit!" Xochitl spat, thinking she'd have to fight off a pack of Weres. She flanked Kai as they scurried up to the edge of the barbershop and peeked down the alley.
Three well-armed men in black were loading Kai's mystery assailant and two of his pack into a black military Humvee. Another man in tactical gear was grasping at his left shoulder while his buddy dragged an unconscious Lucy toward the same vehicle.
"LUCY!" Xochi and Kai shouted at the same time.
Kai darted from behind their hiding place and sprinted down the alley. Xochitl racked her shotgun and rushed after him.
Kai leapt into the air and landed on the man with the broken arm. He pounded on the man's face, clawing and ripping at his vested chest. The man desperately tried to push Kai off, but the Were continued slamming his fists down on the bleeding and broken man. With a roar Kai ripped into the man's neck with his razor-sharp teeth. The man choked, his body convulsed and squirmed, then stopped.
"Drop her!" Xochitl yelled, pointing the shotgun at the man dragging Lucy. He froze in horror at the bloody evisceration of his comrade.
Lucy's kidnapper dropped her to the ground with a thud and then turned to Xochitl. He grabbed at his sidearm but was too slow.
Xochitl fired. The man flew back into the barbershop's brick wall and collapsed lifelessly on the ground.
"Get him in here!" a female's voice shouted.
Xochitl saw the same petite blonde behind the wheel.
Another black-clad commando reached from inside the Humvee and pulled the Alpha Dog from the woods the rest of the way in before slamming the door.
Xochitl raced after the vehicle, firing her shotgun as it sped away.
*
Lucy lies still, in silence, in darkness. She feels squirming things around her, wiggling, squishy things press against her so lightly, like they are nothing. Bubbling of liquids on her inside, pieces of her that should remain solid drip downward. Under her body the sap pools, and she feels herself sink down evermore. She can't see, but in the sockets of her eyes, in her mouth, in her nose she feels a tickle of movement. Something slithers through the seat of her consciousness, and she knows that here in the darkness she is not alone. A primal scream rises in her, but she has no voice, no release. The scream dies as madness comes.
Lucy felt her body shaking and bumping as two sets of hands carried her. She could feel pressure on her shoulders and her feet, but she was unable to see. Xochitl's voice sounded from a distance.
"Who's the blond puta I'm seeing everywhere? Who's the Alpha Dog? Why did he grab Kai? Why did those pendejos grab him? Why did Hanna send us here?"
Hanna.
Lucy's entire body seized, and she tasted blood in her mouth. She heard Hanna's words blast through her brain.
"Do it!"
The command. She pulled the trigger.
"Do it!"
The bullet ripped Mama open, bone cracked, blood flowed. And life was gone.
"Do it!"
HANNA!
Lucy's eyes flew open as Xochitl shoved her into El Gallo, and Kai pulled her arm from the other side of the car.
"Stop!" Lucy roared, shaking them off. She regretted the move instantly. "I might have a concussion," she slurred, her jaw on fire.
"Fuckin' A, hermana loba!" Kai yelled in her face. "We go now!" The boy looked terrified. He crammed himself onto the bench seat next to Lucy and slammed the car door.
"Luce, those black van assholes almost got you!" Xochitl screamed. "They got the guy from the woods and his Ferals!" She shoved the Beretta in Lucy's shaking hands and cranked the ignition. "We gotta scram, chica!"
Xochitl floored it, and El Gallo screamed down Tolinka Hills' empty Main Street.
"We can't run!" Lucy sat up and stared straight ahead. She felt like ice water was running through her veins. Her body tense and numb, she felt no pain. Everything went very very quiet and very very calm. She turned and looked at her friend.
"¡Híjole! Your eyes!" Xochitl panicked and swerved El Gallo along the road in a snake pattern.
Lucy's vision delineated the world around her into sharp shades of black and grey. Xochitl's blond hair gleamed white. El Gallo's sunburst orange closed around her in light taupe. But the grey road before her exploded into a vivid red trail.
My prey is getting away.
Short breaths pushed through Lucy's lungs and released through her nose. Her heart pounded powerfully in her ears. Down to her bones, she felt the hunt begin.
Lucy Lowell let out an ear-shattering howl.
Coming soon…
The Alpha & Omega
Book two of
The Werewolf Whisperer
Acknowledgements
We would like to send a howl out to our pack of family, friends and allies who helped bring the Werewolf Whisperer world to life. Sometimes we were Beasts, sometimes we were Hounds, but from beginning to end, you walked every step with us.
Thank you P.J. Ochlan, Charles F. Gutierrez, Rico Rodriguez, C.E. Leever, Brent Simons, Christin O'Cuddehy, Rose Ochlan, Sylvia Star, Joshua Lurie-Terrell, Vern Schnaidt, Stephanie Thrope, Justin Fein, Lou Justice Johnson, Jo Berryman, Jennifer of L.A. School for Dogs, Julie St. James, Merriam, Briana Cap, CWO-2 Marine Gunner Derek Caparoso.
The Werewolf Whisperer is Camilla and Bonita's first novel together. They have both separately written award-winning short films and web content and share backgrounds in acting and film, as well as a love of dogs, hamburgers and fantasy fiction.
For more fun facts and Were nibblets check out: www.werewolfwhisperer.com
Remember to give positive reinforcement. Reward your authors with Amazon Kindle gold stars. More treats to come.
The Werewolf Whisperer (The Werewolf Whisperer Series Book 1) Page 40
