by Paige Tyler
Knox was a little worried by how fast the fire spread across the room, but a scream from behind him made him forget all about it. He spun around to see Rachel with claws and fangs extended, staring straight ahead in total panic at one of the DAPS guys, who had turned into the clown.
Shit!
Everything went to hell then, as the rest of Theo’s other guys all moved at once, either trying to escape the rapidly spreading fire or fleeing the nachtmahr as it savagely ripped into anyone it could reach.
Knox quickly hurried to help Rachel, who was standing in the middle of the room like a statue, but he didn’t take three strides before Theo stepped in front of him, eyes filled with rage.
“I don’t know what the fuck you and your girlfriend are, but you definitely deserve each other,” he sneered, pointing his weapon at Knox’s chest.
Knox was moving even as Theo pulled the trigger. The bullet clipped him somewhere along the left side of his chest, but he shrugged off the impact that threatened to spin him around in a circle and closed the distance between him and his former boss. Theo tried to adjust his aim, twisting to get the barrel up and pointing it at Knox’s face, but Knox caught his wrist and squeezed hard, breaking bone as he pushed the weapon up toward the ceiling. Before Theo could react, Knox brought the claws of his right hand up and raked them across the asshole’s face, then slung him across the room. Theo cried out in panic as he plunged into the flames and disappeared from view. There was so much fire and smoke it was impossible to see through to the other side of the room.
Knox would have followed anyway—just to make sure he was dead—but then Rachel screamed again and all he could think about was getting to her.
Turning, he found her on the far side of the library, backpedaling as she slashed and snarled at the clown relentlessly bearing down on her. Around them, bodies were scattered everywhere, but Knox didn’t know if the clown or Rachel had put them down.
Blood ran down her arms and the front of her T-shirt, and it took Knox a moment to realize the clown was swiping at her with claws nearly as long and sharp as her own. Knox wondered for a moment how a clown could have claws like a werewolf, but then cursed his stupidity. The nachtmahr could be anything it wanted.
Knox ran toward Rachel, dodging flaming pieces of the collapsing ceiling as he crossed the floor. Knox wasn’t sure what his claws would do to the damn thing and wished he’d gotten Theo’s weapon away from him before tossing him across the room. But he hadn’t, so he made do with what he had at hand—the heavy antique chair that matched the table he and Rachel had been hiding behind earlier. He scooped it up on the run and brought it down as hard as he could over the clown’s head.
The chair broke, but so did the clown. Just to be sure, Knox hefted what was left of the piece of furniture—the back and one leg—and kept smashing. That was when he realized his inner werewolf had completely taken over, growling and snarling at the thing that had hurt his mate. It wasn’t long before there wasn’t much of anything left of the chair or the clown-faced nachtmahr.
Knox bent over, resting his hands on his knees, fighting to regain control. Letting the wolf have free rein for a few moments had been exhilarating, but the danger had passed and the creature was dead. He needed to pull back from the edge and fight the instinct to drop down on all fours for reasons he couldn’t come close to understanding.
He took in a long, deep breath, almost scalding his lungs from the heat and smoke in the air. All of which reminded him that he and Rachel needed to get the hell out of this room before it all came down on their heads.
Knox straightened and held out his hand for Rachel, only to see her standing several steps away, her red, glowing eyes regarding him with something close to curiosity—or amusement.
Even as he watched, her face changed, slowly shifting into a different shape. Then she grew taller, wider in the shoulders, and longer in the legs, until there was a man in front of him that he recognized. One that ripped his soul out.
“Why’d you let me die, Knox?” Lawrence asked. “You let me die before I even had a chance to live.”
The man Knox knew to be long dead wrapped one hand around his throat and jerked him off his feet like he was a little stuffed toy.
“It’s your fault I’m dead,” Lawrence added, blood soaking through the chest of the camo uniform he wore, his hand tightening around Knox’s throat so firmly he could barely breathe.
Knox’s claws hadn’t retracted from his earlier fight with the clown, and now they lengthened another inch or so as fear and panic fought to take over. He almost gave in to it, the instinct to lash out and tear the thing in front of him apart, fighting with what he knew to be true.
But this thing wasn’t merely the nachtmahr. It was Rachel—his soul mate. To hurt it was to hurt her.
He couldn’t do that—even to save his own life.
“Rachel,” he gasped, gently covering the hand crushing his throat with both of his. He didn’t fight, didn’t claw to try and rip them away. Instead, he simply touched them, hoping she could feel him. “I know you’re in there, Rachel, and I know you don’t want to do this. But you have to fight this thing. The monster is trying to take over and make you hurt those you care about because it feeds on your fear. You have to fight for us. Please.”
Saying any more was impossible after that. A moment later, his vision began to dim and he started to lose focus on the red, glowing eyes in front of him. The wolf inside him was torn, the need to fight for survival warring with the instinct to protect Rachel.
Knox was sure he was going to die when the thing suddenly let him go. He fell to the floor on his hands and knees, coughing and gulping for air. He was just starting to breathe normally again when he heard a growl followed by the most gut-wrenching sound he’d ever heard.
He jerked his head up to see Rachel on the floor on all fours, spasms and convulsions overtaking her body. Not sure what was happening, Knox leaned forward to help her, but he jerked back as one of her claw-tipped hands came up to shred the clothes off her back. Her jeans tore open next, then her spine, shoulders, and hips cracked and popped as light gray fur erupted from her skin.
The transformation from beautiful woman to beautiful wolf happened so fast it was unbelievable. When the change was complete, there was no red glow to her eyes now or anything to suggest there was anyone in that perfect form other than Rachel. She stood there gazing at him with the most intense, knowing expression he could ever imagine on an animal’s face.
He started forward to wrap his arms around her—more than ready to hug a wolf for the first time in his life—but his body wouldn’t move.
Knox felt the pressure in his head long before he began to comprehend what it was. The nachtmahr creeping into him to take over just as it had Rachel. He fought, mentally trying to shove the presence out of his head, but it kept coming until he swore he could feel the other creature in there with him, feel it taking control of his body. Fear like a cold freeze crept over him, slowly numbing his whole body, making him disappear. He knew when it was complete and he was shoved into a little, dark corner in the back of his mind, the thing would make him attack Rachel. He only prayed she would defend herself.
He didn’t realize he’d clenched his eyes shut until Rachel made a chuffing sound in front of his face. When he opened them, it was to find the light gray wolf so close he could feel her breath on his skin, smell the scent of cinnamon and licorice in the air. Then she crouched down and crawled forward to rest her forehead against his.
He felt the fur.
Felt the heat.
Felt her.
Knox stopped fighting the creature and instead reached for the wolf, trying like crazy to reach out and touch its mate.
Bones snapped and muscles tore, but strangely, it didn’t hurt nearly as much as he thought it would considering what he’d seen Rachel go through when she’d shifted. When Rachel had s
aid it was possible to turn into a wolf, he hadn’t been able to wrap his head around it. He was shocked to discover it was as simple as allowing it to happen.
The nachtmahr in his head fought like hell to stay there, ripping and tearing with mental claws that made him think of rusty fishhooks. But in the span of one bone breaking and the next, the presence—and the fear—disappeared from his mind like the popping of a soap bubble on a warm sidewalk.
He took a deep breath and immediately knew he was no longer in his human form. The movement of his ribs against the hard floor only accentuated the fur covering his body. He inhaled again, relishing how everything smelled so much crisper and more alive—even the smoke and fumes that threatened to choke him.
Knox opened his eyes to gaze at Rachel. Seeing her through the eyes of a wolf, she was even more beautiful than in her human form, as unbelievable as that seemed.
He was also pretty sure she was smiling at him.
He was still sitting there gazing into the most perfect eyes ever when he heard a grunt and scrambling sound coming from the flames on the far side of the library. In a single synchronized heartbeat, both he and Rachel were on their feet. Turning around was complicated on four paws, but within a step or two, he got the hang of it.
The figure who leaped out of the fire already consuming most of the room was charred and bloody, smoke pouring off what was left of its clothing. The cracked and broken lips pulled back in a sneer, and even with the red, glowing eyes, Knox recognized Theo.
Understanding shook his core as he remembered something Davina had said. The nachtmahr was nearly impossible to kill because it would keep jumping into any available host. Any human host. The thing couldn’t stay inside him or Rachel in their wolf forms, so it had sought out the only other living thing in range—Theo. Even though he was burned and damaged, the nachtmahr had still possessed him.
Rachel snarled at the creature charging toward them, its face going back and forth between the clown and Lawrence as it laughed. It was a horrible, guttural sound coming from a throat too scarred and damaged from the fire to do anything else.
Salt water or fire.
Either would kill the nachtmahr.
Knox didn’t pause to think. He simply charged forward and slammed his fur-covered shoulder into the thing’s chest, driving it back. Wicked, bloody claws swiped out at Knox, slashing deep into his flesh. He reared back and slammed into the creature again, knocking the monster into the flames.
The creature fell, raw flames racing to cover its arms, legs, and torso. The few remaining patches of hair singed away, yet the thing somehow crawled back onto its feet and stumbled forward again.
Rachel sprinted past Knox in a blur, ramming her shoulder into the nachtmahr and knocking it back into flames that leaped up as if hungry to devour it. This time, the thing didn’t even try to regain its feet, instead crawling toward them on hands and knees as its face and body twisted from shape to shape. Knox recognized the clown and Lawrence, but there were many others. Interspersed among the misshapen monsters were figures that jarred his senses—a child with huge, innocent eyes, a woman in a wedding dress, a man in a fedora—and Knox instinctively knew he was seeing the forms the nachtmahr had used over the years to terrify its victims. And based on how many different shapes there were, he could only guess how many hundreds of years this thing had been alive.
Soon enough, the slide show of horrors stopped and a shapeless thing collapsed to the floor, flames continuing to lick across it. Knox held his breath, sure that at any moment, the creature would jump up and charge at them yet again. It didn’t. Instead of going out with some dramatic whoosh of flames and sparks, the nachtmahr simply crumpled to glowing coals like a burned-out log.
Knox allowed himself maybe three seconds to rejoice in the victory before it became impossible to ignore the roaring flames all around them. He lifted his head to see that the fire hadn’t merely engulfed the library but seemed to be consuming the entire mansion. The spiral staircase and the catwalk it led to were also gone. Large sections of the roof had disappeared, revealing the burning rooms above. The heat was beyond intense, and his fur began to curl up as it singed, the overheated air scalding his lungs with every breath. A quick glance toward the door—or at least where the door had been—confirmed they wouldn’t be getting out that way. It was an inferno over there.
He looked at Rachel to see her gazing at him. She knew they weren’t getting out of there, too. He could see it in her eyes.
Fear washed through him much like it had when the nachtmahr tried to take over. Knox realized the fear wasn’t for his own death—it was for Rachel and what they could have had together if they’d been given the chance. Diego had been sure Knox and Rachel were soul mates, that she was The One for him. He liked to believe that was true, but now he’d never get a chance to know for sure.
Knox felt more than heard Rachel move closer to him. She looked deeply into his eyes for a moment, then rested her forehead against his. He ignored the heat and smoke then, letting himself absorb every sensation that was the woman he loved. He wished like hell he was in human form right then, so he could tell her how he felt about her before the end.
He was so lost in her scent and the softness of her fur against his that when the ceiling let loose and crashed down behind him, he barely flinched. Until Rachel moved back and let out a loud yelp. Thinking she’d been hit with a piece of flaming debris, he pulled back to look her over only to see her staring up at the roof.
A huge part of it had collapsed, crushing the ceiling. Even through the smoke and flames, he could make out a smattering of stars. But the night sky wasn’t what held Rachel’s attention—or his. Instead, it was the long section of slate-covered wood running in an incline from the floor of the library up to the roof. Fire was already licking at the bottom of it, but the top at least remained free of flames.
He threw a quick glance at Rachel, then they were both moving, scrambling, and slipping on the smooth tile, but making it up to the roof nonetheless.
The feeling of fresh air as they cleared the fire burning on the second floor and reached the roofline was exhilarating. Knox would have laughed if he could. Then he realized he actually was laughing, except it was coming out like a chuffing sound. He glanced at Rachel to see her standing there with her pink tongue hanging out, laughing, too.
Knox would have given anything to stay there with Rachel in that moment, but when the part of the roof they were on started to shake, he knew the rest of this mansion would be coming down soon—bringing them with it.
They ran then, slipping across sections of the roof where flames were already coming through, easily finding a way down to a first-floor landing, then onto the grassy lawn behind the mansion. They continued past the pond, heading for the woods beyond, and Knox prayed no one saw two huge wolves escaping from the burning building.
Chapter 17
Rachel was lying comfortably in the pine-straw-covered ground about twenty feet into the woods behind the house, enjoying the sensation of Knox’s strong, furry body resting against hers and taking in the complete craziness going on half a football field away. The property was crawling with cops and firefighters, not to mention reporters, but luckily, everyone was too focused on the crime scene to notice two extremely large wolves hiding out in the forest.
Admittedly, she was a little concerned about how she was going to get back into her human form, since she had no idea how she’d ended up with four feet and a fur coat in the first place. She hadn’t even consciously called on her inner wolf. All she knew was that she would have done anything to protect Knox from the clown. Clearly, the wolf inside her had felt the same, and she was immensely grateful for that. Even now, the memory of what the clown had almost forced her to do to Knox made her dizzy. As for the wolf thing, she was sure she and Knox would figure out how to change back at some point. Although, she had to admit, he made an extremely handsome w
olf.
Shoving thoughts of how they were going to live as wolves for an extended period, Rachel focused on the good stuff that had happened tonight. They’d rescued Addy and her mom, killed the frigging clown, and managed to escape a burning building without being roasted alive. Overall, she had to admit it had been a pretty good evening.
Unfortunately, she doubted Addy and her mom thought the same, especially since it seemed like a foregone conclusion their house and everything in it was gone. But they were alive, and Rachel hoped they realized that was the most important thing. Something told Rachel it was going to take a while for Jennifer and her daughter to get over the reality of Conrad hiring someone to murder them.
Rachel wondered if Conrad had died in the fire and, if that was the case, whether he’d gotten off easy.
She and Knox were still lying there when Rachel saw Diego and Zane heading across the lawn in their direction, each carrying a navy blue duffel bag. Knox must have noticed them, too, because he lifted his head, his ears perking up.
Her pack mates walked into the trees, stopping in front of her and Knox. Zane looked a little awestruck at the sight of them, while Diego appeared smug.
“You owe me fifty bucks,” Diego said.
Zane only scowled in answer.
Rachel exchanged a look with Knox, then gave her pack mates a confused tilt of the head.
“When Zane and I picked up your scents, I said you were both in your wolf forms, but Zane didn’t think that was possible,” Diego explained. “He insisted Knox is too new to be able to handle a full shift, and you’re too…well…broken.”
Rachel chuffed, the only response she could make in this form. But even if she’d been able to speak, she wouldn’t have argued.
“But apparently I was wrong.” Zane set down the duffel bag he was carrying and dropped to one knee in front of them, scanning their fur-covered bodies in the darkness. “You two okay? Any injuries or burns?”
