“Yeah, but at the cost of your soul!” I exclaimed. “No one is worth that.”
He moved so quickly. One minute I had my back to him and next his hand was locked around my throat, in a death grip, the barrel of the gun resting between my eyes.
“Say it again, I dare you. Say Jasmine isn’t worth it, and I’ll splatter your brains all over the ground.” Gary’s eyes were crazed, and I knew I’d pushed him too far. There’d be no reaching him. One of us was going to die.
We stared into each other’s eyes, willing the other to relent. A firm voice broke our concentration. “Let her go, Gary. It’s me you want, and I promise I’ll go with you. Just stop this madness.”
Gary released me to look at Jasmine, suspicious hope on his face. I dropped to the floor, gasping for air with my hand massaging my throat. I’d give this to the human-he had an iron strong grip.
“Leave us alone, Gary. Please,” Jasmine growled.
It was the please that drew my attention. There was a hint of animal in the sound, and my stomach dropped as I watched Jasmine fight to rein in her wolf. It was relentlessly trying to gain control now, the trauma of the evening triggering it to break free and surface.
The situation just went from dangerous to dire. Judging from the convulsions racking her body, we were going to have a real problem in a moment. Scratch that. Gary was about to have a problem, and my wolf howled in anticipation.
“You need to calm down, Jasmine. Take deep breaths. Everything’s alright,” I spoke softly, watching her carefully. “Just try to keep your body relaxed and mind focused. Okay? Don’t give in, fight to stay human.”
Gary reached down and grabbed me by my jacket, dragging me to my feet. “What’s happening? What’s wrong with her?” He used the gun to point at Jasmine, who had dropped to all fours-panting heavily.
“She’s changing, you idiot I need to get her out of here.” I used my hands to roughly shove at Gary. “Let me go now!” I threw every ounce of compulsion into my voice. I didn’t care what his issues were, Jasmine needed me and that was all that mattered.
“No! No Mason. Just you. Fix her.” The gun’s trigger clicked back on as he aimed it at me. “Now.”
I lost my temper. I thought nothing about diplomacy or trying to ease the weapon out of his hand. It didn’t matter he seemed just as on edge as I was. Jasmine’s whimpers were becoming louder and louder as the change began to take over.
“There’s no fixing her! This is who and what she is – she’s a werewolf, and if I can’t stop her changing, she may not be able to hold onto her humanity. Do you get it, you jerk? Your macho act of stupidity here…” I pointed at his gun, “has triggered her wolf. She’ll be too strong to fight and will take control-maybe forever.”
I ran over to where Jasmine was lying. She was now in the fetal position, lying on her side, and I could see her muscles and joints starting to lengthen and rearrange themselves. Her nails had grown longer, sharper at the tips and a light coat of fur rippled and flashed over her skin. Most times the Change occurred faster, but as she struggled against it, it seemed to take forever.
“Come on, Jasmine. Fight it.” I groped my pockets for my cell phone and cursed out aloud. Of course, this would be the time I left it at home.
I began a silent chant in my head for Mason, trying to send a frantic call through the pack bond. I repeated my message over and over, sending images-hoping something was getting thorough.
“I can sense her, Darcy, and she’s desperate to get out. She feels so strong this time, and I’m scared I won’t be able to hold on to me when she comes.” Fear blazed in her wolfish eyes. The yellow tint almost glowed in darkness of the evening.
“Do you remember what they taught us to do if this ever happened? About how as you feel your wolf pass, to focus on what makes you Jasmine? Tell me what you’re going to think about?”
“I’m going to think…” Her thought was cut short as a gut wrenching scream erupted from her mouth. The press of the gun barrel returned to the side of my head.
“Enough with your damn gun, Gary. Enough!” My own wolf, hungry for action, felt that much closer.
“What’s happening? Make it stop! It’s not supposed to be like this. I meant to kidnap her, whisk her away where I could have a chance to win her over, make her see she could love me. I wanted to get her away from pack and all things wolf, and we would’ve been happy.”
The arrogant facade Gary had been maintaining started to crumble as hysteria crept into his voice. He drove his hand through his hair and began to pace back and forth, the gun still in his grip.
“Just take your gun and walk away. Mason will arrive soon, and you’re not going to want to be here when I tell him what happened. Forget about Jasmine-about us all. Just leave!” I screamed the last words at him as I used my hands to try and soothe Jasmine.
“No, I’m not leaving without what I came for. Fix her, and we’ll leave together.”
I almost choked on my shock. This guy was truly delusional if he thought I was letting him anywhere near Jasmine again. Standing to my feet, I turned to face Gary and stalked toward him.
“You’ll go, and you’ll go now before I rip your throat out. I’ve had enough of this. You’re wasting my time. Don’t make me do something I’ll regret.” I shoved him and pointed to down the street. “Run, while you can. You think Jasmine will be scary? You have no idea what it’s like to face an infuriated alpha wolf and pack members. You have no idea what it’ll be like facing me.”
The sound of a wolf growling behind me interrupted my angry rant. I closed my eyes, not needing to turn around to know she’d changed, and from the electricity dancing over my skin and the tension beneath it, it wouldn’t be long before I’d change as well.
“Run, I will not warn you again!”
A look of revulsion crossed over Gary’s face. I turned around to face Jasmine, and it didn’t take a genius to see he didn’t like what he saw. His reaction was confusing because this was nature at its finest.
Jasmine was a breathtaking wolf – silver fur with white tipped ears and paws. Her snout was ebony and her fur shined in the moonlight.
“Make her change back!” he screeched.
I reached out with my senses to see whether I could find her, but I was too distracted by what was happening around me. “I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if she’s there. Mason will have to help her. She needs her Alpha.”
I took a step towards Jasmine, with my hands raised in a submissive gesture. Technically, we were the same in the hierarchy of the Pack, I wouldn’t rise until Mason and I had officially sealed our mate bond. I hoped my showing her I meant no threat, she would calm enough for me to reach her. Her hackles were still raised, and there was a low grumble coming from her, but it was directed at Gary more. Jasmine would smell I was part of the Pack, whether she was herself or not and know I wasn’t a threat.
“Don’t go near her!”
“Make your mind up, Gary! You either want me to help her or not.” I was getting sick of his interference, sick of his presence, and I was ready to snap. Play time was over, and it was time to put end to this.
Using my werewolf speed, I turned and lunged for Gary, baring my teeth at him. I caught him by surprise and quickly had him pinned beneath me on the floor. I wrestled for control of the gun and misjudged a move. A second later, I was underneath Gary, with his fist pummeling into my face.
A loud howl echoed and was followed by an angry growl of warning. Gary turned to see Jasmine launch herself at his back. He raised the gun and fired.
Chapter Four
The shot thundered and time seemed to stop. All I could hear was my shallow breathing and the sound of a body thudding to the ground.
“Nooooo!” An agonizing scream erupted from my throat as I pushed the shell shocked Gary off me and scrambled over to where Jasmine now lay-still in wolf form.