The finality in his quiet but menacing voice should have indicated what was going to happen next but when he slammed the werewolf against the tree one last time, I flinched at the sudden action. The animal yelped as it dropped to the ground.
In a flash, the man in black produced a nine-inch silver knife and plunged it straight into the heart of the rogue.
So easy, in just seconds. Impossible.
I gasped and watched its amber eyes lose their depth. It only took moments for the life to disappear.
The sound of the knife being pulled from the dead body made me flinch and I squeezed my eyes closed for a brief moment. But there was no escaping the situation I was in. When I opened my eyes, it was to see the man stand up and sheathe his knife after wiping off the blood on the fur of the dead rogue.
His super strength confirmed what he was. Now I had that piece of information, being attacked by a rogue werewolf seemed like a walk in the park. I was in serious trouble now.
He was looking down at the dead werewolf with a look of disgust and a sneer before he turned his gaze back to me. His eyes were cold as they held mine.
I swallowed my fear, trying not to allow him to see how scared I really was. I held my breath slightly as he walked over to me and bent down beside me.
"You're hurt," he said softly as he took my injured arm and began to examine it. Bite marks and tears in my skin still dripped blood. He let go of my arm.
I gasped when he took out his knife. Seeing my reaction, he stilled.
"You have nothing to fear. I won't hurt you."
I didn't know him yet, but I believed his words. Even though I had just seen him kill a rogue, without any remorse, just a few minutes before. But he didn't know what I was; the wolfsbane hid my true identity. He believed I was a defenseless human girl.
"What…was that?" I asked breathlessly, deciding to go with the 'no existence of werewolves' lie. I feared if I revealed I knew about werewolves it would endanger my life. It was best to play the weak human girl who had no knowledge of the supernatural world.
He cut a strip from his shirt and wrapped it around my injured arm like a bandage. I smothered the urge to cry when he tightened the material around the wounds.
"It was a werewolf," he answered, the disdain clear in his voice.
"But that's not possible," I said, looking over at the unmoving body, trying to look shocked.
His watchful eyes took in my response. "Unfortunately it is."
At least he had believed my deception.
"Are you okay to walk?" he asked, standing up. At his full height he towered above me. I nodded and he extended a hand to help me to my feet, my weight effortless to his strength. He lifted me with ease. My knees trembled and I wobbled slightly but remained standing. "Thank you."
He didn't even acknowledge what I said. Instead he turned and strode to my backpack, picking it up before handing it to me. His eyes lifted to mine when I took the extended bag. With my injury, I tried to hitch it over my shoulder but it hurt my arm too much so it stayed in my tight grip.
His quiet coldness kept me from saying anything further. I stifled the second thank you by pressing my lips together while I held my backpack. My clothes were soaked in my blood and I had to get out of here before I was discovered.
Without another word, I began to walk away slowly, fighting off the nausea that stirred in my stomach.
"Stop," he commanded behind me. I obeyed him.
Had my lies not been convincing enough? Did he know what I really was? Had he managed to figure it out without being able to detect my scent? I smothered the urge to run, knowing I wouldn't be able to outrun him. Swallowing hard, I turned to face him.
"You're injured, and there are others like him out here," he told me, walking to me slowly. "You need to come with me."
No!I needed to get away before the wolfsbane wore off.
"I'll be okay," I told him, and he gave me a disbelieving look.
"If I hadn't arrived when I did, he would have killed you," he explained, stepping closer. "He would have ripped you to pieces."
I dropped my gaze, trying to figure out how to get myself out of the mess but I couldn't come up with anything.
"I'll get you safely out of here and get your wound seen to. And then when it's safe I'll return you to your home."
