I’d only seen the beast in my dreams. The reality was far more terrifying. Or was it because this wasn’t Matt? This creature was jet-black and huge, bigger than a bear, with wicked claws and fangs that hung down beyond its lips. No wonder the critters had fled.
Not a werewolf, but a Dire, I reminded myself. And he might look huge and dark and menacing, but I knew there was a human inside of him.
He wasn’t alone. Another walked out of the trees. It raised its head and inhaled before shaking its dark brown fur, eyeing Trix, and stating, “I’m ready foor a snack. Hoow aboout yoou, Boss?”
His “o’s” rolled oddly, but he was perfectly understandable. And I found myself grateful for offensive idiots, because every trace of my fear fled on a burst of pure rage. I kept Trix close and grabbed hold of the anger blossoming within me. I ignored the speaker and shifted my gaze to the black Dire.
“Control your bastard minion, Darius.”
His lips pulled back off his teeth, and the bones of his face moved beneath the skin. I watched in horror as he writhed his way to a muscular human.
Anakedmuscular human.
But whereas Matt’s body had flooded me with girlie thoughts, this guy’s just turned my stomach. Especially as it was immediately apparent that his body was writing checks there was no way I’d let him cash.
He strutted toward me, completely unashamed of what jutted prominently in my direction. I’d seen naked males before, but never a near complete stranger so blatantly displaying himself. And then I realized—to him, it was as natural as wearing hair when he was a beast.
The thought steadied me, enabling me to hide my disgust beneath a veneer of calm. I tore my gaze away—seriously, were they all hung like that?—and snarled, “Dream on, Darius. You can just shift back to your furry self and get the fuck outta here.”
My eyes drifted to Aaron—and I saw a glimmer in his beast eyes as they drifted from me, to Darius, and back. The lust and cockiness remained, but now there was hostility, too.
Combined with Darius’s obvious interest, it unnerved me, and my legs shook. Trix and I were all alone. I might be a good runner, but no way I could out-pace those four legs.
Darius’s nostrils flared as he stepped closer. “Oh, don’t be like that,” he growled.
“Yeah,” Aaron said. He’d remained a beast. Was he hoping I swung that way, too? What a creep. He proved it by adding, “Females are oonly good foor oone thing. Having oone oon the team will add spice to our missioons. Two of us, three hooles—nice to have chooices.”
Adrenaline flooded through me as Amadeus’s words echoed through my head, along with Matt’s concern. It was all fine to demand that it not affect me, but out here, at this moment...
Dammit.I would not be intimidated by an alphahole.
Darius had walked up to within a few feet of me and run his glowing gaze from my feet to my face, pausing at my crotch then breasts for a frank appraisal. “Maybe it’s time we defined the parameters of our team.” His lips parted in a toothy grin. “You smell so good. Teammates with privileges? Sounds delicious.”
While Trix’s growl deepened, I drew myself up tall and snapped at him, “If I grant any teammates privileges, you’ll be the last to know.”
Darius sneered. “Not sure just what you think you’re going to do about it, Babydoll.” He took a step forward.
Branches snapped as another Dire leaped onto the path to land right beside me.
It should have startled me senseless, but it didn’t. Because something deep inside me recognized him. Instantly.
A mountain of blond fur, with paler streaks along his back, framing his distinctive emerald eyes.
Matt. Panting, as though he’d been running. Hard.
Trix had flinched away until she got a sniff of Matt. Now, both she and Matt snarled at Darius.
“Back the blooody hell off.” Matt’s face started to shift—it alarmed me to realize he was going to assume his human form. Why? Those teeth might be a good idea.
Darius’s eyes flashed, but he seemed more amused than annoyed. “Or what, Pup?” And with that, he focused on Matt, and unleashed his power.
A shudder passed through my Aussie friend and his transformation immediately reversed back to beast. A second, massive quiver rippled his fur. Bit by tortuous bit, his gaze lowered from Darius’s, and his entire body dropped to a submissive crouch.
My rage erupted, expanding from me as though I were ground zero of a nuclear explosion. My voice deepened, developing a lethal edge as I snapped, “Leave him alone, Darius.”
The alpha actually took a full step back before he stopped himself. His eyes glowed with his beast, but he was no longer sneering. His lips pulled back in a human snarl. “Or what, bitch?”
My eyes narrowed. Any trace of fear had vanished. “Are you forgetting the feral Dire?”
