There was no response. She tried once more, but all she heard was a hissing that sounded partially like a snore. Assured that the woman was asleep, Winter focused on the man, who also had his eyes closed.
“You must have been banished from the wolf island if you aren’t with your pack.”
There was no response. She read nothing from him, either, his vibe too closed-off.
“I was with them once. They were very friendly to my kind, unlike you.”
This time, there was a response as the man sneered but didn’t open his eyes. “Right.”
“It’s true.”
“A human in Calassius? They would rip you to shreds.”
Some had attempted to, but she bit her tongue. She pushed her mind to open and delved in until she found what she needed: a rush of information always narrated in a small, melodic voice.
There are three wolf islands in Calassius, two of which are active. The first active one is a clan known to keep to itself, while the second one has an open alliance with other clans. They tolerate humans, but no human has ever dared stay overnight on those islands before.
She thought back on the one she landed on—accidentally—and went for it.
“Chief Hans is a good, strict leader who gives everyone a fair chance. But he does not tolerate betrayers and would cut them off for good. They never mentioned you.” A pause. “You must have betrayed them so badly.”
Silence.
“Come to think of it, based on their records, only two shifters were kicked out of the island. One was banished for thieving under their name. The other was banished for selling—”
“Shut up! You shut up, you filthy mongrel!”
“Mongrel shifters would be very insulted with that insult if they did exist….”
She trailed off, then she read it: the vibes that felt so strong and so intense, she nearly drowned in it. Winter tried not to scramble away as she watched the man curl in on himself and knew what was coming next. It happened in the blink of an eye, an explosion of skin and human body before the man before her transformed into his beast form. The great, hulking wolf was larger than she had expected, a massive monster with red eyes that were a little too crazed. He turned and banged against the cell bars—and rattled them hard.
“That’s not going to get you anywhere,” she said.
More banging came, each one louder than the last. At the nth slam, a bar came loose and had her eyes widening.
“Shit.”
“Shit is right.” The hiss came abruptly. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Another bar came loose, then another. Just as the wolf managed to insert its body in between the gap and barrel its way toward her, another door opened, and blurry figures came into view. They yanked the wolf back before her cell bar could be slammed into, fangs glinting.
“Stand down. Shift back—”
The wolf spun and shook them off. Her cell rattled as one crashed into it.
“Incoming,” she warned, her eyes on the wolf while her hand moved elsewhere. The vampire bounced up, ignoring her as more reinforcements came in the form of more blurs.
The next sight was a rather sickening one: that of almost a dozen vampires strong-arming the wolf into submission. The wolf was persistent at first, his focus no longer on her but on the men surrounding it as it repeatedly attacked. Then fangs and teeth came into view until the wolf had no choice but to relent after all the blood was drawn from him, transforming back into his man form. There was angry hissing from the vampires, then—
“Don’t kill him. Transfer him to the other prison chamber. We may need his strength yet.”
They lifted the unconscious man and carried him away. Silence and blood filled the space, the latter swimming in her nostrils as much as the vibe the man now carried: defeat. Sympathy rose, but she tried to shake that off, too. Prey had no room for sympathy.
“That was quite a show for someone so…weak. I’m intrigued.”
A tail came into view, wriggling as it touched the blood. Winter watched as the tail began to sweep the blood toward the unseen cage, and slurping sounds ensued. When the sounds grew louder, she looked away.
“Who are you?”
