For a moment, neither moved. And then she lurched forward.
Liam hopped back, his big body stirring with a grace that shouldn’t have belonged to a creature so colossal. She stopped her attack, which wasn’t so much an attack as a taunt. She wanted him to sink his fangs into her. Not into her neck of course, or into her chest where dwelled that soft organ that had miraculously kept her alive all these years, but in a chunk of flesh irrigated by her silver-tainted blood.
Justin, who was standing opposite me, jerked, and then his muzzle scrunched up as though Cassandra had assaulted his skull with silent words. She snarled and launched herself at Liam, and he crouched and opened his maw wide.
Which was exactly what Cassandra wanted.
Her speed decreased, and she stumbled, her performance impeccable. If I’d been standing on the sidelines, I would’ve assumed she’d tripped.
I wouldn’t have seen the eagerness to feed the waiting wolf flare in her blue eyes.
A heartbeat before she landed on Liam, he flipped over and scraped his claws into her belly, yanking a shrill whine from the Creek Alpha. Blood sprayed out of her wound. Liam twisted his face, shutting his eyes and mouth so that none of the crimson liquid landed in him. Droplets dotted his fur though, wetting the black mass.
Just as Cassandra toppled, he sprang onto his paws and pounced, swiping her withers with his claws, slicing her flesh. A sound between a yowl and a snarl pitched out of her.
If Liam could’ve bitten her, this would already have been the end of the duel.
He had her on the ground, neck exposed. But claws, however sharp, didn’t have the impact of teeth, and paws didn’t have the pressure of jaws.
She tried to rise, but he slammed his two front legs into her spine, and she sprawled back onto her belly. Low growl rumbling out of her, she bared her teeth and wrenched her neck to nip at his pastern.
She must’ve sunk her fangs in, because Liam jolted off her body. Even though licking his wound would’ve made it heal faster, the injury was too near his claws that were wet with her blood.
As Cassandra heaved herself up, pale fur mottled by maroon patches, her eyes burned with murder and fury.
Did she understand that we’d figured out her technique for eliminating the greatest Alphas?
A flutter erupted deep in my belly, not strong enough to move me, more of a quiet reminder that August was watching. A shadow crept into my peripheral vision, and then the oily musk scent of Justin snaked into my nose. I skipped away, never taking my gaze off Liam who remained still as a boulder while his leg healed.
Cassandra snarled, ripping the heavy silence. She took off running, her strokes slow but powerful. Liam dashed, sketching a wide arc around the dueling ring, making her run after him, making her expend precious energy.
When I noticed he was favoring his left leg, worry enveloped me. Was her saliva laced with silver the same way as her blood?
Justin bumped into me, and I staggered but stayed upright and growled at him.
Didn’t see you there, bitch.
My white fur made me stand out in pitch blackness . . . I practically glowed.
I growled at him before snapping my attention back toward Liam. He was still running but had slowed down considerably. Again, I worried it was from pain, but then I noticed Cassandra had stopped chasing him and imagined he was evaluating her next move.
I liked what you did to your new house, but you gotta admit, it was a little . . . sterile.
My skin prickled at Justin’s implied admission. Of course he’d been among the Creeks who’d vandalized my home. He’d probably led the whole damn team.
After this duel, I’ll kill you, Justin, I muttered between clenched teeth.
He made a noise that sounded like a chuckle. ‘Cause you think Cassandra will let you out of this ring alive? She knows you’re a bitch that can’t be tamed. Which makes you a liability. She doesn’t keep liabilities.
Good thing she’s not going to win this fight.
Oh . . . she’s not gonna lose. She can’t lose.
As the clouds shuffled off the moon, I could see every twitching muscle in my Alpha’s body, every sweep of eyelashes, every pulse of air. He lifted his tail high in the air.
Get away from Justin, Ness. Liam spoke into my mind without breaking eye contact with Cassandra.
I loped off toward the other side of the ring.
Cassandra dipped her muzzle, and then she burst toward Liam. His muscles coiled like springs as he exploded forward, running straight at her. Just before their bodies connected, he executed the sharpest turn I’d ever seen a wolf make.
Cassandra dug her claws into the ground, spraying the faces of the shifters on the cusp of the dueling ring with grass and dirt. Flicking her ears, she turned and dashed after Liam, neck extended, snout inches from Liam’s tail. Jaw wide, she seized it. Liam growled, and then his back paw came up and scraped Cassandra’s cheek, shoving her face away, inflicting another deep gash.
She grunted as she released his tail and hacked up black fur, cheek weeping blood. How was he going to end her with just his claws? None of her injuries had healed yet, and if he added any more, not making contact with her blood would become near impossible.
Stashing his tail between his legs, Liam pranced away. I didn’t know how deep she’d chomped down, but he would need several minutes for his skin to zipper shut.
Cassandra’s nostrils flared, and then her head canted toward me. For numerous heartbeats, she stared my way, blue eyes thin and calculating.
My navel heated up to scorching as something wet bumped my rump. I whipped around and growled. Did you just sniff me, you prick?
What if I did? What are you going to do?
Justin was looking for me to attack, because if I made the first move, I’d become fair game for Cassandra to kill.
The dark-brown wolf leered at me. You smell awfully sweet for something that isn’t.
You touch me again, and I will rip your testicles off and toss them to the coyotes. My breaths came in violent spurts. And then I’ll kill you.
Will you be ripping them off with your mouth? ‘Cause I’ve been fantasizing about your head between my legs.
A shrill bark erupted from the field, and I spun to find Liam standing over Cassandra. He swiped at her neck, and she swiped back, the dark tips of her claws sinking into his belly.
He let out a cry that had me pitching toward him, but before I could get close, Justin planted teeth that felt like twin saws into my hip and dragged me to the ground. I spun and batted him away, the pain so violent it blanched my eyesight.
Up . . . I needed to get up.
I needed to get to Liam.
After managing to dislodge Justin’s jaw with my kicks, I crawled away, belly to the ground, limbs trembling like the tiny leaves of Julian Matz’s hedges.
Suddenly, my body skidded several feet to the side.
What the fuck? Justin growled, standing at the exact spot I’d been.
Using his astonishment to my advantage, I hoisted myself up, my backside ablaze from his bite.
Ness? Are you okay? Liam’s voice pinged inside my skull.