Shadow Kissed (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 4)

Savannah

The Dark Wolf God was here. His presence was unmistakable—dark, bitter, and angry. It burned into my wound and seeped into my bones like a bitter chill.

My breath fogged the night air as we waited, silently measuring every sound in the forest.

Suddenly, a shadow flickered in the corner of my eye.

“Did you see that?” I whispered.

“See what?” Casey hissed, doubt rattling his voice.

Jaxson sniffed the air and scanned the woods. Like a cobra, he was coiled and ready to strike. His strength practically thrummed around us, and for a moment, the vibrations of his power calmed my pounding heart.

We waited, watching and listening.

Another shadow flicked through the woods.

“There! Between those trees.” I pointed. “And another!”

“I still can’t see anything,” Casey whispered. “Should I light it up with my magic?”

“No.” I quietly crept forward. “Just stay alert and stay put. Jaxson and I will handle this. We can see in the dark.”

Jaxson stepped up beside me, and his heat made the air seem frigid. “I feel a presence.”

“It’s his, though it’s weaker than when the Dark Wolf God first spoke to me.”

“It might be his spies. Or agents. We’re definitely being watched.”

I strained with all my senses, hoping for the crack of a twig or even the rustle of leaves, but I sensed nothing other than the familiar scents of Jaxson and Casey amid the forest. Out of nowhere, the branches of a tree swayed, and a shadow sped away.

I didn’t hesitate. My legs erupted into a full sprint as I tore through the brush and foliage. I was a wolf. I was the hunter.

“Savannah!” Casey’s shout echoed from far behind.

Jaxson was at my side in an instant, flying through the brush and downed trees. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” I snarled between heavy breaths as I ducked between two bushes. “But it’s straight ahead of us, and I’m not letting it get away!”

The dark shape wove between the trees, using the shadows for cover. Perhaps that could’ve shielded it from Jaxson’s eyes, but the shadows were my playground, and my magic let me see what others couldn’t.

My fangs and claws erupted as fury consumed me, and I punished the earth with every step I took. Was there no place that I could be free of the nightmare? My life had become little else but fear and anger and suffering. It was his fault. Whatever he’d planned, I wouldn’t run, and I sure as hell wouldn’t roll over.

The rage pulled me on, driving me past the point of control and reason. I became one with the hunt; nothing else mattered.

As I jumped across a small gully, the black shape broke left.

I tried to pivot as I dug my foot into the earth, but I slipped. Jaxson vaulted over me to avoid my tumbling form as I crashed to the ground.

Pain cascaded through my side, but I was up again before I even stopped rolling. I gritted my teeth against the agony in my foot and charged, pulled onward by the chase.

Just then, a shadow flashed beside me, and an icy chill rippled over my skin. Was there more than one?

With a sudden snap, my spine contorted, and I shifted mid-stride, faster than I’d ever shifted before. Agony wrenched through my body as my wolfish form shredded through my clothes. Before I’d finished another stride, my paws hit the earth.

A feral rage consumed me. I would hunt. Kill. Destroy whatever he had sent to haunt me. I delighted in the sudden surge of power that rose inside. I could tear the whole world apart.

Low brush and branches ripped across my face as I tore through the woods after the shadow. I wove around trees and leapt over logs. My feet propelled me with more power and strength than I’d ever had. My wolf and I were in sync, and we moved as smoothly as smoke. Hell, we were almost flying.

The shadow I was pursuing turned right, and before I could react, my wolf angled hard to intercept. She’d taken full control, so I let her steer. The woods were her realm.

Something glinted up ahead, and for a second, I caught the silhouette of a figure moving through the trees.

My wolf surged forward and sprang, jaws wide.

The shadow screamed, and I only felt contempt for my prey’s pathetic cry of horror.

Wait a minute. Casey?

The realization struck me in the gut at the same time as the air around me erupted in a billowing sheet of flames. Just before my paws collided with Casey’s chest, a heavy force slammed into my side. I hurtled sideways and tumbled head over heels. The dirt and leaves extinguished the patches of flame on my fur.

A massive wolf landed beside me, shaking the earth. Jaxson.

Before I could thank him, I was up on all fours, snarling. With a burst of speed and my fangs bared, my wolf charged Casey as he scrambled back.

Horror twisted my gut.

Stop! I screamed at my wolf, but no response came.

I tried to force her aside, but she didn’t relinquish control. What the hell was happening?

Suddenly, Jaxson’s hulking form was between us, with his lips pulled back in a savage snarl—Submit!

I skidded to a halt, then shot left. But Jaxson moved to intercept.

Stop! I commanded my wolf, but she wasn’t listening. It was as if she weren’t there. I struggled to gain control, but it was like grasping at mist.

Jaxson growled deep and low. His power and presence hit me like a windstorm, vibrating through my body and pushing me to my knees, giving me one command: Shift.

Did he realize my wolf was out of control?

I strained to obey, but my limbs wouldn’t return to my human form. My jaw clenched as I struggled to force the shift, drawing power from Jaxson’s presence and wrapping it with my own will.

Finally, my shoulder popped. Agony jolted down my spine, but I drowned it in anger. I will have control!

My body shook as my magic pulsed through me, and I howled in pain as the transformation came. My spine snapped, and my ribs began to realign. Time stopped having any meaning. Jerking and shaking, my human form fought to rip its way free of the wolf until I was left panting and naked on the ground.

I sucked in a lungful of air and moaned in frustration as I rolled over. Jaxson, now human himself, knelt beside me and took my hand. “You okay?”

I could sense his concern and worry.

“I don’t know.” I blinked, and the dark trees above me blurred into view. A few moldering leaves clung to my sweat-streaked back as I sat up. I quickly called my magic and cloaked myself in shadow. “Where’s Casey?”

I looked around frantically, but there was no sign of my cousin.

“He should be about fifty feet to the north and staying put. That is, if he did what he was told,” Jaxson growled, though I could hear the doubt in his voice.

Yeah, our family wasn’t great at that.

With my head throbbing like it was the morning after an all-night bender, I took Jaxson’s hand and rose on unsteady feet. “What the hell happened?”

“You tell me,” Jaxson said quietly, without judgement. “You charged off into the woods, chasing something. Then you turned, shifted, and chased down Casey. You seemed like you wanted to take a chunk out of him—not that I blame you, but…”

“Oh, my God.” Terror crept up my spine. “There were shadows moving through the trees. Didn’t you see them? I mistook Casey for one of them…then my wolf, she wouldn’t give me control back.”

“You’ve had that problem before,” Jaxson said softly, though his eyes glistened with worry.

“This was different, Jax. She was different. She wanted to attack him, I think, or at least, she couldn’t tell friend from foe. I could feel it.” I whispered the words, not wanting to admit the gravity of what I said even to myself, though my voice had a panicked edge to it.

My wolf—she’d gone rogue.

The ghost’s words slipped into my mind: He’s already got his claws in you.

Was this the Dark God’s doing?

Shaking with fear and confusion, and desperate for a rock to cling to, I stepped forward and grabbed Jaxson’s arm. Every inch of my body wanted to get closer, to have him hold me, but our nakedness was a barrier I couldn’t quite step through.

I needed his warmth.

Jaxson nodded subtly and appraised me with a concerned expression etched across his face. “You got caught up in the hunt. It happens. We’ll sort it out. You’ll be okay.”

Lies.