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The hunter approached cautiously, proving he knew his trade, and poked the wolf sharply with theit in a ready position The body gave limply, no movement

"The guys aren't going to freaking believe this A wolf Where'd you come from, buddy? Think if I take you to the wildlife cops, they'd let ht" He snorted to himself "Well, far as they and everyone else kneolves are extinct in these parts My guess is you escaped from a roadside zoo But you look too damn healthy for that"

The hunter straightened and considered the irl out on your fur in front of a fire this winter and she'll love the way it feels against all her pretty skin Going to be a bitch to get you back to the truck, though I'll have to useand make a litter"

Yeah, keep talking The more he talked, the more motionless the wolf becay beca to strike But a va a napkin around his neck and picking up a fork and spoon, like Sylvester getting ready to dine on Tweety

Wolves were se either, particularly in a state where the species was thought to be gone, hunted to extinction decades ago

Since vanorant s However, aside froested they were distant cousins to the python genus, most vampires didn't have any e human did

Cai had a fewhe wasn't about to share with anyone other than hiht not be able to do ic, but because they left their senses far ies than Joe Human, their sharp senses wouldn't miss the wave of it Cai sensed now

Cai wasn't sure what the wolf's deal was, but it posed no i around and satisfy his curiosity Plus, the wolf could do the work of taking down hisit from him

The hunter set his rifle aside, leaning it against a tree, and started to scout for branches to put the litter together That hen the wolf lunged froround

He sprang like aCai with the power of the y that rippled outward froic or not, the beast ounded Blood hada muddy puddle beneath him The bullet wound was a serious injury Perhaps fatal out here

It wasn't stopping him

He was large enough that his paws landed on the hunter's shoulders as he slaround The hunter let out a surprised shout, but he was no lightweight He'd drawn a knife to cut branches, and he had his ared to flip and sought the wolf's unprotected side with the knife The first strike hit the ribs and glanced off, though it tore flesh The wolf took his own trophy, eliciting a scream as his powerful jaws snapped the bone and ripped out a chunk of flesh He pulled back, shoved his great head under the male's now useless arm, and went for the throat

Cai had seen wolf packs bring down deer It was a remarkable, coordinated effort, but it wasn't pretty, because the dance to stay clear of thrashing hoofs and antlers, co weapon, didn't make a fast, clean kill possible

This was an ugly struggle of mere seconds The wolf laid open the throat all the way to the cervical colu out like a popped bulb

Well, hell Cai preferred the carotid because the blood taste there was best He couldn't have that now, obviously, but he was going to have to uy was oozing blood like a boat with a bucket-sized hole Plus, if Cai was feeding fro to be over tendays-old rotted food

Cai e over the body, teeth bared and eyes glowing like gold eed over his face and ruff, but plenty of blood elsewhere wasn't the hunter's The man's blade had found a couple new entry points, because blood was dripping onto the ground with the ani the injured back leg, clawed toes curled and barely brushing the ground

Cai obligingly bared his own fangs at the display of aggression "That'sto die anyw

ay, so get the hell away from it Go find a place to lick your wounds I don't want to hurt you"

The wolf's lip lifted as the rumble in his throat became full-volume thunder His expression was clear You and what army, motherfucker?

The as badly enough injured he probably wasn't hungry It was the principle of the thing His kill, no one else's Cai could respect that opinion What could he say? He respected the hunter, he respected the wolf He was a respectful kind of guy But he had no intention of being denied what he wanted

The wolf's rage was cocked and ready to go, and Cai also understood that feeling He didn't usually find it in an ani their baggage the way humanoids did Attack was all about prey or fear Sometimes play

This asn't in a playfulhim, and he'd set hihts to feed that he wasn't likely to live long enough to enjoy Even now, he was starting to sway

That groundswell of energy hit Cai again Natural y use beyond the physical lih, because he still couldn't identify it His gaze darted around the clearing while he kept the bulk of his attention on the wolf, in case he decided to spring at Cai as he had with the hunter

Instead, the wolf sank to an elbow, slowly, visibly fighting the compulsion Then he was literally knocked to his side by those forces Cai couldn't see His head arched back and a strangled howl tore fro, with a deterht be harder to take his dinner from the wolf than he'd anticipated

Cai drew closer, and the wolf's eyes focused on hiolden eyes was now blue Cobalt blue, with a dark ring around it that enhanced the size of the pupil The other iris stayed sunlight gold Then both eyes closed and the ani as if water moved under the skin Cai heard the crack of bone and the wolf snarled, pain and frustration