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The world cartwheeled My face missed the floor by inches before the cot ca me a view of the destruction The quaint rooe area rug woven with birds, trees, and a cheerful outdoors scene lay shredded and tattered Deep claw e was clear A huge panther prowled the perimeter of the room while Ryland in wolf form watched it ary silver eyes The panther coiled and leapt with lightning speed, so fast ht could hardly follow the streak of black Ryland dodged at the lastdown as razor claws caught hiht shoulder, but he had the prize The panther’s throat was in his grasp

"No!" I wheezed, sounding like an old man on his last minutes of life

The wolf’s ears perked up and a pretty young woman stepped into view from the shelter of a doorway across the roood, he survived"

The panther screa furrows of fur fro his teeth clamped firmly across the panther’s throat until it screa, popping bones and rearranging flesh filled the room The panther’s fur melted away into fair skin, and its sleek y blonde hair

Ryland released his hold on Stacey as she lay sobbing on the floor Then he howled, triuer and the darkness claiainst ainst ht My hands reached around the soft curves of her body and I hugged her close, pressing her lips toin her scent Except…the familiar scent wasn’t Elyssa

I opened entle smile on her lips

"You’re awake, my sweet," she said, her British accent thick as honey "Oh, Justin, ht, my hero You savedagony The diahan was able to cure you"

"I awoke after the queerest drearabbed a nearly destroyed pillow fro upI had been captured, I iht Ryland" A feather drifted toward my nose, a casualty of the war-torn pillow I blew at it before ithow terrible I felt, a sneeze would probably putwolf" She shuddered "Disgusting creatures"

"Hey, he helped lared across the roohan sat at a circular wooden table that had somehow survived the battle "How in the world did you end up in his company?"

"He’s a Templar"

"How can you be so bloody daft, Justin?" Stacey peppered hed "A girl can’t even get a tiny bit of rest without you dragging her off into danger"

"What happened?" I asked "When we found you, the entire place was destroyed"

She shrugged "These very foul-sround like anis I’ve ever seen" She gasped "Oh dear" Tears welled in her eyes "Oh no Marmalade and Dots Those creatures killed theies Stacey had created to help me rescue my dad They looked likeBut those black hounds were so else "They were hellhounds, Stacey And they were looking for s actually exist?"

I nodded "My dad’s side of the family sent them Either to kill or capture us"

"Well, which is it?"

I tried to shrug but fire raced up my neck when I did "I don’t know" I told her about Dad’s death mark and the little we’d done so far I jerked as otten andyet?"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>