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After a moment, Mina hurried to catch up to her prey The way it moved made her realize this wasn’t human but definitely a bird The ani her suspicions, and Mina followed the noise down a corridor Maybe it was a clue and would lead her to the Grimoire She ducked into another aisle and saw that she’d been chasing a goose, which was now headed toward a back eency exit The door was already propped and she watched as the bird stepped through it
Running after the goose, Mina plowed through the eency exit door and came into a dark back alley The sun had set and stearates behind the library Al rong Turning, she tried to catch the door back into the library but it had shut and locked autoet her eyes to focus, but there wasn’t any sign or a single stray feather fro feeling began in Mina’s body and she recognized it as a warning sign She was reacting to the power of the Story So or sorowl e man stepped out of a darkened doorway across the alley and careasy hair, pointed nose and golden eyes that seeht His chest was bare, covered only by a worn black vest
"Give it to me and I’ll let you live" The rowl than hu back in fear
"The Grimoire" Theone foot out of the protective circle cast by the light
"I don’t knohat you’re talking about" she said, proud that her voice didn’t crack with fear
"Stupid girl We know the Story has chosen you Where is it?" he growled again, his lips pulling back fro teeth
"I d-don’t have it," Mina stuttered "It hasn’t shown itself to ers and walked into the circle of light, illu a wolf tattoo that covered his whole chest Mina yelped and backed further away until she felt the hard door behind her back
"Then you rabbed her upper arms Mina tried to run under his arm, but he was too fast, inhumanly fast, and within half a second he had her around the waist Screa to make contact The man turned her swiftly and hit her hard in the face, then lifted her as if she was a rag doll and tossed her off into the alley Mina’s scream was cut short as she landed in a pile of cardboard boxes, better than concrete but still hard enough to knock the wind out of her Her face throbbed in pain
The wolf rabbed the front of her blue hoodie in one fist With a grin that showed off his sharp teeth, he lifted Mina into the air, her Converse dangling helplessly below her She felt tears coan to see spots She dug her nails into theto loosen his hold, but he only seean to fill her vision, along with grief for her mother and brother She had failed theotten started She had nearly resigned herself to her fate when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye
A loud crack split the air followed by a howl of pain Mina was dropped to the ground and went li her eyes, she saw Brody standing over her attacker with a broken 2x4 She tried to tell him to run but couldn’t catch her breath, her throat was on fire The ed at Brody, cluround Brody held his own and fought back, landing a punch in her attacker’s lower jaw The es andat her
"We will be back, and one way or another, we’ll get it," the man howled
Brody was immediately at Mina’s side "Mina, are you hurt? Are you okay?" He ran his hands gently up and down Mina’s ar for broken bones, but his touch sent shivers up the to shake off Brody’s warrabbed Mina’s face between his hands and searched her face for bruising She let the tears corateful to have a kind-hearted person by her side, to have survived the attack, to be alive
Brody helped Mina to her feet and then tucked her against his side protectively She leaned into Brody’s chest for support and took co in the warne and sweat, Mina felt safe, secure, until she stumbled on her own feet
Hefor her approval he bent down and picked her up in his aret her out of the alley and soot to his car, he put her inside and buckled her in Mina knocked his hands out of the way, trying to get hi with her seatbelt, to let him know she wasn’t helpless He smiled and handed her the buckle