The silver wolf blinked and twitched her tail once.
Before he could notice her dawdling, Claire followed Matthew back through the maze of equipment. If only she’d been able to find a key! It doesn’t matter. I’ll find it next time, even if it means that I have to tear this entire place apart. Which might not be a bad idea, anyway.
Outside, Claire took long breaths of the night air. The disinfectant smell of the lab lingered in her nose. She turned to Matthew. “I wish everyone could see that.”
He suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Yeah, but we can’t tell anyone, okay? I mean, I wish there was something we could do about it, but no one’s going to believe us instead of my dad, you know?”
Claire opened her mouth, ready to disagree, when something moved at the far end of the building. She blinked and wondered if the tree shadows were playing tricks on her eyes. The security light showed nothing but a bare expanse of concrete and a chain link fence.
But then, whatever was out there twitched again and a pair of yellow eyes flashed in the darkness. Zahlia streaked toward the fence, her blackness separating from the shadows of the trees. She was coming for them.
Claire had always heard people say that certain things happened in slow motion—a car accident, a bad fall, the moment before a glass smashed against the floor. Each step Zahlia took registered in Claire’s mind like a photo. She could almost hear the snap of the shutter. Matthew had his back to Zahlia. He didn’t see her coming. Before Claire made her decision, she had time to register two separate thoughts: If he sees me change, his father will kill me. It was the second thought that was the strongest. Not him, not now. The moment those four words flowed though her mind, Claire threw off her clothes and burst into her true form. Please, she prayed, let him not have seen me naked.
Without looking at his face, Claire knocked Matthew into the alcove of the lab door and bounded past him. Zahlia cleared the fence with one leap and landed in the pool of bluish light. Her head lowered and she laid her ears back.
Claire mirrored Zahlia’s posture while a low warning growl rumbled in her throat. She tried to tell Zahlia to stop, but Zahlia acted as though she hadn’t understood. Her shoulders hunched under her dark fur.
The cost of meddling is higher than you thought it would be, Young One. You will not stop me. You can’t. Zahlia growled, baring her teeth.
Claire shook her head and whined as the noise filled her ears. That moment of distraction was all Zahlia needed. Behind Claire, Matthew let out a gasp as Zahlia charged at her.
Claire crouched low and bucked hard just as Zahlia reached her. The black wolf flew over Claire’s back and landed hard on the pavement, but not before she managed to grab the very tip of Claire’s ear in her teeth. Claire spun around before Zahlia could attack again. Blood from her frayed ear dripped onto the ground below her.
Zahlia glanced at Matthew, crouched in the doorway. You first, she said, baring her teeth to Claire. Then him.
Claire slammed herself into Zahlia’s flank, her teeth snapping at Zahlia’s dark neck. Zahlia twisted her head away at the last second, and Claire was left with a mouthful of fur. The pavement rushed up at Claire’s snout as Zahlia spun out of her grip. Claire tucked her shoulder under and rolled hard. Zahlia’s claws landed where Claire’s eyes had been only a moment before. Leaping to her feet, Claire jumped hard and landed on top of Zahlia, knocking her to the ground. There was a huffing sound as the air rushed out of Zahlia’s lungs. Winded, Zahlia rolled over onto her back. Before she could get her teeth around the soft underside of Claire’s belly, Claire slashed at Zahlia’s snout with her paw.
The dark wolf let out a howl. Blood poured down her nose and ran into her eyes. Claire looked at Zahlia, blinded and defenseless, her throat exposed. She faltered, unable to complete the kill. Without thinking, Claire snapped her jaws around Zahlia’s front paw. She heard the bones crunch under her teeth. Zahlia screamed in pain.
Claire heard a metallic clang behind her and whirled around in time to see the lab door slam shut. Matthew had barricaded himself inside the lab. Good. When she spun back to face Zahlia, the black wolf was already halfway through the open gate. She hobbled along, three-legged and blood-covered.
Exhilaration flooded Claire. She’d stopped Zahlia, at least for a little while. Zahlia wouldn’t attack anyone with a mangled paw—she couldn’t. Mom will know what to do. The endorphins that surged through Claire started to fade. Her ear throbbed where Zahlia had bitten her, but it was nothing compared to the pain of realizing that Matthew had seen her transform.
Now what do I do?
Chapter Twenty