I grabbed at my side, slick with blood, just as another wolf rammed into my leg with his head. My injured ankle snapped. I howled and toppled onto the concrete floor.
The six wolves circled around me, snapping and growling. I waited for a deathblow, but none of them broke from their holding pattern. Caleb must have given them a signal to wait. He probably took pleasure in the sight of my lying there in a pool of my own blood.
Get up, that horrible voice howled inside my head. Get up. Kill them! You want them to die. Get up and kill them all!
“No!” I shouted back at the voice. I tried to push myself up on the concrete, but my arms shook so hard I fell flat on my face. My body convulsed like there was something fighting to get out from inside of me. A burning inner flame engulfed me, lapping at my soul. Kill them! Kill them! the wolf’s voice chanted in my head. They deserve to die! Get up and kill them before they kill you! I curled into a ball. Tears streamed down my face. Let me kill them. It’s the only way! Embrace me, and we’ll destroy them all.
I shrieked in agony as my muscles clenched, and my head and body jerked uncontrollably in a seizure.
“This is it!” Caleb leaned over the balcony railing. “You want to kill me, don’t you? Here I am, girl, come and get me!”
Yes, kill Caleb. Kill him, and all of this stops!
“No,” I whispered. There had to be another way. I believed that. I really did.
I rolled on my back and stared up at the ceiling, imagining I could see the sky outside. “Dear God,” I whispered. “Please, spare Daniel and my family. I know you can. You can let me die, but do not let me fall to the curse. Save them.”
“Do it!” Caleb shouted at the wolves.
They stopped circling me and backed up in crouching positions, ready to attack.
A wave of fire ripped through me, and the demon in my head screamed for me to act. The werewolves reared back, about to lunge at me. I rolled on my side and whispered good-bye to Daniel, even though I knew he’d never be able to hear me.
“No!” Daniel shrieked, followed by a shout from one of Caleb’s men as Daniel broke free from his grasp and pushed him aside. The others were too distracted by the wolves and me to react quickly enough.
Yes, I thought. Yes, Daniel has a chance to get away!
Then Daniel threw himself over the balcony.
No, he’s supposed to run away! I watched in horror as he fell toward me, but instead of crashing to the ground, Daniel did a twisting flip in the air and began to … transform.
Shift.
Change.
His clothes burst from his body.
I blinked, and when I opened my eyes, instead of Daniel, a large white wolf had landed on all fours only a few feet from where I lay.
The wolves who had been about to attack me turned their growls on the white wolf, warning him away from their prey. The white wolf seemed to stare at me. I noticed a diamond patch of black fur across his sternum as he crouched. His lips pulled back in a snarl, and he pounced in my direction.
I closed my eyes and prepared to die.
A rush of movement exploded around me. I heard snapping and snarling and whining, and when I opened my eyes again, the white wolf was on top of me—standing over me in a protective stance.
The white wolf threw his head back and let out the most ear-piercing howl I’d ever heard. It echoed off the walls of the warehouse, shattering glass in the windows above. Shaking my body down to my broken bones.
When the noise died, there was nothing but silence.
Nothing but the white wolf standing over me, glaring out beyond us, as if daring anyone to make a move in our direction.
I could barely keep my eyes open as I tilted my head to see what had happened. Two of the wolves lay bleeding on the ground, one had retreated to the garage door, but the other three looked as if they were bowing, heads lowered in supplication, to the white wolf.
“No! No! Kill him!” Caleb shrieked at his wolves. “Kill them both!”
But the three wolves lay on their bellies and refused to move.