I was not sure how we would have ever stopped kissing, or how deep I might have lost myself in her on that mountaintop, had the howling of two wolves not pierced the night.

Victoria

I supposed, deep down, Bastien and I had sensed all along that we were on a collision course. Others like Brucella had just seen the end before we had.

Bastien had known the fatality of that kiss. And yet, as he crushed his lips against mine with hooded eyes, he barely seemed cognizant. He kissed me slowly at first, his lips taking time to explore the contours of mine before his breathing became heavier, his caress more demanding. He claimed my mouth fully, marking his territory.

My mind had gone long past reasoning, too. My vision was still blurry when Bastien’s lips unclasped from mine, my mouth tingling from the force of his kiss.

Was that howling we just heard? I wondered, trying to piece the fragments of my intoxicated mind together. It sounded like it had come from the cluster of boulders above us.

Everything after that was a blur of confusion to me.

For the first time, Bastien swore. He grabbed me and flung me over his shoulder, and then he was heading for the portal.

“Wait!” I gasped. “Bastien!”

What’s he doing? Is he going to drop me through the portal?

If that had been his intention, he never got the chance. Two wolves bounded down from the boulders—a large light brown wolf, Brucella, and a muscular darker brown wolf, Dane. A part of me was hardly even surprised to see them here. We had already had reason to believe Bastien was being stalked at every opportunity. They had just been waiting for us to slip up.

I guessed they had followed him out here from the mountain. Bastien should have noticed, and perhaps he would have, had we not been so wrapped up in each other.

Brucella and Dane positioned themselves directly in front of the portal, blocking our way.

“You have gone too far with this wench, Bastien,” Brucella hissed. “I will not have you make a mockery of my daughter and our family!”

“Time for some fresh human meat,” Dane snarled, a malicious glint in his eye.

They launched at us. Bastien bolted backward and leapt without warning, sending us into a heart-stopping freefall off the cliff. Wind sliced past my ears. Then, with a violent jolt, we came to a stop about ten feet above the ground. Bastien had managed to stall us with a single arm, grabbing hold of a sturdy branch. I glanced back up at the mountain. My blood ran cold at the sight of Dane and Brucella thundering down.

“Hurry!” I breathed.

After shifting me to his back, Bastien began leaping from branch to branch. The wolves were almost directly beneath us by now, gnashing their jaws and growling.

“End this chase now, Bastien!” Brucella called up. “I promise, Dane will make it less painful for her if you do.”

Bastien’s gray eyes shone with panic. A sheen of sweat lined his forehead as he swung forward at breakneck speed.

We have to reach my family.

“Mom! Dad! Guys! Help!” I screamed, or at least, tried to scream. My throat had become so hoarse, my cry came out as a rasp.

Then, to my horror, Bastien faltered. Taking a misstep, he slipped from the branch. We both went crashing down to several layers of foliage beneath, where he managed to secure us again. Barely aware of my cuts and bruises, I was in a state of shock. Not from the fall, but from Bastien’s blunder. In all the traveling we’d done together, I had never once seen him falter.

It seemed that this was a night destined—or doomed—for first times.

I could only think that he was in such a state of panic, it was impairing his calculation of distances. But witnessing Bastien’s fallibility shook me. For some reason, it disturbed me even more than the sound that had started beneath us.

The sound of nails clawing up the tree.

By the time my limbs had recovered enough to climb onto his back again, it was too late. With terrifying strength, the wolves had managed to pull themselves up the trunk and onto our level. Bastien leapt upward and swung me to the top of the tree until my head broke out through the roof of leaves, emerging beneath the stars.

“They will only keep chasing us,” he breathed, his eyes boring into mine. “Keep shouting while I head them off.”

Before I could react, his body began to shift into a beast and he left me.

Coughing, I tried desperately to strengthen my voice before bellowing into the night for my family. For my parents, aunt, uncles, anyone to come and help. My insides churned at the sound of struggle beneath me.

As I swiveled about, gazing around the woods and screaming in panic, I caught sight of something in the sky. A sight that made my throat cramp up. The glimmering heavens which, only less than half an hour ago, had been a sight of sheer wonder, now struck me with utter terror. Looming on the horizon and traveling with hair-raising speed was a dark cloud of glinting scales and talons.

A colossal horde of mutants.

“Mutants!” I rasped. “There are mutants! In the sky! Heading this way!” My voice rang out louder this time. Loud enough to arrest the wolves battling beneath me. Branches creaked and Bastien’s silky head emerged through the leaves, Dane and Brucella poking their heads out about fifteen feet away. All eyes fixed on the dark cloud of mutants. They looked harrowingly closer than even just a few seconds ago, and were they wearing saddles? Were those hunters riding on their backs?

Oh, God.

How are they here? How could they have known to head this way?

“I knew it!” Brucella shrieked, her and Dane’s attention shooting back to me. “Bastien, you fool. Tell me at least that you see it now! She was on their side all along! And now she’s led them to us, striking in the dead of night, while most of us are resting and vulnerable.”