((May contain imagery unpleasant to some.))
As the truck headed off along the street, Emrys heaved one last time, spitting to try and clean his mouth of the taste of human blood. "Gods," he breathed, visibly shaken by what he had just done. "Did ....did I do it right?" His hand groped for Marissa's, needing some reassurance that he hadn't done more damage than was absolutely necessary to his sister's mate.
Just before the truck headed off, Marissa drew the ever-present cloak from her shoulder and threw it over her mate's back, effectively covering his nakedness from any prying eyes. It was risky, doing this in broad daylight, but Zane had pushed them to it. "Yes, love. Perfect," she told him, though her own species was not capable of turning a human the way he had. "It's done. Now it's up to the goddess."
He sighed, swallowing as he tried to pull himself together again. "I hope I never taste human blood again," he muttered, straightening up with a brisk huff of breath. "I'm going to have to shift, kitten. A naked man walking down the street will just attract more attention."
She smiled softly, as she brushed the blood from his lips with gentle fingers. "Then you shift. No one will look twice at a woman with a wolf companion," she assured him, though he wasn't quite naked with her cloak covering his shoulders.
"Are you ready for this, love?" he asked her. He wasn't asking her if she was ready for the hunt, but for what would come when their hunt was done, when they found their prey. Though he had never ended another being in such a deliberate way, Zane was beyond saving. There was no choice.
Though she had vowed never to devour a human, Marissa had tasted human flesh and blood before. The very night she had first met Emrys, when he'd found himself in her woods, they had defeated the hunters together. He should already know she was ready for whatever she had to do to protect those she cared for, and if, in the end, he could not end Zane's life, then she would do it for him. "I take no joy in it, but there is no other way," she replied in answer.
He held her gaze for a long time, his hand tenderly cupping her jaw. "All right." Leaning close, he kissed her, wiping a stray smear of blood from her chin with his thumb before he handed her the cloak, concentrating to shift with surprising grace into the Alpha wolf he had only truly embraced the night before.
She threw the cloak over her shoulders and fastened it at her neck, doing her best to block the view of him shifting from anyone who might be watching, though it was Rhy'Din and it was unlikely anyone would find such a thing too unusual. "You lead," she told him quietly, her fingers once again smoothing his fur. "I'll follow." She knew the wolf would pick up the scent far better than she, and she would wait until they were safely out of public view before she joined him in shifting.
The big wolf tilted his head, bumping her thigh affectionately before turning his attention to the trail. Zane had bled, and bled copiously, the tang of his injuries hanging in the air for any hunter to follow. Emrys began to walk, careful not to accelerate ahead of his mate, taking his task very seriously indeed. Zane would have gone to ground somewhere in the city; they would have to find him and take him by surprise to avoid a chase through unfamiliar streets.
She'd hoped Zane had taken to the woods, where they could hunt the rogue werewolf without risk of any bystanders, innocent or otherwise, getting in the way, but it seemed that was not the case. She did not tarry behind as Emrys led the way, easily keeping up. It was far less conspicuous for a woman to be accompanied by a wolf than for a tiger and wolf to be seen together stalking the city streets.
Despite his injuries, which seemed more of an annoyance than a true grievance as they followed the trail, Zane had done his best to lay down a false trail. But there is no way to disguise your own fresh blood, and a wolf's nose was more than sharp enough to pick up that difference. Emrys led Marissa away from the busy, bustling streets, into darker, quieter alleyways, where eyes watched and voices whispered, but no one was stupid enough to challenge them. A beautiful woman and a huge wolf were more trouble than they were worth to the underside of the city.
Marissa drew the cowl of her cloak up over her head, giving an odd impression of Little Red Riding Hood accompanied by the Big Bad Wolf. Some might find some irony in that, but this wolf was not a danger to her, and she was not on an errand to her grandmother's house. She was aware of those watching and listening in the shadows, but they were of no consequence, so long as they remained there and did not interfere. Marissa sketched a ward with her fingers, making them even less noticeable to those who might take interest. They were not there to harm any but that of their prey.
At a dark intersection, Emrys paused, swinging his furred muzzle back and forth as he tasted the scents in the air. Things were more confused here; more races living in closer confines, more scents brought in by those who led less than legal lives. Ah ....there he was. Turning left into a cramped alley, he led the way once again, padding along the street until suddenly coming to a halt before a peeling doorway. His hackles rose; it took all his will not to growl and alert their prey. Zane was in there.
Thankfully, those who called this place home were wise enough to leave the pair alone. If they hadn't, a growl and a flash of teeth from Marissa probably would have convinced them. It was, at least, a little less conspicuous for a wolf to be seen with a woman than a tiger, though Marissa knew she was going to have to shift in a hurry once they found their prey. It didn't seem Emrys was having much trouble in tracking the other wolf, and Marissa left him to it, while she watched his back, so to speak, until at last Emrys came to a sudden halt.
The hair rose on the back of her neck, not only because she knew their prey was somewhere behind that door, but because she didn't really like the way the alley was so narrow and cramped, limiting movement, and how there seemed to only be one way in and one way out. Still, maybe it would work in their favor, since it seemed Zane had cornered himself in his haste to find refuge after tangling with Demeter. She gave Emrys a nod before moving forward, as quiet as a cat, and trying the door.
The door swung inward ....and a bleeding, snarling ball of enraged fur came bolting from the darkened room beyond, landing heavily on Marissa where she stood, teeth bared and out for blood. Zane might have been crazed, but he was not stupid. He knew he wasn't safe, and he was ready for a fight. He wasn't going to run away again.
She knew Zane was in there, and she knew he was dangerous, but one of them had to remain in human form to open the door, and it made more sense that someone be her. It was simply a chance she had to take, gambling that even if he attacked her, Emrys would be there to fight him off. Thankfully, she wasn't taken completely by surprise, even as he knocked her onto her back, and he paid for his attack with a rake of claws across his snout.
Zane pulled back with a startled whimper, but his maw was already red with Marissa's blood. Emrys snarled, the sound a death knell in the darkness of the alleyway. He couldn't pounce, not with Marissa beneath his enemy, but he could fight, and fight dirty. Just because he had lived in the wilds all his life did not mean he didn't know where a male was most vulnerable. Zane let out a wild yelp, rising almost vertically from on top of Marissa's prone form as Emrys' teeth found their target, only to be knocked aside as the Alpha wolf took advantage of his opponent's minor inconvenience.
As the truck headed off along the street, Emrys heaved one last time, spitting to try and clean his mouth of the taste of human blood. "Gods," he breathed, visibly shaken by what he had just done. "Did ....did I do it right?" His hand groped for Marissa's, needing some reassurance that he hadn't done more damage than was absolutely necessary to his sister's mate.
Just before the truck headed off, Marissa drew the ever-present cloak from her shoulder and threw it over her mate's back, effectively covering his nakedness from any prying eyes. It was risky, doing this in broad daylight, but Zane had pushed them to it. "Yes, love. Perfect," she told him, though her own species was not capable of turning a human the way he had. "It's done. Now it's up to the goddess."
He sighed, swallowing as he tried to pull himself together again. "I hope I never taste human blood again," he muttered, straightening up with a brisk huff of breath. "I'm going to have to shift, kitten. A naked man walking down the street will just attract more attention."
She smiled softly, as she brushed the blood from his lips with gentle fingers. "Then you shift. No one will look twice at a woman with a wolf companion," she assured him, though he wasn't quite naked with her cloak covering his shoulders.
"Are you ready for this, love?" he asked her. He wasn't asking her if she was ready for the hunt, but for what would come when their hunt was done, when they found their prey. Though he had never ended another being in such a deliberate way, Zane was beyond saving. There was no choice.
Though she had vowed never to devour a human, Marissa had tasted human flesh and blood before. The very night she had first met Emrys, when he'd found himself in her woods, they had defeated the hunters together. He should already know she was ready for whatever she had to do to protect those she cared for, and if, in the end, he could not end Zane's life, then she would do it for him. "I take no joy in it, but there is no other way," she replied in answer.
He held her gaze for a long time, his hand tenderly cupping her jaw. "All right." Leaning close, he kissed her, wiping a stray smear of blood from her chin with his thumb before he handed her the cloak, concentrating to shift with surprising grace into the Alpha wolf he had only truly embraced the night before.
She threw the cloak over her shoulders and fastened it at her neck, doing her best to block the view of him shifting from anyone who might be watching, though it was Rhy'Din and it was unlikely anyone would find such a thing too unusual. "You lead," she told him quietly, her fingers once again smoothing his fur. "I'll follow." She knew the wolf would pick up the scent far better than she, and she would wait until they were safely out of public view before she joined him in shifting.
The big wolf tilted his head, bumping her thigh affectionately before turning his attention to the trail. Zane had bled, and bled copiously, the tang of his injuries hanging in the air for any hunter to follow. Emrys began to walk, careful not to accelerate ahead of his mate, taking his task very seriously indeed. Zane would have gone to ground somewhere in the city; they would have to find him and take him by surprise to avoid a chase through unfamiliar streets.
She'd hoped Zane had taken to the woods, where they could hunt the rogue werewolf without risk of any bystanders, innocent or otherwise, getting in the way, but it seemed that was not the case. She did not tarry behind as Emrys led the way, easily keeping up. It was far less conspicuous for a woman to be accompanied by a wolf than for a tiger and wolf to be seen together stalking the city streets.
Despite his injuries, which seemed more of an annoyance than a true grievance as they followed the trail, Zane had done his best to lay down a false trail. But there is no way to disguise your own fresh blood, and a wolf's nose was more than sharp enough to pick up that difference. Emrys led Marissa away from the busy, bustling streets, into darker, quieter alleyways, where eyes watched and voices whispered, but no one was stupid enough to challenge them. A beautiful woman and a huge wolf were more trouble than they were worth to the underside of the city.
Marissa drew the cowl of her cloak up over her head, giving an odd impression of Little Red Riding Hood accompanied by the Big Bad Wolf. Some might find some irony in that, but this wolf was not a danger to her, and she was not on an errand to her grandmother's house. She was aware of those watching and listening in the shadows, but they were of no consequence, so long as they remained there and did not interfere. Marissa sketched a ward with her fingers, making them even less noticeable to those who might take interest. They were not there to harm any but that of their prey.
At a dark intersection, Emrys paused, swinging his furred muzzle back and forth as he tasted the scents in the air. Things were more confused here; more races living in closer confines, more scents brought in by those who led less than legal lives. Ah ....there he was. Turning left into a cramped alley, he led the way once again, padding along the street until suddenly coming to a halt before a peeling doorway. His hackles rose; it took all his will not to growl and alert their prey. Zane was in there.
Thankfully, those who called this place home were wise enough to leave the pair alone. If they hadn't, a growl and a flash of teeth from Marissa probably would have convinced them. It was, at least, a little less conspicuous for a wolf to be seen with a woman than a tiger, though Marissa knew she was going to have to shift in a hurry once they found their prey. It didn't seem Emrys was having much trouble in tracking the other wolf, and Marissa left him to it, while she watched his back, so to speak, until at last Emrys came to a sudden halt.
The hair rose on the back of her neck, not only because she knew their prey was somewhere behind that door, but because she didn't really like the way the alley was so narrow and cramped, limiting movement, and how there seemed to only be one way in and one way out. Still, maybe it would work in their favor, since it seemed Zane had cornered himself in his haste to find refuge after tangling with Demeter. She gave Emrys a nod before moving forward, as quiet as a cat, and trying the door.
The door swung inward ....and a bleeding, snarling ball of enraged fur came bolting from the darkened room beyond, landing heavily on Marissa where she stood, teeth bared and out for blood. Zane might have been crazed, but he was not stupid. He knew he wasn't safe, and he was ready for a fight. He wasn't going to run away again.
She knew Zane was in there, and she knew he was dangerous, but one of them had to remain in human form to open the door, and it made more sense that someone be her. It was simply a chance she had to take, gambling that even if he attacked her, Emrys would be there to fight him off. Thankfully, she wasn't taken completely by surprise, even as he knocked her onto her back, and he paid for his attack with a rake of claws across his snout.
Zane pulled back with a startled whimper, but his maw was already red with Marissa's blood. Emrys snarled, the sound a death knell in the darkness of the alleyway. He couldn't pounce, not with Marissa beneath his enemy, but he could fight, and fight dirty. Just because he had lived in the wilds all his life did not mean he didn't know where a male was most vulnerable. Zane let out a wild yelp, rising almost vertically from on top of Marissa's prone form as Emrys' teeth found their target, only to be knocked aside as the Alpha wolf took advantage of his opponent's minor inconvenience.