Page 154 of Sun-Kissed Fangs
“You’re still outnumbered, vamp,” he growled. “One word and I can have you torn apart.”
Maya grinned, flashing fangs. The onlookers backed up further.
“Watch what you say next, Kieran. If it’s an order, it might not be obeyed. What kind of King will that make you?”
He bristled, breathing rapidly. Steam rose from where snow collided with his skin. But he didn’t order his people forward. Instead, he closed his hands into fists.
“I’m here to collect what’s mine. Step aside.”
Maya’s grin tensed. “Nothing here belongs to you.”
“Don’t play with me. I can see her in the window.”
A hand found Harper’s at the same time as someone grabbed her arm. Evie and Nell had moved up next to her.
Maya eyed the window. Her golden-black eyes found Harper’s and, for a second, she looked like she usually did. When she gave Harper a soft smile.
It dropped as she turned back towards Kieran.
“She isn’t yours. Not anymore.”
“That isn’t your decision!” His voice shook with fury. “You took her when you had no right. I Claimed her first. She’smine.”
Maya’s gaze was lethal. Her eyes were black pits, and her lips had tensed in a disdainful sneer. Then she laughed. A quiet, mocking sound.
“Is this how you maintain your loyal following? Didn’t realize your traditional ways involved throwing a tantrum when you don’t get your way.”
She pulled a switchblade from her pocket and flicked it open. Its edge reflected the light of the nearby pickups.
“Go on, then. Sic your dogs on me. Or grow a spine and get rid of me yourself, because I swear. As long as I’m standing, you won’t get anywhere near her.”
“Is she serious?” Nell whispered. “She’s like half his size.”
Harper didn’t answer. The last time Kieran and Maya fought, she almost got killed, and this situation looked like it would have an even worse outcome.
But everything about Maya said the opposite. Her stance was relaxed, her posture straight. Her face had slipped into a calm mask, and her eyes were hard as onyx. The only sign of tension she showed was in adjusting her grip on her knife.
Kieran cursed and tore off his jacket. A few people in the crowd, including the human woman who’d tried breaking in before, immediately backed away. Save for Maya and Kieran, the space in front of the cabin was void of people.
“No one interfere!” Kieran slapped himself on the chest, growling under his breath. “I will not take another loss this night. Your death is mine, daywalker. When this is done, I’ll tear those fangs from your fucking skull.”
He hit himself again. Again andagain. With every hit, his growling grew in volume. His frame enlarged, his muscles rippling like writhing ropes, and as he stepped forward, his clothes split into shreds. Brown-gray fur sprang from his skin, his fingers curled into claws, and long fangs sprouted from his jaw.
He fell onto all fours as his limbs elongated. They twisted and snapped, his form turning into a terrifying meld of man and animal.
Even his eyes looked bestial. Bright yellow and bloodshot, set in a wolfish face filled with gleaming teeth. Sitting on his haunches, he threw his head back and let out a primal, murderous howl.
A spine-chilling sound. One that made every past instance of fear Harper had experienced turn insignificant by comparison. No previous risk or threat even compared to seeing Maya stand face to face with a massive, salivating werewolf.
The monster sprinted forward, tearing across the clearing with rage in its yellow eyes. Maya stayed where she was, turning her body sideways and bending her knees. She stayed like that until the wolf leaped at her—fangs bared and claws extended—and then spun to the side.
It happened in less than a second. Moving so fast it barely registered, she’d darted out of the way and let the wolf crash past her.
Blood dripped from her knife. The wolf snarled, a bright red line cutting over its ribs, but it didn’t seem to notice. It didn’t notice anything other than the quarry in front of it, lunging ahead in another mad dash.
Again, Maya dodged at the last possible second. Again, her knife dripped scarlet, and another cut split the wolf’s hide. And again, the monster felt nothing other than an urge to kill.
The werewolf roared, storming at Maya with its fangs bared. She stepped to the side, a blur in the air, and only narrowly avoided the beast’s teeth as they clamped down near her waist. She sliced the blade across the beast’s hand, producing a pained howl before she jumped back.
