Page 56 of Escaping Monsters

Chapter Nineteen

Pain and exhaustion threatened to pull me under as I trailed after Oliver. Even though we were walking on the soft clover of the forest floor, agony exploded through my feet.

With every passing minute, shards of glass sliced deeper into my soles. The sharp scent of my blood mingled with the rich earthy aroma of the pine forest around us. It had been almost an hour since he had reinforced his orders to look only at him, follow him, keep the gun pointed at my temple, and keep quiet once more, and when I concentrated all of my will on it, I could close my eyes for a few precious seconds as we walked.

The sun had passed us by hours ago, and shadows consumed our path.

Oliver halted before me. “Fuck!” he growled. “What the fuck!”

He crouched down, and as he did, I saw through the trees to a street beyond. In the distance, a broken clock tower shone out against the darkening sky. Just within the tree line, a familiar massive cat sat, watching us. Its eyes reflected the streetlamp above.

“Unbelievable,” Oliver swore, and even though my whole body was gripped in agony, satisfaction surged through me. The massive werewolf had led me walking for hours today, deep into the forest, only for us to come out on a different point of Grayhaven. We’d circled back to the town fifteen times now. Maybe more.

A wheezing laugh escaped my throat before I could stop it, and Oliver spun, fixing me with his light blue gaze. His irises reflected the rising moon, glowing white. “What the fuck are you laughing at? What the fuck is happening here, bitch?”

A pulse of adrenaline spiked through me as I took in the snarl on his lips and his taut muscles. He was poised to attack, moments away from violence.

I tried to say something to diffuse his aggression, but while his fading orders let my laugh escape, when I opened my mouth, no words came out.

“Fucking speak,” he snapped.

“It was a whimper. There’s glass in my feet,” I said on a gasp.

“You think I’m fucking stupid?” He threw out an arm. “You think I didn’t recognize that succubus that went after Kane? I was the one who disposed of her last body. Fucking stupid ass demons—always using the same appearance when they regenerate. Then she comes in and pretends to want to fuck me, and I reacted as any man would.” Oliver shook his head. “You and that damn succubus probably planned the whole thing, and now those fucking demons are making it so we can’t leave this motherfucking town.”

“Did you kill her again—”

“Shut the fuck up,” he growled.

My jaw snapped closed.

“Yeah, I fucking killed that stupid bitch. You think you can set me up and not get what’s coming to you?” Oliver’s eyes blazed. “I’m getting tired of your fucking games, Omega. You know what… I’ve got a new plan. Take your finger off the trigger and hand me the gun.” The moment I did, he pointed the barrel at me and said, “Now strip.”

My hands went to my hem, but I clenched my jaw and resisted with every ounce of defiance. Every moment I defied his order, the air squeezed out of my lungs.

“Do it,” he growled. “I’m not stupid enough to try to fuck you. The moment I relax my aim, that alpha will be on me.” Oliver turned his head. “Don’t think I don’t know you’re tracking me. It doesn’t matter if I can’t see, smell, or hear you, I’m ready for you.”

Glaring into Oliver’s cruel gaze, I gave in to his order and pulled off Declan’s massive t-shirt, folding it and placing it on the ground. After, I shimmied off my underwear and jeans, taking the time to fold them too while glaring at Oliver.

“Now change into a wolf,” he snapped.

Fuck.

If I changed into a wolf, glass shards would embed deep into my paws. I wasn’t sure if the damage would be something I could heal from. But even as my mind screamed with objections, my body contorted. The skin of my back itched, followed by every inch of my body. I fell onto hands and knees, and searing agony licked over my skin as the whole world faded into darkness.

A feeling like ants burrowing into my flesh spread over me, and fur slid out of my skin. My bones cracked and reformed, chin stretching, hips tightening, legs pulling in and straightening. The transformation left me whimpering and gasping on the forest floor.

“Stand,” Oliver demanded as he pressed the barrel of his gun to my forehead.

My body moved without my permission, forcing me to stand on my paws. I screamed as a pain unlike anything I’d ever experienced before ripped through me. It was so much worse than I could have imagined. It felt like my legs had been caught in a meatgrinder and blades were slicing into me, inch by inch.

The glass must have shredded my muscles and tendons while I transformed, because my hind legs failed me, and I collapsed back onto the forest floor.

“Get the fuck up,” Oliver growled.

Air pushed out of my lungs as my body tried to obey the impossible order. Even though I tried to push onto all fours, my hind legs were useless. I whimpered and gasped for air, but my legs were done. As breath squeezed out of me, I spent the last few dregs of my defiance, and I forced my eyes closed.

Even though I knew that it could be the last mistake I ever made, I used the bitter edge of my pain to focus my mind, and I called out to the memory eater. I could have been wrong, but I was almost positive that Ace’s coded message was that the memory eater took memories through the eyes. Oliver’s order to look only at him had kept my eyes open for the entire day, but his control over my eyes had loosened, and I squeezed them closed.