Page 114 of Moonless

“Let me talk to them. I can handle this.”

He drags another breath in, and the hand beside my neck stays raised. Blood drips off his right fingers onto the root.

His ears stay pressed into his hair. I keep my hand on him and wait until he looks at me.

“Will you let me?”

He stares at me long enough that I think he won’t. Then he nods and lowers his hand.

Thank fuck.

He lifts his foot off Keer and steps back far enough for me to move. His growl keeps going, and he’s still watching over my shoulder.

I take my hand off his chest and turn to face Keer and Axan.

Chapter 28

Keer gets back on his feet, and I move closer to Kestria. He should still be under my foot.

My left thigh shakes when I put weight on it, so I keep most of it on the other leg and breathe through my mouth. Her brother bites hard, I’ll give him that. Their blood’s on my claws, and mine’s running into the torn leg of my trousers.

She holds out her good hand toward the wolves.

“Shift back. Both of you.”

Keer’s lip lifts, and I growl right back at him. He tried to put those teeth in her arm. She’s standing close enough for him to try again.

Let him try.

“Keer. I need you to talk to me.”

He takes his time about it, then lowers himself beside the root, and bones start cracking under his fur. Axan folds down by the bank, keeping the hurt forefoot off the ground until it starts changing.

The last time he did this I didn’t get a good look. I was trying to kill him at the time.

Every bone in him breaks on the way back to two legs, and they go through that every time they shift. Hitto. I always thought wolves were just a foul-tempered lot. Now I know why.

I watch their hands form. It’s an ugly way to get hands. Keer presses one to the dirt and gets up, his other arm held against his side.

Blood runs from his split lip into his beard. Axan’s slower getting up, holding his wrist against his stomach. The claw marks across his ribs are still bleeding. He glares at me the whole way up. He bit me, and he’s the one glaring.

I give him a smile, fangs and all.

Then they’re both standing, and I finally notice the rest of them. There isn’t a scrap of clothing on either one. Right in front of her.

Kestria steps toward her brother. “Now. Before you start—”

“Where are your trousers?”

All three of them look at me.

“Rauk.” Kestria touches my wrist. “He’s my brother.”

“Yes.”

“And Axan’s practically my brother.”

Her hand stays on my wrist until I look at her, and I breathe out through my nose.