Sam’s body still hummed in bliss as she walked to her dorm that evening. She hated to leave him but needed to study. She wouldn’t fail another test even if she had to let go of some of her independence and ask for help.
Besides, there were rules against couples sleeping together in the boys-only and girls-only dorms. She’d have to remember to ask Camile about couple dorms. If they didn’t have them, then she and Gavin just might go apartment shopping in the near future.
Her blissfulness took a nosedive when Viktor stepped out in front of her. Curling her lip, she glared at him. “What do you want? Your ego hurt again?”
Without warning he rushed into her, stabbing her in the stomach. She staggered back, hand pressed over the wound as a burning sensation flared and then raced through her bloodstream. Glancing to his hand, she saw the knife. “What…?”
The pain was too much, spreading and consuming her like nothing she’d ever felt before. She crumbled to her knees. Viktor jerked her up by her hair. “Liquid silver, you shape-shifting bitch.”
What? No! He released her hair, gripped her upper arm, and dragged her to his car. She tried to fight, but the silver weakened her as it burned through her whole body. Tossing her into the backseat, he slammed the door, and then got behind the wheel.
What seemed like hours, maybe it was only minutes—she couldn’t tell—the car jerked to a stop, and she was yanked out. She lost her footing several times while he dragged her across a dark, vacant parking lot, scrapping her knees on the pavement. A moment later, they stood on the edge of a very deep ravine.
Fear sliced through her. He was going to kill her and dump her body. Closing her eyes, she searched for her too quiet tiger. She focused on the cat, coaxing her to rise, to push past the pain and take over.
Viktor slapped her across the face hard enough that she fell to her hand and knees in graveled dirt. Tears stung her eyes. Think, damn it! You’re not training to be a sentinel because you’re weak.
She needed a filter for the silver, something to dilute it enough to strengthen the tiger. The coppery tang of her own blood filled the air. Blood. She needed fresh blood. Lifting her head, she spied his leg inches from her face. Stupid man.
Gathering all the strength she could, she struck, sinking her small, sharp fangs into the thick muscle of his calf. Blood rushed into her mouth, and she almost gagged. She wasn’t used to ingesting it in human form, but she’d endure it if it would help her tiger.
Viktor cried out, falling to the ground. With his free leg, he kicked her in the stomach, making her release him. Sam gasped for air and desperately tried to work her lungs. The bastard managed to get a fistful of her hair and, standing, pulled her with him. Her scalp ached, pissing her off. The effects of the silver started to dull—not by much, but enough to allow fury to take over.
A roar erupted from her throat, and when she faced Viktor, she let out a humorless laugh. “What’s wrong? Scared of a little cat?”
She knew the moment her eyes went completely cat because Viktor’s face turned white as a sheet. He released her and stepped back. “You’re a freak. A demon.”
“No, demons prey on the innocent and helpless. Only Jesse wasn’t helpless. You see, she, too, is a shifter, and the only reason she didn’t go cat on you was because she would have killed you and then had to live with guilt the rest of her life. That’s how submissives are.” She walked him backward a few more steps. “I, on the other hand, was born to protect. I’m training to become a sentinel, the alpha’s personal guards and pride’s protectors.”
“Monster,” he hissed. “I knew there was something different about you and your friends.”
“How did you know for sure? About the silver?”
“I followed you and Gavin and heard you talking. Then I did a little research on what could take a shifter down and waited for you.”
She growled. The only human myth about “were-creatures” just happened to be an actual weakness. Silver didn’t kill them, but it did make them weak enough to be killed.
He charged her, and she jerked out of the way. He lost his balance as he tried to grab for her and fell to the ground. After stalking to him, she kicked him in the back. He yelled, his hand pressing to his back as he rolled back and forth.
“That was for Jesse.”
A familiar scent drifted in on breeze. She glanced over her shoulder and met Gavin’s wide-eyed stare. It was all the distraction Viktor needed. Pain shot up her leg, and the fiery rush of silver raced into her blood. She screamed and dropped to the pavement.
Gavin ran to her. She tried to tell him to go, that she’d be okay, but her stubborn mate wouldn’t listen. He tackled Viktor, holding the hand that had the knife in it over the male’s head while punching him over and over in the face.
Viktor hit Gavin in the side, throwing him off enough that, when he hit him again, Gavin let go of the knife. He jumped back when Viktor swiped the blade toward him.
Sam pushed to her feet and bit back the feeling of fire in her veins. “Viktor, stop this.”
The jerk glanced at her briefly, then turned back to Gavin, knife raised. Sam screamed and ran. She reached him just as he thrust the weapon at Gavin, knocking Viktor out of the way and causing the blade to slice her forearm.
Viktor stumbled too close to the edge of the ravine. Gravel fell from under his feet, sending him tumbling over the edge.
Cradling her arm and still fighting the silver in her system, she dropped to the ground and curled into the fetal position. “What…did…I do?”
She began to shake uncontrollably. So cold. Why was she so cold?
Gavin fell to his knees and pulled her into his lap. “You’re so pale. What can I do?”
“ROAR,” she croaked out.
“What? I can’t roar.”
“You’re phone. Call 555-ROAR.”
She closed her eyes, searching for her tiger. The cat nudged her and whimpered. Sadness hit her from within and from Gavin. Rustling and the key tone of Gavin’s phone brought her back to him.
“Hello. Samira Anderson said to…. Yes, she’s here….”
The phone pressed against her ear, and she coughed before speaking. “I killed a human, and I’ve been stabbed with silver.”
“We’ll have someone to you in a moment.”
She nodded, not really registering what the hotline operator was saying. Her vision grew darker, and the sounds around her seemed to drift away until there was nothing.