---- ...


    Elliot? His name slipped from my lips in a whisper.


    Elliot was a werewolf.


    I had never seen one transformed before.


    Was this what they were like? No wonder the Elementals were terrified of them.


    He huffed slightly, seeming annoyed.


    His long tongue startedpping at my scrapes, between my fingers, covering them in warm, wet saliva.


    It tingled a little, but it dulled the pain.


    Elliot, is that you? I dared to ask again, this time with more urgency.


    If it was him, if he wasnt going to eat me, then we couldnt waste any more time on nonsense.


    He pulled back for a moment.


    I clutched my heaving chest, tears streaming down my cheeks again.


    He held my gaze and finally nodded.


    That massive, wild, beastly creature nodded at melike a human.


    And suddenly, nothing else mattered.


    Elliot! The child! We have to find the child, please! I started begging, trying to get up, exhaustion weighing down my body.


    A shadow loomed over me.


    Waitwhat are you doing?! I screamed in fear when I saw him extend those powerful, razor-sharp ws.


    ---- I braced myself for more pain, Maybe I had been wrong.


    Maybe this was all just the hallucination of my broken mind.


    Before I could react, with unbelievable gentleness, he lifted me into his arms.


    The powerful muscles in his arms supported my weight beneath my thighs.


    Instinctively, my hands gripped his enormous shoulders, shaped like a humans but impossibly massive.


    He rose onto two legs again, keeping me pressed against the protection of his thick, plush chest.


    He smelled incrediblforting, intoxicating.


    The scent calmed my frantic, tormented mind.


    Over there, Elliot! They went that way! No, nonot this way! I eximed when I saw him heading back in the direction he hade from.


    A low, vibrating growl rumbled through his massive muscles.


    He held me tighter, preventing any sudden movements, but kept movingstill in the wrong direction.


    Could he not understand my words in this form? What should I do? Panic crept in.


    But then I saw him crouch beside a shadowed tree.


    I twisted around to look down and saw him picking something up something moving.


    It looked like...


    a sack? A filthy one, stained with dark splotches.


    ---- Once he had it, he gripped it between his ws.


    He carried me with his other hand, and then, atst, he sprinted in the direction I had pointed.


    I clung tightly to his fur as our speed increased.


    His grip on my waist was nearly painfulhe was afraid I might fall.


    The wind howled, whipping against my face, drying my eyes.


    Sometimes, I had to turn my head, but I didnt care.


    I endured it, clenching my teeth.


    Only one thing kept me goingthe overwhelming joy of knowing we were getting closer to Lavinia, with an unstoppable force on our side.