Jay trotted toward the barn when a growl sounded off to his left. He glanced in the direction of the sound, and suddenly dirt and grass went flying. The wolf, who he recognized as Russ, came at him full speed. This was going to be a pleasure taking him out. Jay would finally be able to atone for the attack on Sarah.
Russ launched himself at Jay who darted to the side at the last second, forcing Russ to skitter past. As much as he’d like to take his time and slice up Russ until there was no blood left in the wolf’s body, he needed to end this altercation quickly. Finding Sarah was his goal.
Russ turned around and bared his teeth. Attacking his flank would slow him down, but it wouldn’t kill him. For that, Jay needed to take a bite out of his neck. Without the needed aftercare, a nicked artery would be fatal.
Keeping low, Jay charged and aimed for the throat but Russ was quick, and he missed. All he achieved was sinking his incisors into Russ’s body and ripping a hole in his side. Damn. In the process, Russ managed to slice open Jay’s hindquarter, too.
Jay retreated, took aim, and then went at him again, not giving Russ a chance to recharge. While the long cut on Jay’s rear stung, it wouldn’t slow him down. His festering hatred would see to that.
The two circled each other and Russ swiped a paw at Jay’s face, barely ripping off some fur. He mentally shook his head. Did he think a claw to his face would kill him? Clearly, Russ wasn’t skilled in fighting—but Jay was. He needed to end this wolf’s life now.
Jay ran past Russ then circled behind him. As Russ tried to face him again, Jay changed directions and lunged. Fangs out, he sank his teeth into Russ’s neck and clamped down. Blood filled his mouth, spurring him on. Jay shook his head and Russ’s body went limp. He should be content that his adversary was mortally wounded, but he wanted him dead. Jay took one more bite out of the wolf’s throat, dropped the chunk of meat on the ground, then stepped back and admired his handiwork.
His celebration was short-lived as growls coming from on the other side of the barn returned his focus to what was at stake.
“Would appreciate some help,” Riley telepathed. The connection came out weak as if Riley was having a hard time concentrating.
Leaving Russ’s carcass behind, Jay stormed toward the back of the building where three wolves were circling Riley. Not good. One was limping, a second one had an eye gouged out, but the third appeared healthy. Riley’s condition concerned Jay the most. He was bleeding from the neck.
Upon seeing his friend’s serious condition, Jay lost it and charged. The second and third wolf moved between him and Riley, ready to fight. They must have smelled the blood and thought it was his. Wouldn’t they be in for a big surprise to find him at full strength—or close to it? Riley appeared to be moving quicker, perhaps because he only had one wolf to deal with.
Jay and the healthy wolf connected. Jay bit his hind leg, eliciting an anguished squeal. He then launched himself into the air at the one with the injured eye. His aim was a little off because the wolf he’d bitten first spun around and attacked him from the rear. Chaos descended as the three clawed, scraped, and tussled. Blood spurted from his other flank as one of them dug an incisor into his side and ripped back the skin. Jay stumbled, stunned at the intense ache.
Needing to regroup, he moved backward toward the barn where Sarah’s scent suddenly invaded his nose. Holy shit. She was here—and alive. He wanted to go to her worse than anything, but both wolves had him pinned. He wasn’t going to be able to reach her unless he ended their pathetic lives.
Another yelp sounded and then a whimper as the wolf Riley was fighting collapsed. With a discernable limp, Riley came toward the one-eyed wolf from behind and swiped a claw against his back. As the animal turned, Riley flung himself at the wolf’s throat and latched on. As he wrestled the injured wolf to the ground, Jay had recovered somewhat from his injuries, enough to zero in on the final wolf.
Spurred by the joy of finding Sarah, Jay bared his teeth and propelled himself at the last wolf. Caught between him and Riley, the wolf appeared startled. His indecision was enough to allow Jay to make his final kill.
* * *
The General was well aware that walking into a barn alone to face Paul Statler might not have been smart, but right now, his mission was ending this son of a bitch’s life—and finding Sarah.
Dressed in a suit, Statler smiled as he waved a gun at Armand’s chest. “Well, well. Hope you had a nice flight up here.”
“Fuck you. Where’s Sarah?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
The General’s enhanced hearing picked up a deliberate scraping sound and he glanced toward an old cart. He couldn’t see behind it, but it was possible Sarah was being held captive on the other side or else a rat was well versed in Morse Code. “If you harm her, your death will be slow and painful,” he ground out.