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momentum to send him stumbling across the terrain. With him off balance, it was easy to snap his
neck. His body slumped in a heap on the ground.
She spun to face the last werewolf. An arrow sliced through the air a fraction of a second
before she could react. Pain erupted in her chest. Burning agony overwhelmed her senses. It took
some effort to maintain her usual calm. She looked down.
Nothing more disturbing than seeing a pointy weapon lodged in your chest. Especially
knowing it would hurt like a bitch when she pulled it out.
She frowned at her assailant.  I really liked this shirt.
The silent blonde stood perfectly still, mimicking her earlier vision of confidence. Only it
looked better on him.
Finding a werewolf attractive? That was new.
She lifted an arm to pull the arrow out, gritting her teeth at the expected explosion of pain. Her
limbs felt heavy. Her knees wobbled and her mind thickened with fog.
Poison arrow.
Shit.
She collapsed on the ground, her captor s heavy boots her last vision before she faded.
***
Natalia woke in a hazy stupor. She kept her eyes closed, waiting for the memories to surface.
Ah, that s right. Werewolf ambush. And she d walked right into it. Using her heightened sense,
she assessed her environment. It was still night, thank the gods. The last thing she needed was to
shrivel up in excruciating pain before she could free herself from the werewolf that dared poison her.
She inhaled the cool autumn air. Pine trees, fresh water, local game, werewolf. She wasn t far from
where she d been ambushed.
And she was bound.
She opened her eyes. A campfire crackled several feet away. On the other side the blonde
werewolf who d shot her sat on a log, using a rock to sharpen something. An arrow head.
 Where are the rest of your merry men? she asked.
He kept his gaze fixed on his work.  Just me, for now.
 Lucky me. She experimented with her binds. If the werewolf had any experience with
vampires he would know there wasn t much that could hold them. She struggled with all her might to
break through them, but to no avail. And she wasn t about to bruise her skin for a lost cause.
So it wasn t ordinary rope. Most likely it was enchanted to withstand a vampire s strength.
He d probably purchased the damn thing from a witch. Always causing trouble they were, blessing
some, cursing others. Natalia knew all about witch blessings.
The mystery man had done a bang-up job with the knots as well. Her arms were twisted behind
her, tied at each wrist then secured around the tree. Her legs were bound together at the ankles with
the end of the rope resting beside the werewolf.
So she was dealing with a professional. A pity. It would hold things up.
 I don t suppose you can loosen these? she asked drily. First step in any escape plan was to
ask to be released. It almost always didn t work.
He looked at her, his expression bemused.  Not until I know you won t be a problem.
 Define problem.
 In a word? You.
A werewolf with a sense of humor? That was new.
 So, you re a bounty hunter? she guessed.  Which unlucky bastard do you work for?
He picked up another arrow and began sharpening it.
 What s my bounty up to now? Last she d heard it was ten thousand. Of course, that was a few
decades ago.
 A hundred grand.
 Not bad. She was flattered.
He stopped his task and studied her with narrowed eyes.  Why do they want you? She couldn t
tell if he was impressed, disgusted, or merely curious.
 I kill werewolves, she told him without hesitation.
He didn t flinch, growl, or show any sign of anger. Strange. They were always angry about that.
 And why do you do that? he asked.
 Because I like to. It was true. But she told him so because she wanted to see his reaction.
 And I ll kill you too.
His eyebrows darted up.  Interesting thing for someone in your position to say.
Her position. Feeling the ache in her shoulders she looked down at her binds.  A minor
inconvenience.
A dark, husky chuckle came from across the fire. Did he just laugh at me? She d been sneered
at plenty, but genuine laughter was a first.
 So you re a vigilante? he asked.
Sort of.  Yes.
 How s that working out for you?
So he was curious about her too? Or maybe he was attempting to distract her from her escape.
Silly doggie. Didn t he know she was a weapon of perfect focus?
 Before now, she answered,  beautifully. Well, that may not have been the best word. Mostly
it was bloody, nasty business  with no workman s comp  but surely he knew that.
 What s your name?
She smirked then tuned the werewolf out, concentrating only on her environment. She studied
every sound, identified every scent. From the tree roots jutting from the ground, to the closest body of
water, to low hanging branches, and even the smallest rocks on the ground. When she broke free of the
binds  and she would break free  she would use anything she could to escape. One never knew
when a sharp rock may be the difference between life and death.
 Will you make me torture you for answers? the werewolf asked after she d been silent for a
few minutes.
So it s going to be like that. She sighed.  No. You ve most likely taken my wallet. I won t
withhold information you already have. She wanted to roll her eyes at the repetition of it all. Who
are you? What are you doing here? Why did you kill my brother? Blah, blah, blah.  I was merely
concentrating on my escape plan. My name is Natalie. Well, according to her driver s license.
Her captor rose gracefully from the log. If she had any doubt he was a werewolf before, she [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]