HUNJI “Stop!” Every muscle in my body tightened and stiffened when I heard that voice. My wolf paced and snarled, ready to spill blood. He hated the owner of the voice just as much as his brother. Where there was one the other was sure to be close. I believed Morgan when she said we needed to run. The fear in her voice told me she knew something - had felt something. I was not going to ignore her gifts. Whether I fully trusted her or not, I knew she understood the importance of getting out of this city and away from King Panja’s soldiers. No sooner had she said something than that voice sounded out. I slowly turned to see the face of Abbas. Farid’s younger brother. My older brother by two years. Farid and Abbas were two peas in a pod. Two evil and deceitful peas I would gladly crush. I wanted to kill him where he stood and Ruda, my wolf, was encouraging me. Thankfully my logical side kicked in. I couldn’t take him on. In seconds his men would descend upon me. Then this quest would

MORGAN It had been two days on the train, I could see Hunji was restless. It must be murder for a wolf like him to have to sit still for more than a couple of hours. I could imagine he was the type of person who always liked to keep busy. I assumed this because of the way he tapped his feet impatiently. Constantly! I, however, was loving the shit out of it. Traveling by train was a phenomenon for me. I was seeing so much of the outside world. Granted it was mostly vast landscapes, but every so often we would pass by small villages and towns. Each time I would ask my wolfman where we were or what that town was. And each time he would answer me. He was very knowledgeable and highly intelligent too. I had figured him to be ignorant and unsociable, but in the past 24 hours, I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong about my first impression. As long as I stayed away from subjects that leaned more on the personal side, our conversations were full of life. I even had him laughing a

HUNJI I pulled Morgan up onto the horse behind me, I really didn’t think this through. She scooted up behind me, her arms snaked around my waist and her front pressed to my back snuggly. I took a moment, closing my eyes and inhaling. Wishing I hadn’t when the smell of manure burnt my nostrils. But her soft body pressed against mine was doing things to me, making me think of things that I shouldn’t, and my wolf was encouraging the thoughts. I shook the thoughts from my head. Reminding myself that one: I had taken an oath. Two: She was not mine. Three: She was too young - a nine-year age gap. Four: She was a virgin and had to remain that way or she would lose her gifts. Although I can’t see how being able to communicate with the dead or raise an army of dead could be seen as a gift. Not one that I would want to anyway. “I can’t believe you covered me in horse shit” I heard Morgan grumble behind me. “Be thankful you don’t have a shifter’s sense of smell.” I chuckled and tapped my hee

HUNJI / KIAN It took me a minute to come to my senses after my mouth hung open with shock as Morgan ripped me a new one. She stomped towards the opening of the cave. She did know the storm was still in full rage, didn’t she? I didn’t know where she thought she was going, but I knew it wasn’t far. Even still, I followed after her. I didn’t immediately realize I had hurt her feelings until she finished her monologue, eyes brimmed with tears, and hurt radiated from those alluring violet eyes. I scented Morgan before she had even touched me. I hadn’t been in deep sleep, waiting to see if Lamia would let down her block, as when I tried to connect with her, I was met with a wall. I knew when she was leaning over me, the tickle of her breath fanned across my cheek. The hair on the back of my neck prickled when I felt her hand moving over me and then her fingers lightly touching the mark on my chest. It took everything I had not to move, and shiver from the soft touch of her fingers. My body

MORGAN The feel of his wolf’s fur between my thighs and under my hands was soft and silky, I couldn’t help but tangle my fingers in the long strands and rub my legs against his sides. A couple of times I felt his wolf stiffen under my touch at first. Then, gradually as I rode the wolf’s back and he ran with determination, the stiffness eased up - his muscles became more relaxed with each mile we crossed. His smooth and sleek fur felt good against my sunburnt skin. Like silk cloth. Riding the wolf was much different from the horse. I felt more comfortable, more at ease, and found my body fit perfectly against the giant Canis Lupus. He was swift and smooth with long strides that enabled him to glide across the terrain, so I wasn’t bouncing around on his back – unlike with the horse. For hours he ran, never once slowing down or showing signs of fatigue. I admired his wolf form, more so than his human form. It’s a strange feeling knowing you could have been born with a spirit animal, al