Tangled

Unshift 277

Unshift 277

277 Lisa: Kellan

After the third time I stumble while walking, the naked shifter stares at me with a curled lip.

"Why are humans so weak?" he asks, his tone grating on my already frayed nerves.

1 bristle at his words. Who does he think he is? "None of your business," I snap, surprising myself

voice. I

with the venom in my ericho said I do pretty well for a human, thank you very much. I'm

just weakened.

I'll get back into shape and then wipe that cocky stare off his face on the mat.

Though, I have yet to have a legitimate win without any handicaps during our training spars...

But a girl can dream, damn it.

The shifter's eyebrows shoot up, clearly taken aback by my sass. He peers at me more closely, his brow furrowing. "Do I know you?"

Before I can answer, he leans in, his nostrils flaring as he sniffs at me. I recoil, but he's already pulling back, a puzzled expression on his face.

"You don't have much of a scent," he says, sounding perplexed.

mess with my scent, too. It bolsters my courage for some reason. "That's because

"You don't

audacity! I'm about to unleash a tirade on this insensitive jerk

my throat as a massive reddish-brown wolf emerges from nowhere, its teeth bared and hackles raised. Without thinking,

behind the naked shifter.

Bad move.

my chest. I can feel the naked shifter stiffen in front of me, his muscles tensing beneath his

his hands once I've been sacrificed, a look of fear flashing across his face. The enormous wolf bounds forward, placing itself between me and the other shifter. Its massive jaws snap at the naked man, a growl so loud it drowns out everything else. Around us, the other wolves drop to the ground, bellies pressed to the earth in submission. The air crackles with tension, and I find myself frozen in place,

I should try to back away or stand still. Which is less likely to get the wolf's attention? It seems angry. I don't want to be within bite range of an

277 Lisa Kollan

+27

sense soon, he assures me, looking for all the world as

into Grey's Anatomy.

growls again, this time turning in a swift motion to get between me and the Grand Sage, snapping impatiently in the

fierce visage of a

Excuse me?

and turns to rub hard against my thighs, almost knocking me off balance.

I hiss at the naked shifter, who

snaps, before shifting into his wolf form

everyone lost their damn

my fingers through the angry wolf's fur, unsure of how to handle this situation. To my surprise, the beast seems to melt under my touch, its eyes half-closing in bliss as its tail wags. The fierce growling from moments ago transforms

was willing to sacrifice me off to a rabid wolf. "What the hell is going on?" The gnome's eyes twinkle with amusement, and I fight the urge to shake him. "If you can't figure it out now, my dear, you will soon enough." He turns

a moment, I think it might snap at the Grand Sage, but then it heaves a heavy sigh. Before my eyes, the

revealing smooth, tanned skin. Muscles ripple and bones realign, the wolf's body stretching and morphing into a

familiar human form.

Kellan.

body. Unlike the other shifter, whose nudity had barely registered, I find myself appreciating Kellan's form with a reverence that surprises me. My gaze travels from his broad shoulders down his chiseled chest,