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.

there. The bracelet must mess with my scent, too. It bolsters my courage for some reason. "That's because humans like to shower," I

narrow. "You don't

say that? The audacity! I'm about to unleash a tirade on this insensitive jerk when a bone-chilling growl cuts through

emerges from nowhere,

behind the naked shifter.

Bad move.

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

The naked shifter holds up 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, caught between terror and awe. "Mating instincts are quite strong, the Grand

to back away or stand still. Which is less likely to

277 Lisa Kollan

+27

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

into Grey's Anatomy.

motion to get between me and the Grand Sage, snapping impatiently in

by the fierce visage of a growling apex predator, he gestures

Excuse me?

lets out a remarkably satisfied-sounding huff and turns to rub hard against my thighs, almost knocking me off balance. When I grab at its fur to hold me up, I swear the damn

going on?" I hiss at the naked shifter, who looks

wolf

lost their

run 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

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

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

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

familiar human form.

Kellan.

Unlike the other shifter, whose nudity had barely registered, I find myself appreciating Kellan's form with a reverence that surprises me. My