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.

must mess with my scent, too. It bolsters my courage for some

shifter's eyes narrow. "You don't smell like you've

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

massive reddish-brown wolf emerges from nowhere, its teeth bared and hackles

behind the naked shifter.

Bad move.

feel the naked shifter stiffen in front of me,

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,

I hiss at him, not sure if 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

277 Lisa Kollan

+27

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

into Grey's Anatomy.

swift motion to get between me and

Lion for you, woll" Unaffected by the fierce visage of a

Excuse me?

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

on?" I hiss at the naked shifter,

snaps, before shifting into his wolf form again and cowering to the

everyone lost their

awkwardly 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 moments ago transforms into a contented

swirls in my mind. I turn to the Grand Sage, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. Bitterness, to be clear, that he 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 to address the wolf. "We need to continue

out a loud rumble-growl, clearly displeased by the interruption. For a moment, I think it might snap at the Grand Sage, but then it heaves a heavy sigh. Before my eyes, the wolf's form

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

familiar human form.

Kellan.

stop myself from drinking in every inch of his naked body. Unlike the other shifter, whose nudity had barely registered, I find myself appreciating Kellan's