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.

noticing a mischievous twinkle there. The bracelet must mess with my scent, too. It bolsters my

"You don't smell like you've

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

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

behind the naked shifter.

Bad move.

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

and the other shifter. Its massive jaws snap at the naked man, a growl so loud it

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

277 Lisa Kollan

+27

looking for all the world as fascinated as a

into Grey's Anatomy.

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

the fierce visage of a growling apex predator, he gestures in my

Excuse me?

knocking me off balance. When I grab at its fur

I hiss at the naked shifter,

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

everyone lost their

melt under my touch, its eyes half-closing in bliss as its tail wags. The fierce growling from moments ago transforms into a contented rumble

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

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

my throat as the fur recedes, revealing smooth, tanned skin. Muscles ripple and bones

familiar human form.

Kellan.

widen as I take him in, unable to 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 form with a reverence that surprises me. My gaze travels from his broad shoulders down his