Bound By Moonlight to My Mates (by Sofange Daye) novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Charlotte

My lips burn from the aftermath of Theo’s kiss. Everything about his touch was punishing, but I loved every moment until it was over. Running my fingers over my lips, I try not to think about how he left me standing beneath the waterfall with his promise to never complete the bond on his lips.

Tala is decidedly quiet in my mind as I find my clothes and get dressed. Theo’s darkness scares her, but she can’t deny the pull to him. Her thoughts are muddled with mine, and they are filled with desire, guilt, and confusion.

‘Listen,‘ Tala breaks through my thoughts, and I freeze.

The forest is silent. Not even the whisper of the breeze rustling through the trees fills the air. The hairs on the back of my neck stand, and the feeling that someone is watching me settles in my chest.

I spin quietly, looking for the threat, while Tala growls in my mind. Merging her gaze with mine, Tala remains tense; ears pricked and hackles raised, ready to fight.

Iron and ash fill my senses. Hunters.

My back brushes against the bark of a tree, and I yelp in fear.

‘Shh,‘ Tala chastises me, but it is too late.

The shucking of a shotgun echoes in the forest, followed by a blast. I am frozen to the spot, even though I know I have to move, I can’t. The bullet grazes my cheek, splitting the skin as the silver taints my blood.

I touch the wound, pulling away fingers dripping in blood. Still frozen, I watch as my blood slips onto the ground.

‘You have to run, Tala tries to break me from my trance.

I turn to run, but they are already blocking my path. Cloaked in dark leathers with guns strapped to their sides, six hunters block my path. One steps forward, twisting a silver blade in his hand. The blade glows strangely with runes, and I get the terrible feeling that it was crafted just for me,

“Moonborn,” he smirks, calling me the same thing Conan did. “We have been watching you for some time.”

I swallow the fear threatening to suffocate me. He knows what I am; they all know what I am.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

The hunter inches his way closer, twisting the blade at his side. “We didn’t have to miss,” He tells me as he points the tip at my cheek.

I reach for the wound again, trying not to let my fear overtake me. “Then why didn’t you just kill me?”

He cocks his head to the side playfully, and his eyes roam along my body. He doesn’t have to speak to answer me. These hunters aren’t here to kill me. If that were the case, they would have done so already. No, they are here to take me because of what they believe I am.

“You will have to kill me,” I growl before Tala takes over.

Her massive paws hit the ground, and she snarls in their direction. A few, smartly, take a step back, but the others are poised and ready to fight. Her eyes remain focused on the leader, who still looks smug.

“I knew it.”

She lunges for him, biting the hand holding the blade. With his now severed hand in her mouth, she growls again. The hunter’s screams fill the forest as he demands that his comrades shoot me. They raise their weapons again, and she drops the hand from her mouth.

A shot rings out, and she is pierced in the shoulder. Only it isn’t a bullet embedded in her muscle. It is a dart, filled with wolfsbane. Not wanting to give up, she snarls weakly, trying to step toward the one who shot her.

With teeth bared, she growls again, only this time, something awakens inside her. Inside both of us. Tala’s anger is consuming me, and it is the only thing that keeps us standing.

She takes another step forward, and the hunter raises his gun again. He hesitates for only a moment, but it is a moment too long.

Theo emerges from the trees. His thin fingers wrap around the hunter’s neck, dragging him into the shadows. The sound of flesh being torn and screams fill my ears, and I have to look away as Theo tosses the man piece by piece from the shadows.

Only two hunters remain, but I can see the sweat forming on their brows. They want to run. Theo steps out of the shadows and smirks at them. “Who is next?”

Turning his head, he smiles at me, exposing his teeth. Just earlier, they were stained by my blood, but now they are dripping with the blood of the hunter. The thought leaves me shaken.

Leaves rustle behind Tala, and she turns to see Damon, bursting through the trees. He is also covered in blood that is not his own, and I know the hunters that had fled didn’t make it out alive.

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