Full Moon Rising

As the three of them arrowed in, I turned and ran, heading for the protection of trees. I might be offended but I wasn’t a fool, and I didn’t have eyes in the back of my head. At least the thick pines gave me some protection against an attack from above or behind

A clawed paw the size of a spade swept through the air. I ducked and swung, kicking the creature in the gut. The blow bounced off the gryphon’s rippled abs and jarred the whole of my leg. I briefly wished I hadn’t taken off my shoes. Spikes were a far better weapon than bare feet

The air screamed a warning, and I ducked blows from the other two creatures. They were so close that the wind from their wings was a vortex that tore at my hair and clothes, filling the air with pine needles and my lungs with dirt. I coughed, squinting to see through the muck surging around me

The first creature banked toward me, arrowing in from a sharp angle. He flew low under the trees, beaked mouth open as if screaming, though no sound came out

I danced away from more blows from the other two, then rocked backward as the first creature swooped close. Claws lashed out, scouring my arm and leaving three bloody rents. I swore and leapt forward, onto its back. It screamed then—a high sound that was neither bird of prey nor cat nor human. I hung on for grim life as it bucked and twisted, then we were out of the trees and surging skyward

His smell hit me, and despite what I’d sensed before, it was not the mustiness of animal and death. It was honey and rain, a sweet, refreshing aroma that had the already rampant moon heat surging anew. But these things weren’t trying to fuck me, they were trying to kill me, and the moon heat wasn’t yet strong enough to overcome the instinct of survival

I drew my legs up underneath me, knees bent, feet pressed into the middle of its back, then released one wing and grabbed the other with both hands. It was a precarious stance and had he twisted then, I would have been gone. But he didn’t, seemingly content to surge for the stars. His wings pumped the night, gleaming a rich, burnished gold, beautiful and powerful

And I was about to destroy them

Pushing away a touch of regret, I glanced down at the rapidly disappearing ground. It had to be done right then, or the fall could kill me. Taking a deep breath, I pushed up and twisted backward with as much force as I could muster

I had the inhuman strength of a vampire at my call. The wing stood no chance

With an odd sort of popping sound, the wing tore free of flesh, then it and I were tumbling earthward. The creature’s screams filled the air, along with its blood. It spiraled out of control, the one remaining wing pumping frantically but doing little. More screams filled the night as the other two creatures swooped to the aid of the first, each catching an arm, wings a blur as they tried to ease the rate of its fall

Unfortunately, there was no one to ease my fall. I twisted, hitting the ground feetfirst, then collapsed forward into a roll to ease the pressure on my spine. It didn’t seem to make much difference. My breath left in a whoosh of air, and, for a moment, stars danced so close it felt like I could reach out and grasp them. The pain filling every fiber became a darkness that threatened to consume me

I fought it, breathing deep. Heard the screams that weren’t human and knew those things were coming after me again. I had to get up. Had to move

With a groan, I rolled to my feet, but immediately dropped as a creature swooped. I surged upward as it skimmed past, avoiding its claws to sink my fist into its groin. It made an odd sort of coughing noise and came to a hovering stop. It hunched up, but the claw at the end of its closest foot caught my shoulder, slashing deep even as the blow knocked me sideways

Pain burned white-hot through my body, and sweat beaded my brow. Gritting my teeth, I scrambled upright, grabbed the leg of the creature, and swung it around as hard as I could before releasing it. It flew awkwardly through the air and hit a nearby pine with enough force to shake needles loose. But it obviously wasn’t hurt, as it pushed upright almost immediately

The third of the creatures arrowed in. I ran, and had to resist the sudden urge to shift into my other form. A wolf wouldn’t have a hope against flighted creatures, and the only weapon I’d have would be teeth. Nor could I use telepathy—if Qui

Wrapping the night around myself, I grabbed several stones and tossed them into the pines. They clattered against the trunks and plopped into the soft carpet of needles. My attacker swung toward the sound, giving me time to catch my breath

But the gryphon I’d torn the wing off was on the move, beak in the air and making a strange snuffling sound—much like a dog did when tracking. I swore under my breath. Obviously, gryphon and human wasn’t the only thing in the mix. Its head swung my way and, with a scream, it ran toward me

I backpedaled fast, not daring to take my eyes off the thing. It was faster than I’d expected. Talons raked my stomach, drawing blood. I dropped my cloak of shadows and bit my tongue to hold back the scream. Grabbing the creature’s wrist, I twisted around and pulled hard, yanking it up and over my shoulder. It sailed past me and landed with a crash on its back. As feathers flew upward, I stiffened my fingers and knifed them toward the creature’s eyes. It moved, and I hit cheek instead. Felt flesh and bone give as its cheek caved in

Bile rose in my stomach. Shuddering, I dropped, sweeping my leg and knocking the creature off its feet again as it struggled to rise. It roared in frustration and lashed out. The blow caught the side of my face and sent me staggering

The creature was up and at me almost instantly. Air became a torrent of dirt, telling me the others were also close. I faked a blow to the creature’s head, then spun and lashed out at its groin instead. The force of the blow shuddered up my leg, but the creature dropped, clutching itself and making an odd sort of keening sound

The others hit me. I ducked and weaved, but there was no way on this earth to avoid every blow. I was vampire-fast, but even the wind itself would have had trouble in this situation. Red heat flashed through me, and the smell of blood and fear sat heavily on the whirlpool of air surrounding us

I hoped like hell Qui

Fast

From the side of us came an odd popping sound, then the head of the lead creature exploded. Blood, tissue, and gray matter went everywhere. As it dropped lifeless at my feet, the second creature met with the same end

The wind chose that moment to die, and I smelled the familiar aroma of musk and man. Anger surged, replacing the relief

But before I could say anything, before I could do anything, something hit the back of my head and unconsciousness claimed me

Pain woke me. It wasn’t sharp, just a constant, maddening ache, the sort that set teeth on end. Even breathing hurt

But it was a distant cry compared to the burning at my wrists and ankles, and the desperate, hungry blaze seething through my veins. My whole body trembled with its force, and it was an intensity that could so easily drive me mad

One that would drive me mad if I didn’t get some loving soon

I twisted, trying to at least ease that ache myself, even though it would provide temporary relief, at best. But I barely could move my hand more than a few inches, and the clink of metal told me why. I’d been chained. By silver, if the burning at my wrists was anything to go by

A soft chuckle filled the silence. Talon was there, watching

I opened my eyes. The room was large, the color a warm gold that was soothing despite the situation. To the right were large windows through which dawn’s light filtered, adding to the airy feel. It was an effect that was somewhat spoiled by the thick bars on each window—not that they would stop an escape if I managed to get out of my chains. The closest window was open, and the caressing breeze cool, filled with the salty tang of the ocean