Chapter 22 · Hunters and Prey

"Drop the knife, beast!" Vera's rifle stayed locked on my chest while three red dots crawled over my hide.

The knife hung from my clawed hand. Its edge was pressed against the throat of the hunter trapped under me.

He had stopped fighting. Smart man.

I tilted my head. "You first."

Vera's finger tightened near the trigger. "You don't get to make demands."

"Sure I do." I pressed the blade a fraction closer. "Your man breathes because I let him."

The hunter beneath me made a rough sound. "Vera... don't listen to it."

"Shut up, Danner." Her eyes never left mine. "Jace, move away from him. Now."

The name hit harder than the rifle sights.

My claw stopped.

Vera saw it. Of course she saw it. She watched everything. The small pause. The twitch under my jaw. The way my head snapped toward her voice.

"That's right," she said quietly. "You know what I called you."

I shoved Danner aside and rose in one motion.

The rifles came up with me. Metal clicked. Boots scraped over broken concrete.