Chapter 7 · Don't Bleed Under the Moon

He drags me out the back exit like the building's about to blow.

I'm still processing what I just saw. Yellow eyes. Claws that tore through metal like paper. That voice—his voice, but layered with something that made my bones vibrate.

"Let go of me." I yank my arm but his grip doesn't budge. "Ethan, I can walk."

"Not fast enough." He doesn't slow down. We're in the alley now, the one that reeks of piss and rotting food. He's moving like he can see in the dark. I'm stumbling over garbage bags I can't even make out.

Another howl splits the air. Closer this time.

"How many?" I don't know why I'm asking. I don't even know what I'm asking about.

"Enough." He pulls me around a corner, into a narrower gap between buildings. "And they're not here to talk."

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I fish it out. Unknown number again.

*You're making it worse. Every second you're with him, you smell more like prey.*

"Who the hell keeps texting me?" I shove the phone in Ethan's face.

He glances at it. His jaw tightens. "Someone who wants you scared."

"Working pretty well." My voice cracks.