Wild Things by Moondancer Drake

“It went this way!”

With the sound of the dogs echoing in her ears, Cian McGregor ran for her life. Sweat trickled down her forehead and stung her eyes as she pushed her way through the thorns and brambles. Her head ached from the blow she took back at the boarding house, but she didn’t dare slow her pace. The hunters were after blood, and it was hers they most hungered for.

Six months. It had been six months since she got off the boat near the Tyrrel settlement in North Carolina. Cian had thought she‘d be safe, that they wouldn’t find her if she escaped to America. In truth she should have known it was hopeless all along. When Marshall Kieve and his men were sent after one of the Clan, in the end they always got what they wanted.

Cian dipped under the juniper bush and winced as some of her fur got caught in the jagged branches. Nothing to do about it now, they’d find her trail easily enough unless she found a way to out smart them. Consequences be damned, she wasn’t giving up yet. She just had to keep running.

Her paws barely touched the earth as she sprinted across the farmers field. The barking of the hunting dogs drew near, and her muscles screamed in protest. If her legs gave out now, she was worse than dead.

A horse reared in panic as Cian tore through the open paddock. This reaction was nothing compared to the yelp of surprise the farmer let lose at the sight of the huge Scottish wild cat. Cian ignored them both and ran for the line of trees that promised freedom just beyond the end of the property line.

With a cry of triumph, Cian crawled under the fence at the other end and darted into the woods. Wet leaves carpeted the forest floor. This would make tracking her a more difficult task. If only she could find a place to hide until the hunters moved on. Maybe then she could finally find peace.

But peace proved to be a fickle companion. No matter how she dodged and weaved through the trees, the hunting party kept pace. By the time Cian reached the river her body had been pushed far beyond its limits.

Her paws landed shakily on the slick rocks as she leapt from stone to stone across the river. She was far too weak to swim, and the water churned angrily around her. Cian reached the center stone, and it gave way beneath her. Before she could stop herself, the torrent dragged her down the river. Cian struggled to keep her muzzle above the water. She may have escaped the hunter, but Cian knew she was still in trouble.

The current ripped her body about, and jagged rocks tore into her side. If she could shift, she might be able to pull herself to shore. Cian strained to call upon the maternal blood that gave her the power of beast and woman, but all she managed to do was swallow a lungful of water.

She choked and coughed as the river threw her around like a cloth doll. She’d lost too much blood, and run too far to have a hope of making it through this time. She closed her eyes and called to her goddess to make her end quick and without pain.

But the Goddess had other plans.