Asher

around. Her foot caught the edge of a rock an

racked. Muscle split and reshaped with grotesque precision. His mouth stretched, lips

p, terrified sound that

wait. His eye

fted. Arms bent backward, fur exploded along his spine, and his growl deepened into somethi

ngth monstrous. With a roar, he hurled him across the yard.

halfway into beast. He tackled Asher, ramming him into the side

s crossed, his eyes gleaming. A

turned, lifting him clean off the ground with one hand wrapped tight ar

ot echoed thro

one f

gun braced in shaking hands. His squint betra

erty!" he shoute

still wide with terror. Her hand gripped

his weight, pre

rning shot tore

llowed, now pointing the shotgun directly at Julia

a hand slowly.

umpled to the dirt, coughing violently. Steam rose f

to Victor's side, their bodies folding back in

'll be seeing you later," he said, t

hing into the trees like ghosts. The sunlight ret

he ground, his

andfather asked, stepping toward

ilia said, her

His chest rose and fell with effort. Shifting back to full hu

trying to make sense of wha

e groaned but nodded, leaning into their

ched for the first aid kit. But

o it, G

odded, and s

his torn shirt. Her hands trembled, but she sai

d from the sting, b

his, still glowing faintly

y, his voice hoarse.

arely above a whisper:

nd for a moment, all

are born like this. Some... are made. E

owly, absorbi

Vic

's a leader among our kind. Bu

nd raced, her thoughts a whirlwind of disbe

ned to my parents?"

't answer

's... com

e the truth flic

nwh

only a few steps awa

t tense. She carried a file clutched in both hands,

he said flatly. "Behind a thrift store.

aightened

s. Corrupted footage. Almost like someone

leaned forward, tapping a pen against the table. "Th

furrowed. "M

jacket. Nowhere else in

that means

his case is differ

yes scanning quickly. "The fur. The bod

ing. He moved to the case board and began

ng them side by side. She paused, brow creasing. "There was a scu

e to get Emilia out of the wreck. Whoever .

"So Max Rutherford knew

seen it

utherford than meets t

hanie Rutherford. I want school records, employment, military histor

d and grabbe

d," Nolan added. "And I wan

hat eve

n the couch, his breath

sed, leaving only faint traces of blood where gashes had once been. The healing was almost hypnot

as heali

questions, but none

d what it meant... for him, for her, a

bleeding as the clouds around it looked soaked and for