The wind tickled my whiskers as I ran through the tall grass, all my senses on alert. My ears were pricked, and I constantly scented the air. I continuously scanned back and forth, looking for signs of passage to make sure I didn't miss anything. My primal self was in control, it would catch things I might normally miss.

I kept my human awareness just below the surface because I wasn't hunting an ordinary animal. I was fairly certain I was hunting a psychopathic shifter. If I was right, he could be anywhere. I would need every advantage I could get. But I hoped I was wrong. Edward terrified me like nothing else.

I had to go back to the scene of the crime, as the saying went. I'd followed the hunters' directions last night, and the scene of the slaughter had been obvious. Not to my eyes but to my nose. The stench of death was unmistakable.

My night vision was stellar, but I wanted to see the scene in the light of day. Maybe catch something I'd missed.

It was easy to find the spot again—the smell led me there as if the dead were begging for retribution. Even though the men had buried the bodies, the foul odor of terror and death hung heavily in the air, just as it had last night.

If I had been in human form, I would have thrown up. But my cat was more prosaic. Death was death. I moved about the area and could tell where each of the bodies had been placed before they'd been moved for burial.

I snarled as I paced through the area. I could smell blood everywhere. Whoever did this had enjoyed tearing into their prey. In some locations there was little blood, telling me death occurred elsewhere.

As I examined the area, I realized I was wrong; many of the kills had been done elsewhere and brought back to this spot. But there was no scent trail for me to follow.

I could smell the various animal musks and knew at least a dozen animals had been killed. Most of the animals were small, like rabbits and possums. I found a coyote and wrinkled my nose.

We may have had a territory battle but I respected their right to exist. This was uncalled for. Relief ran through me as I verified that the poor coyote was the largest animal killed. I had feared another shifter, or a human, had also been a victim.

Some of them hadn't been dead for long, while others were days older. Shifters were predators and had the instinct to hunt. But when we did hunt, we ate our prey.

Whatever had done this had massacred for the glory of the slaughter. And slaughter it was. Although I cast around the area thoroughly, all I smelled was the two hunters and the kills. I didn't catch the scent of another shifter like I expected, or even the witches, as I had half-hoped.

Last night I had cast about for hours but didn't find anything. Finally, after the moon was high in the sky, I called it quits and headed home. All the while I had the sinking suspicion I was being hunted.

When I got Alex's text, terror flooded me. If Edward was stalking me, Alex had to stay away. Far away.

Now I was back at the scene of horror. I snarled again, angry at the waste. There had been no reason for these animals to die. I started casting out in a large circle, looking to verify my suspicions about the perpetrator of this awful act.

I kept my senses alert and unease ran through me at my inability to catch any other scent. Everything had a scent. I may not be a canine, but my sense of smell was good enough to be able to detect another predator.

I searched fruitlessly for hours. Frustration clawed at me. It wasn't like I could go to anyone for help, either. I hadn't made an effort in the time I was here to really get to know anyone in the pack. I could only imagine going up to Jack, the local cat Alpha, with my suspicions.

"Jack, I think we have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Oh, a member of my old pack might be here torturing and killing small critters."

"What proof do you have?"

"None. Just my gut instinct and a pile of maimed woodland creatures."

Yeah, that would go over really well. I'd simply have to deal with it myself. I snarled as I forced myself to accept only Edward was this cruel. He had to be the one who did this. Fine.

The monster was out of the closet. I would have to face him. Eventually, he'd slip and I'd catch him, or have the proof to get help. Until then, I'd keep a careful watch. With that thought at the top of my mind, I was brought up short by the sharp tang of blood in the air.

I'd reached the edge of the orchard closest to my house and was on the far side of the fence from my marking posts. It didn't take me long to pinpoint the source of the blood.

Two quail were laid out side-by-side with a third a few feet away. Something with large jaws had chomped down in the middle of each bird, almost filleting them from head to tail.

I froze and carefully studied the scene before approaching. The only movement was the leaves in the trees as the wind gently ran through them. Slowly, step by step, I approached the pair of quail. I leaned in close and took a deep breath.

The smell of blood and quail filled my nostrils. Something had killed them within the last couple of hours. But I couldn't pick up the scent of the predator who had done it. How could that be? It had to be Edward, but why couldn't I smell him?

I walked the few feet over to the last quail and froze. I didn't have to lean down to smell it. A low growl rumbled through me. Edward. Why was his scent only on this quail? They'd all died right after each other. He had to have killed all three. Why did he leave them here, on display like this?

My ears folded tight to my head and my tail whipped back and forth. This was my patrol route, and I never smelled people here. My scent was the only one I'd ever caught in this location. A sick feeling coiled in my stomach. How had he known I'd come through here?

I carefully looked around, but I couldn't see or scent anyone else. My heart sped up as I carefully examined my location. The trees around me suddenly became potential ambush locations. He was a cougar and could be waiting to attack from above.

I raised my ears to catch any sound of attack and moved around the one quail that had his scent. About a foot out, the scent trail ended. Nothing.

With a growl, I sprinted home. My feet pounded the ground and the open area by my driveway came into view. Without thinking, I leapt into the air and dug my claws into the large aspen tree in front of my house.

I scaled the tree and didn't stop until I was on a branch about fifteen feet from the ground. The perfect location for an ambush.

My heart raced and my vision filmed over with red. My cat was ready to destroy the invader—it knew it could take him without a doubt. My human side wasn't so sure, and I had to fight to calm myself down. In my current state of mind, I'd kill anything that came into my territory that even remotely looked like a threat.

My cat didn't want to calm down. Its instincts were roused. It didn't fear Edward. It viewed him only as a threat to be eliminated. I nearly calmed myself down when a faint noise caught my attention.

I snapped my head around and my eyes met Edward's.

It was really him. He was here.

He stood near the base of another large tree in human form, completely naked. He must have just shifted. I quickly judged the distance between us. I could easily leap from this tree and attack him, but he could duck behind the tree and use it as a barrier, possibly giving him a few critical seconds to launch his own attack.

He saw he had my attention and gave me a slow smile. From this distance, I saw his entire body—he was erect and unashamed. I snarled at him, but his grin only grew.

"Shift so we can have a civilized discussion." He sounded so reasonable that it made my skin crawl.

I snarled at him and my muscles bunched. I decided I was going to attack him. I would get rid of him here and now.

"Tsk, tsk," he said as he waved his finger back and forth. "I see you getting ready to jump. That would be a bad idea. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your sweet little sister, would you?" The smile on his face turned my stomach sour.

In moments, I was on the ground by my tree. In the next breath, I shifted to my human form. The open area of my driveway was the only thing between us.

"You leave her alone, you asshole," I snarled.

"Oh, she's safe enough. For now." His voice grew thick as he ran his eyes lustfully over my naked body. "If she remains safe or not, well, that all depends on how . . . cooperative you are."

I narrowed my eyes and felt rage claw up my chest as disgust curled my stomach. I hated that he'd figured out threats to my life didn't phase me. My sister, though? I would do anything to protect her.

I let out a deep, warning growl. "I will kill you if you touch a hair on her head."

"You know what I want." He reached down and pumped his hand up and down his erection to make sure his demand was clear. "I don't know why you're so reluctant. I've seen you with that blond. If you spread your legs for him, why would you object to having a real man between them?"

"What are you talking about? You're delusional, Edward."

His eyes narrowed and he snarled at me. "You're mine, Sophie. I've found you again and I will have you. I find it disgusting that you gave yourself to him. Maybe I'll kill him and leave his corpse on your doorstep."

His threat to Alex was the last straw. My cat took over. I shifted and flew through the air, claws out and teeth bared. A challenging growl rolled out of me.

Edward's eyes widened in shock, but his brain caught up and he shifted to his cat form right before I plowed into his body. He dodged to the side, but I pivoted and latched my front claws onto his side.

I sank my teeth into his neck, but he suddenly moved, and they dug into his back, making me miss the killing neck bite. He yowled in protest as my teeth and claws sank into his body, and satisfaction coursed through me.

Edward twisted and somehow threw me off. I landed on my feet and immediately flipped to face him. I stood on my hind feet, lashing my front right paw and then my left, raking him with my claws.

He snarled and growled at me as he stood on his hind feet in turn and slashed his claws at me. I dodged but felt a burn of pain along my right front leg as his claws scored my flesh.

He lashed out again, and I twisted out of the way, my ears flat against my head as I growled at him. He leapt at me. I flipped onto my back, all four feet set to dig into him.

He pushed down, ignoring my claws sinking into him, and went for my throat. I yanked my head to the side and slipped in under his jaw, going for his throat.

He snarled and pulled his head back out of my range. He threw himself back, my claws raking his sides and leaving bloody furrows as he pulled out of my grip. I flipped myself to my feet and turned so my side faced him, my body arched away. I crouched down, snarled, and hissed.

A low growl of warning and challenge continually poured out of me. Edward hissed at me, and I saw him gather his legs to pounce on me. I tried to dodge his leap, but the leg he raked earlier didn't hold, and he landed across my shoulders on my back.

I tried to twist out of his grip, but he had a tight hold with his claws. Dread speared through me, but I would not go down easily.

I kept tensing against him, looking for a slight relaxation in his hold. Suddenly, his weight was off my shoulders. I could feel the air move as he slashed, but he somehow missed connecting with me.

Not wanting to waste my chance, I dashed away several steps before I turned to face him. My eyes widened in shock when I saw him wrapped up in thick, brown roots.

He twisted and struggled, growling all the while, but he couldn't get out. His blood smeared the roots, turning them red as they continually tangled around him.

I jerked my head to the right and saw Alex kneeling on the ground, his hand flat against the earth. A hard expression was on his face as he watched Edward writhe in his trap.

Edward's growl abruptly ended in a yowl, and I turned my attention back to him. He'd stopped squirming, held still in his cage of roots.

He yowled again, and I saw the roots jerk tighter around him. He breathed in fast pants, and I wondered if Alex was crushing him. I really didn't care.

Edward gave a jerk, and I saw his back. A chunk of his flesh was torn off, exposing muscle on his blood-covered back. Satisfaction ran through me. I had hurt him worse than he had hurt me.

The thought sobered me. I wasn't like Edward. I didn't hurt things for sport. I looked over at Alex and saw the dark look on his face as he watched the male cougar. Alex didn't hurt things for sport, either. I didn't want us to be like Edward.

I shifted back to human form and all my cuts and wounds immediately made themselves known, especially the claw wounds across my stomach. I sucked in a breath as the air hit them.

"Sophie," Alex said, his tone full of concern. "Why . . .? Oh God."

I looked down at myself and understood what brought that tone of fear to his voice. Blood seeped out of my wounds, covering my skin, and they hurt even worse; still, I knew they wouldn't kill me. Not if I cleaned them up and bandaged them soon. I looked at my arm in consideration—that might need stitches, too.

"Sophie, say something."

I blinked and looked at Alex again. I realized I was way too calm about this, and my cat was still in the front of my brain. I took a deep breath and pushed it back. I needed to be able to talk.

"Sorry," I said, my voice hoarse, "I was still in fight mode."

"You need help. Now."

"We have to deal with him." I tilted my head in Edward's direction.

Something dark crossed Alex's face, looking out of place. "I could. Easily."

Edward yowled, and I snapped my attention back to him. The roots coiled even tighter around him.

"No," I said firmly. Regret coursed through me, and I had to fight my cat to speak. My primal side disagreed with my decision. But I knew it was the right one. "We need to let him go."

"What?" Alex's confused expression met mine as I looked at him. "Unless I'm wrong, he was about to kill you."

"I know. But I'm not him." I stepped forward and put my hand on Alex's shoulder. "Please, Alex. Let him go."

I saw the conflict in his eyes as he looked at me. I could almost see the internal struggle going on in his mind. He may not be a shifter but he was a predator in his own right, and that predator didn't want to release the threat. He swallowed and broke our eye contact to look at Edward.

"I'm going against my better judgment, but I'll let you go. Know that I could have killed you. All plants answer to me. Do you understand? There is nowhere you can go that my plants can't get to you."

I watched as the roots reluctantly unfurled from around Edward, then bunched up and threw him several feet away from us. Edward landed on his feet and stood to snarl at us. The roots coiled like a striking snake.

His snarl abruptly stopped. He took a step back, then another. He gave a low growl, then turned and ran away in a limping run, leaving a messy trail of blood drops behind him.

The adrenaline left my body, and I slid down to sit on the ground.

"Sophie," Alex yelled, his voice full of terror as he raced to my side.

I started to shiver, and he slid his shirt off and over my head. "I've never fought like that before," I said. "Somehow, I knew I could, but never have."

"Let's get you cleaned up," Alex said as he slid his arms under my legs. I slipped in and out of consciousness as he carried me inside. Before I knew it, I was in my house and lying down on the couch.

"I'm getting blood on the furniture," I protested. It was very important that we didn't get blood on the furniture.

I hazily looked down at my wounded body and frowned. Blood no longer covered my skin and I was in a different shirt. When had that happened?

"I have a blanket under you," Alex said in a soothing voice. "I think you're in shock or something. I'm no doctor, but you were pretty out of it."

I blinked at him, then suddenly, Petunia Greenhaven was beside him.

"Alex," I whispered as I stared at the visage of his grandmother, "I think I'm hallucinating."

"What are you seeing?" he asked in a gentle tone.

"Your grandmother is standing next to you." My eyes flicked to him, then back to the apparition. She stood there, looking real and solid.

Concern lit her eyes, and I knew I had to be seeing things. Worry was not an expression that I would ever associate with Petunia Greenhaven.

"Sophie," he loudly whispered back to me, "she is standing next to me."

I looked back at Alex, then at Petunia. She frowned and something inside me relaxed. That was what I expected from her. She reached down and picked up something off the floor, her eyes never leaving mine.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from hers. Something held me in place. Her body shifted a little.

I heard the sound of metal scraping against something. Was she opening a jar? The sound stopped. The soothing scent of cinnamon and rosemary wafted through the air.

"Are you with me?" Petunia asked, her voice chilly. "I do not want to be clawed."

"Why would I claw you?" I asked cautiously. There was something about her demeanor that warned me I had better behave myself.

"I'm going to put this unguent on you. It will help stimulate your healing."

Suddenly visions of leeches came to mind. I didn't think unguent was a term that referred to the slimy blood-sucking creatures, but I tensed up and couldn't stop myself from blurting out, "Wait, what's an unguent?"

"I truly hate having to explain myself." She blinked at me slowly, then sighed. "It's a salve."

"Okay. Fine."

I managed to break eye contact with her to look at Alex. His expression was worried, but I didn't see any of the terror that had been on his face earlier.

"Alexander," Petunia said in her cold voice.

"Yes, Granny?" He glanced over at her but his eyes snapped back to me, as if he was afraid I'd disappear.

"I need to put this salve on her wounds."

"Right."

"I don't think your presence is required," Petunia continued when Alex didn't say anything else.

"Why would he need to go?" I asked in confusion.

I looked from Alex to Petunia and back again. I still was not processing everything clearly. When my gaze landed back on Alex, his eyes grew wide and a small grin crossed his face.

"Ah, I get it, Granny." He chuckled. "I'm going to run home and clean up. I have a bit of blood on me. I'll be back in a few."

He stood up and leaned over to brush his lips across my forehead before he turned and started walking to the door.

"Alex," I called out.

He paused and turned to look at me.

I hesitated, then blurted out, "Thank you."

He smiled, his eyes warm, and turned away. I watched him as he walked to the door and left.

"This will sting."

That was all the warning Petunia gave me before she smeared the salve on my arm. I hissed in a breath as it felt like she'd put a hot poker against me. She hadn't been kidding. With the brisk efficiency of a seasoned nurse, she got the salve on all my wounds.

I understood why she had Alex leave when she whipped my shirt off me and treated some minor scratches on my chest. I noticed my body really was clean. I hadn't imagined it earlier. I frowned. How did I get clean? I didn't remember.

"Most of your wounds are minor," Petunia said, "but the one on your arm needs stitches. My salve will stimulate your body to heal quickly, but that needs more attention."

"I have a fully stocked first aid kit," I said, "but I'm not sure I can stitch myself."

"Where is it?"

"In the hall closet, but I can—" Before I could finish she was on her feet, then back seconds later. I watched in amazement as she sat down and began to efficiently stitch up my arm.

"Where did you learn to do that?" I asked. I'd been planning on giving her instructions, but she did a better job stitching me up than some doctors I knew.

A small smile curved the corners of her mouth, but she didn't answer. I sagged against my couch when she finished.

She left the jar of salve for me, along with instructions to use it every twelve hours. Exactly twelve hours. I'd been tempted to ask what would happen if I used it at twelve and a half hours, or eleven, but the look in her eye told me that would not be a good idea.

I slowly stood up after she left, then carefully made my way to my bedroom. Alex said he was coming back and I wanted to be dressed. I'd expected moving to be a chore but was surprised to find it not as painful as I imagined.

I patted one of the bandages—the salve must have been working. I stretched and touched one of the scratches on my stomach that hadn't been bandaged—it had already closed.

"What's in that stuff?" I whispered. There must be some sort of fae magic in it.

I shook my head and got into my clothes. Although I was healing quickly, they still hurt and twinged. I reached over to grab a belt and winced. No sudden movements in my future.

Once I was dressed, I picked up my phone off the charger. My heart twisted. I had three missed calls. All from Aly.

She left a voice message on the third call. I pushed play and her voice whispered through my phone. The fear I heard tore me apart; I wanted to call her immediately but forced myself to listen to the entire message.

'They hurt my friend, Soph. She's only human. She thinks I'm next.' Each word she uttered was worse than the last. My stomach was in knots by the time it ended and I immediately hit dial.

The phone rang once.

"Soph?" my sister's shaky voice answered.

"Aly, I'm coming to get you."