Crystal

I was fixed to the spot as I watched the stranger hold the rogue, who had just attacked me, up against the tree with a strong vice-like grip of his hand around its neck. The werewolf growled, baring its sharp knife-like teeth. The stranger didn't tremble with fear; instead, he leaned closer, a look of disgust on his face as his eyes ran over the face of the werewolf.

It was impossible for a human man to do what this man in front of me was.

"Attacking a defenseless female human is the sign of a coward," he spat.

My heart thumped so hard in my chest it felt like it was going to explode.

Run, my mind screamed at me but I couldn't move. My eyes took in the stranger. He was tall and intimidating. All of his clothes were black. Jeans, shirt and leather jacket. His midnight-black hair hung straight to his jaw. It wasn't his outward appearance of power that was frightening. There was something in his slow and purposeful movements that scared me to my core.

Get up and run, I urged myself, hoping to break my panicked immobility.

The stranger swung his gaze back to mine. The breath in my lungs froze. His eyes were so dark they were black and depthless. I had to smother the urge to stumble to my feet and run blindly through the forest in the opposite direction.

His eyes scanned me from head to toe before he turned back to his captive, who was starting to struggle.

The werewolf started to fight back with more determination as if sensing the thick foreboding that was to come hanging in the air.

"Do you have any last words?" the man asked with a steeliness in his voice. There would be no relenting.

The rogue began to try and kick its way free.

"Then so be it."

The finality in his quiet but menacing voice should have indicated what was going to happen next but when he slammed the werewolf against the tree one last time, I flinched at the sudden action. The animal yelped as it dropped to the ground.

In a flash, the man in black produced a nine-inch silver knife and plunged it straight into the heart of the rogue.

So easy, in just seconds. Impossible.

I gasped and watched its amber eyes lose their depth. It only took moments for the life to disappear.

The sound of the knife being pulled from the dead body made me flinch and I squeezed my eyes closed for a brief moment. But there was no escaping the situation I was in. When I opened my eyes, it was to see the man stand up and sheathe his knife after wiping off the blood on the fur of the dead rogue.

His super strength confirmed what he was. Now I had that piece of information, being attacked by a rogue werewolf seemed like a walk in the park. I was in serious trouble now.

He was looking down at the dead werewolf with a look of disgust and a sneer before he turned his gaze back to me. His eyes were cold as they held mine.

I swallowed my fear, trying not to allow him to see how scared I really was. I held my breath slightly as he walked over to me and bent down beside me.

"You're hurt," he said softly as he took my injured arm and began to examine it. Bite marks and tears in my skin still dripped blood. He let go of my arm.

I gasped when he took out his knife. Seeing my reaction, he stilled.

"You have nothing to fear. I won't hurt you."

I didn't know him yet, but I believed his words. Even though I had just seen him kill a rogue, without any remorse, just a few minutes before. But he didn't know what I was; the wolfsbane hid my true identity. He believed I was a defenseless human girl.

"What...was that?" I asked breathlessly, deciding to go with the 'no existence of werewolves' lie. I feared if I revealed I knew about werewolves it would endanger my life. It was best to play the weak human girl who had no knowledge of the supernatural world.

He cut a strip from his shirt and wrapped it around my injured arm like a bandage. I smothered the urge to cry when he tightened the material around the wounds.

"It was a werewolf," he answered, the disdain clear in his voice.

"But that's not possible," I said, looking over at the unmoving body, trying to look shocked.

His watchful eyes took in my response. "Unfortunately it is."

At least he had believed my deception.

"Are you okay to walk?" he asked, standing up. At his full height he towered above me. I nodded and he extended a hand to help me to my feet, my weight effortless to his strength. He lifted me with ease. My knees trembled and I wobbled slightly but remained standing. "Thank you."

He didn't even acknowledge what I said. Instead he turned and strode to my backpack, picking it up before handing it to me. His eyes lifted to mine when I took the extended bag. With my injury, I tried to hitch it over my shoulder but it hurt my arm too much so it stayed in my tight grip.

His quiet coldness kept me from saying anything further. I stifled the second thank you by pressing my lips together while I held my backpack. My clothes were soaked in my blood and I had to get out of here before I was discovered.

Without another word, I began to walk away slowly, fighting off the nausea that stirred in my stomach.

"Stop," he commanded behind me. I obeyed him.

Had my lies not been convincing enough? Did he know what I really was? Had he managed to figure it out without being able to detect my scent? I smothered the urge to run, knowing I wouldn't be able to outrun him. Swallowing hard, I turned to face him.

"You're injured, and there are others like him out here," he told me, walking to me slowly. "You need to come with me."

No! I needed to get away before the wolfsbane wore off.

"I'll be okay," I told him, and he gave me a disbelieving look.

"If I hadn't arrived when I did, he would have killed you," he explained, stepping closer. "He would have ripped you to pieces."

I dropped my gaze, trying to figure out how to get myself out of the mess but I couldn't come up with anything.

"I'll get you safely out of here and get your wound seen to. And then when it's safe I'll return you to your home."

Home. I didn't have one. Besides, there would never be a safe time. From the time I had entered this world my days had been numbered.

"I don't even know your name."

He studied me for a few moments before he answered. "Flynn."

"Crystal," I said, feeling obliged to reveal.

His eyes never left my face and I knew not allowing him to help me would look strange and would raise suspicions, so my shoulders sagged as I gave in.

"Okay, I'll go with you."

He gave me a brief nod in acknowledgement. I would go with him and before my wolfsbane wore off I would ensure I was long gone. It was only when I followed him did it begin to sink in that my wound would heal faster than was humanly possible. How would I be able to explain that?

Deciding to buy myself a little more time, I went quietly with him. My arm throbbed and I felt a moment of dizziness. I stopped, unable to keep going. Closing my eyes briefly and taking a sharp breath, I tried to keep my balance.

When I opened my eyes again Flynn was standing in front of me. His hands reached for my shoulders to keep me from swaying further. His dark eyes surveyed me. Despite his outward concern, there was a deep-rooted coldness in him.

"You've lost a lot of blood," he informed me.

"Just give me a moment," I told him, trying to stop his face from swimming in my vision.

While I was struggling, he took my backpack from me and slung it over his shoulder before his arms came around me and lifted me off my feet. I wanted to protest but I felt too weak. Besides, I had to keep reminding myself the more I fought against his help, the more he was likely to find my behavior strange and he would question it.

The dizziness swirled around me and I tried to fight off the darkness that swamped over me. I couldn't let my guard down, not even for a moment. Despite my attempt to hold on, my body gave in to the darkness.