Black Moon (Colors of the Moon #4)

Chapter 9

After the cold order left Aiko's mouth, she turned her back to us and began walking away. I, of course, had no intention of allowing her to leave. The moment I took a step after her departing figure, a metal click filled my ears.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I turned my head to find an unfamiliar hunter pointing a gun directly at my head. With his finger already wrapped around the trigger. All that was left was one final squeeze and I would finally get the answer to the question of who was faster; me or a bullet.

I can't believe you were ever interested in the petty weapon, Edria huffed.

She had been against me learning how to operate them ever since the first time Jared got the idea to teach Naia how to shoot.

Do you really think this is the right time to scold me about that again?

I might not get another chance. So, if anything—

Before Edria could even finish her goodbye, a massive body crashed into the hunter's side. The impact knocked the gun out of the hunter's hand and sent it flying into the undergrowth.

"Don't threaten my mate," Hunter growled.

He rose into a sitting position still on top of the hunter and smashed his fist against his face. A loud crack filled the otherwise silent forest as the human's scull broke.

A second later the entire forest jumped to life. Hunters pulled out and aimed their human weapons, while the rest of us lunged.

I jumped at a female who dared to point her gun in Hunter's direction and sank my canines into her neck. All of that before she could even take aim.

While the humans were turtles compared to our wolf speed, they outnumbered us five to one. Especially since I caught Krystal and her addict of a mother squeezed against the trunk of a tree, while Alpha Brie warded off the hunters surrounding them.

I snapped the neck of my second hunter when I caught the shine of a knife in my peripheral vision. I twisted as far to the side as I could, but even with my speed I knew I wouldn't be quick enough. Just when the tip of the weapon was about to slice against my side, another hand grabbed the hunter's arm.

For a second the three of us froze, with the knife an inch away from my side. The hunter and I stared at Elena whose eyes were coated with an ink black.

She twisted the hunter's arm and with an additional push plunged the knife into his stomach. A cough of blood burst through his mouth, spraying the two of us with drops of the red liquid. The moment Elena let go of her hold on his arm and the knife, he collapsed onto the snow-covered ground.

"You're welcome." Elena smirked at me.

"I could have handled him on my own." Despite my words I couldn't stop myself from returning her grin. "All he would have gotten was a small nick. It was the only thing you prevented."

"You keep telling yourself that." She scanned our surroundings, which caused her lips to sink back down. "There's too many of them."

My eyes collided with a female hunter as she raised her gun and aimed it at the two of us. Without a second to spare I grabbed Elena's shoulder and forced her to kneel onto the ground. The bullet flew right above our heads and embedded itself in the chest of another hunter who had been standing behind us. He collapsed onto the ground without making a single sound.

"I guess we're even," Elena huffed and the two of us jumped back to our feet.

The female hunter was still standing and aiming her weapon. This time, however, before she could press the trigger, Hunter wrapped his arms around her neck and squeezed. Blood spurted all over his hands and a second later he dropped her body into a pile of snow.