Fangs of Fire

Run or Burn

Riley didn’t sign up for a cult soundtrack to her death. The chanting her name warped into a guttural, ancient hum slithered up from the ravine, carried by mist that smelled like rot and wet stone. The cloaked figures loomed at the edge, their glowing eyes cutting through the dark like searchlights. Kade’s shove snapped her out of her freeze, his hand hot on her back. “Run, Riley! Now!”

She bolted, tire iron banging against her thigh, boots slipping in the mud. The pack scattered Dax’s brown wolf form barreled past, Talia’s human shape darted for cover, and Mara’s snarl echoed somewhere behind. Kade stayed close, his breath ragged, blood still oozing from his shoulder. The air buzzed with panic, and Riley’s lungs screamed as she sprinted toward the trees.

“What are those things?” she yelled, ducking a low branch. “Your fan club?”

“Not mine,” Kade growled, grabbing her arm to yank her around a stump. “Old pack cursed ones. They’re with the elder.”

“Great!” She stumbled, catching herself on his arm solid, warm, way too distracting for a chase scene. “So I’ve got wolves and zombie monks after me? I need a raise.”

“Complain later.” He pulled her into a thicket, thorns snagging her jacket. The chanting grew louder, rhythmic, like a heartbeat in the fog. “They’re tracking you.”

“Me?” She crouched beside him, panting. “What’s so special about my blood? I’m not a freaking vintage wine!”

Kade’s eyes flicked to her, amber and sharp. “Don’t know yet. But they do.” He wiped blood off his cheek, smearing it across his jaw, and Riley’s traitorous brain noted how good he looked roughed up, intense, all man and wolf in one. She shook it off. Focus, i***t.

A twig snapped too close. Kade tensed, shoving her down as a cloaked figure lunged from the mist, its robe tattered, claws glinting where hands should’ve been. He tackled it, rolling into the dirt, and Riley swung her tire iron, cracking its skull. It crumpled, hood falling back to reveal a face human once, now twisted, eyes hollow. She gagged. “That’s not normal!”

“Welcome to my world,” Kade grunted, hauling her up. His hand lingered on her waist, steadying her, and her skin burned under his touch despite the chaos. “Move!”

They ran again, the pack’s howls fading as the chanting closed in. Riley’s legs wobbled, but she pushed on, Kade a shadow at her side. The trees thinned, spitting them out near an old quarry crumbling cliffs, rusted machinery, a perfect horror movie trap. “This is your plan?” she wheezed. “Hide in a death pit?”

“Better than out there.” He dragged her behind a stack of rotted crates, pressing her against the wood. His body shielded hers, chest heaving, sweat dripping onto her collarbone. She froze, hyper-aware of every inch his heat, his breath, the way his thigh pinned hers. “Stay still,” he whispered, lips brushing her ear.

Her heart slammed, and not just from the run. “Personal space, Fido,” she muttered, voice shaky. “You’re gonna suffocate me before they do.”

He smirked, barely audible. “You’re blushing, sparkplug.”

“Am not!” She was damn him and his low chuckle vibrated through her. His hand slid to her hip, steadying her as the chanting neared, and she bit her lip, fighting the urge to lean in. His eyes locked on hers, dark and hungry, and for a stupid, reckless second, she thought he’d close the gap kiss her right there, blood and all.

A crate splintered nearby, shattering the moment. Kade pulled back, cursing, and peeked around the edge. Three cloaked figures prowled the quarry, sniffing the air like hounds. “They’ve got your scent,” he said, voice tight. “We’re pinned.”

“Fantastic.” Riley gripped her tire iron, scanning the junk around them pipes, chains, a busted winch. Her mechanic brain kicked in. “Gimme a sec.” She darted to the winch, yanking wires loose, and looped a chain around its arm. “Distract them.”

Kade arched a brow but nodded, stepping out with a taunt. “Hey, uglies! Over here!” He shifted mid-stride, black wolf form lunging at the nearest figure, claws tearing cloth. The others turned, and Riley cranked the winch, dropping the chain in a clattering arc. It snagged two, pinning them to the ground, and Kade finished the third with a snap of his jaws.

He shifted back, panting, jeans barely hanging on. “Not bad,” he said, stalking over. Blood streaked his chest, and Riley’s mouth went dry half from relief, half from him.

“Thanks.” She wiped her hands on her jeans, smirking. “Told you I’m not useless.”

“Never said you were.” His voice softened, just a flicker, and he stepped closer, heat rolling off him. “You’re ”

A howl cut him off Dax, limping from the trees, Talia at his side. “Kade! More coming!” The big man grinned despite a gash on his leg. “Tire Queen’s got moves, huh?”

“Shut it, Dax,” Riley snapped, but she grinned back. Talia tossed her a rag, nodding approval.

Kade’s jaw tightened. “We can’t outrun them. Not with you.” He grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward a narrow path. “There’s a safehouse half a mile up. Move.”

“What about them?” She glanced at Dax and Talia, already shifting to cover their retreat.

“They’ll hold.” His grip was firm, eyes fierce. “You’re the target. I’m not losing you.”

Her chest squeezed annoyance, fear, something warmer. “Bossy ass,” she muttered, but she ran with him, the quarry fading behind them. The chanting faded too, but a new sound rose a low, deliberate scrape, like claws carving stone. Kade slowed, pulling her behind a tree, and pointed.

Ahead, on a boulder, fresh claw marks gleamed in the moonlight: The Flame Lies Within.

Riley’s blood ran cold. “Flame? What’s that mean?”

Kade’s face darkened, his hand tightening on hers. “I don’t know. But we’re out of time.”

The mist parted, and a new figure stepped forward not cloaked, not wolf, but human-shaped, wreathed in shadow. It raised a hand, and the ground ignited, flames licking toward them. Riley screamed, and Kade yanked her back, b

ut the fire wasn’t random it formed her name.