Red Moon (Colors of the Moon #2)

Chapter 2

The first thing I felt was heat. Something almost too warm was sizzling in the space surrounding me. Then a thick scent of scorched wood filled my nostrils. Smoke.

My eyes flew wide open.

The first thing I saw was the wooden front door of the pack house, drifting farther and farther away. Something wasn't right.

My arms were extended above my head, with my upper body dangling a few inches above the ground. My legs were motionless, while I felt the ground beneath me move.

It took me a moment to connect the hard grip on my wrist with my body's position. I was being dragged.

As my body still refused to cooperate, my mind had time to asses my surroundings. With the help of my werewolf senses, I managed to recognize the living room inside the pack house. However, it was hard to be sure because of the thick smoke obscuring my vision.

My brain connected the smoke I saw with the scent of burning wood. The pack house was on fire, and I was being dragged right into the burning building.

In an instant I regained control over my body and ripped my arms out of the hard grip. Without a second to spare I spun around into a standing position.

The man in front of me was definitely a rogue. If his stench hadn't been proof enough, then one look at him would have been enough to seal the deal. His clothes were torn in at least twenty places and covered with a dried stench of mud and sweat. I doubted he even knew what a shower was.

The moment our eyes met he barred his teeth at me, showing me what he thought of my escape. I flashed my own canines right back at him, my body craving his blood. I blamed him for knocking me out.

We both lunged at each other at the same time, but I was quicker. While he went straight for my throat, an obvious tactic, I crouched to the side and jabbed my shoulder into his stomach. The force of the impact sent him stumbling to the ground.

A second after his back hit the ground he already jumped back to his feet. He sprinted right at me and managed a good blow to my shoulder, before I blocked any further attacks.

Enraged that he managed to get past my defenses, I swung a hard fist at his face. His head revolted backwards and I didn't give him time to react. Instead, I jammed my foot right in the middle of his stomach, sending him flying through the air.

He flew across the room and landed right in the midst of the spreading fire. I hadn't even noticed the scorching flames behind him, so focused was I on the fight.

Mesmerized I watched as the flames instantly caressed his body. A tortured scream escaped his lips, as the orange light licked his skin.

We need to leave, Shyrin ordered me.

However, I hardly heard her. All of my attention was still on the enthralling flames. They were spreading too quickly to have been caused by an accident. Someone intentionally set the building on fire.

My legs suddenly began to move into the opposite direction from the fire. They were leading me out of the burning building, without me moving a single muscle. I took me no longer than a second to realize that Shyrin was the one in charge of my movements.

The moment I grasped that I had lost control, I snapped out of whatever spell had been cast over me. I seized back the dominance over my body and ran out of the building.

The fresh air crashed into my lungs the moment I set foot out of the door, making me feel like my lungs were on fire. Only once I was sure I was far enough from the house, I stopped. I tried to take in a deep breath, but a fit of coughs shook my body.