A deep hum resonated through Luca.
Call us.
Fur slid against his skin.
Call us.
The scent of spring rain, dandelions, clover replaced the stench of human sweat.
Call us.
Luca exhaled. “Come to me.”
“Did you have something you wanted to say?” The man with dark eyes forced Luca to turn around.
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Really now?”
“I was talking to them.” Luca nodded at the Varu they’d left lying in the grass.
Three gigantic blue wolves and one silver burst from the four Varu. Threads of light filled out their details mid-leap. The man with the black eyes yelled and the M-ATV lurched forward.
One of the blues attacked the flanking vehicle. Metal peeled away under its paws, and it extracted a man with a rifle in his grip. Then it ripped away with the weapon and the rest of the man’s arm.
Gunmen clamored through the vehicle. Metal slid against metal
The driver typed on a tablet mounted to the dash. “The dogs are up. Signal is strong. ETA five minutes. We’re gonna need cover until they can get here. You’re up Ray.”
The black man moved to the hatch in the roof, giving access to the turret. A weapon like that would pack more of a punch than the guns the men carried. Luca didn’t know if it would kill the Fenrir, but he couldn’t take the chance.
He shoved himself from his seat, head butting the guy in the gut. They both fell onto the floor. Covered in body armor, there was only one opening for Luca to hit. He punched the man in the crotch, over and over.
Dull pain slammed between Luca’s shoulders, knocking out his breath. Another struck him in the ribs. Luca twisted with his arm raised, but he was grabbed from all directions.
The man with black eyes pulled back his fist. “I should fucking kill you for that.” He spoke to the man beside him. “Get up there, Peterson.”
Peterson climbed over Ray, who was still curled on his side.
“No!” Luca made a fruitless grab for Peterson.
Metal shrieked, revealing the sky, and Peterson disappeared through a gaping hole where the turret had been.
Then the silver Fenrir filled the space. It bared its teeth.
Everyone opened fire, and it dove off the roof.
More shots erupted from the other M-ATV and one of the grizzly-sized blue wolves pursuing them went down. The second threw its weight into the vehicle.
Seung’s silver Fenrir closed in on the M-ATV with Luca. One of the smaller, faster trucks blocked the Fenrir’s path. Bloody flowers bloomed down the Fenrir’s side only to be swallowed by silver threads.
Another truck pulled up behind the silver, and a man leaned out the window with a high-caliber rifle.
“Behind you…” Luca never expected it to hear him.
Then it dropped to the ground, dug its feet into the earth and pushed off, plowing its shoulder into the front of the second truck, shoving the bumper down.
The momentum flipped the vehicle, sending it airborne.