Genesis: Falling Angel by Keily Arnold Page B

the same thing.
    “Werebeasts,” Adrian spat.
    “Nasty creatures,” Noah explained to me. “The original ones were animals that gained the ability to walk in human skin to draw in human prey. They can transform at will like the shapeshifters, but shapeshifters can’t be half man, half beast. They’re also much less friendly and a lot more powerful.” He paused, and then added, “They’ve got a very contagious bite. When humans are bitten, they become like them. They aren’t as strong as the original werebeasts, but they gain the same shifting abilities. After a year or so of infection, they die. Mortals can’t handle it.”
    “We’ve landed in an area infested with them,” Adrian hissed. He eyed me. “We need to find some sort of shelter to wait this out. Gabrielle can’t defend herself.”
    My face fell. It was true. I lacked the amazing strength and speed of my angelic body. I lacked any weapon. I didn’t have wings, so I couldn’t fly us to safety. Worst of all was the realization that in my mortal form, I was vulnerable to the infection or curse or whatever it was. If I was infected, I’d become a monster and die in a short time. All of the progress I’d made on my mission to earth would be erased. Gabriel would never let me forget such a failure. I stared down at the grass.
    “He didn’t mean it, Gabrielle,” Noah said lightly. “He’s just grumpy. I’m sure he’s just worried about losing you.”
    Adrian glared at him and said, “Watch it, Noah.”
    “We should probably start looking,” I interjected. I couldn’t handle any more arguing.
    I thought about the situation a bit more and found that I was just glad to be alive. Well, in my mortal body. I was glad that the others were alive. Noah was of special concern, as the sight of his body contorting and shaking as it became more human had frightened me. He seemed fine, though. He was leading us right now.
    “Are you all right?”
    I jumped slightly. Adrian was standing next to me, staring at me intently. His eyes roamed to look me over, and I covered myself at his intense stare. I realized that it was apparently strange to cover yourself when you were fully clothed, but I couldn’t help it. No one had ever looked anywhere but my face, which was quickly heating up.
    “I’m fine. Just a bit nervous,” I assured him. He nodded, but stayed close to me as we trudged on. His arm was almost touching mine, and I felt the need to inch away. He didn’t seem to notice when I took a step off to the side.
    Suddenly, Noah stopped. Adrian put his arm in front of me to bring me to a halt. Noah sniffed at the air, golden eyes looking about in a shifty manner. He turned to us. “Well, I guess it was just my imagination, but I swore I smelled-”
    A figure jumped from the tree, tackling Noah. It snarled and snapped at him. I’d never seen anything like it. Its legs were bent slightly like a canine’s, though massive. It was covered in dark fur. Its snarling, wolfish face held silvery human eyes. It snapped at Noah with jaws full of yellowed, sharp teeth. Its fur was wet around its muzzle, and I didn’t need anyone to tell me that it was blood.
    I was frozen to the spot. Adrian made no move to help Noah, only shielding me further. His face was a mask of calm. Noah struggled with his attacker, finally managing to flip positions and pin the creature down. “Werewolves,” he murmured, so softly that I could barely hear it.
    The next figure to leap down from the trees was human, or so I thought. Her eyes were of human shape, but silvery like the beast Noah was struggling to pin down. Her hair was brown and short. She looked calm, almost friendly. Her posture was relaxed. I realized soon enough that this meant one thing: she didn’t see us as a threat.
    She looked to Adrian after only briefly glancing at Noah. “You look familiar.”
    Adrian shook his head slightly. “You’re mistaken.”
    She shrugged. “I’m Luna. And that,” she said, pointing