Wynter's Captive by Milly Taiden Page B

open. Cold air surrounded her the moment she left the comfort of the vehicle. Goose bumps broke over her skin, and she shivered. The man lay about ten yards from her car, flat on his back with his eyes closed. She looked at her bumper but didn’t see any dents or blood. Lili frowned, looking at the man’s body.
    “Sir? Are you OK?” Fear made her voice tremble. Nothing. The man didn’t move, twitch, or blink. Shit, as far as she could see, he didn’t even look like he was breathing.
    It took her a moment of intense staring to realize the man’s limbs were starting to twitch. Popping and cracking noises sounded, as if his bones were breaking. Lili’s eyes widened. She stared, mouth agape, while the man contorted and sprouted fur. Holy shit! What the—? Yeah, it was official; she’d watched way too many horror movies. Because there was no way this man was changing before her eyes. His face elongated. Disbelief held her in place, staring at the man in complete shock. Maybe she’d dropped acid and forgot? His jaw and nose took the shape of a muzzle, and his mouth opened to show canines the size of Jay’s teacup Yorkie.
    No longer caring if the man was injured, she whirled around to rush back to her car. A loud, piercing growl made her jerk to a stop. She glanced at the inside of the vehicle. Another of the big, furry creatures, which looked a lot like wolves on steroids, was inside her car. How the hell did that thing get in there? She gaped back at the changing beast on the ground. Time slowed. She gulped and watched the animal stretch.
    Common sense yelled “Run!” Grabbing the long skirt of her dress and cursing herself for wearing flip-flops instead of her usual trainers while driving, she ran into the cold, thick forest. Two loud howls pierced the dead silence behind her. The hairs on her arms stood on end, urging her to move faster.
    Lili hated the fact she wore a dress and no shorts under it. Heat spread with each rub of her thighs and made it uncomfortable for her to run. Pretty soon they’d be chafing. Dammit! She should’ve worked out. She should’ve lost some weight. Fuck it; she should’ve taken the damn flight Jaylin offered to buy her. If she had, she wouldn’t be running in the damn forest, from some kind of werewolves, in an ugly-ass white dress and flip-flops. Hysterical laughter bubbled up inside her. Saying she was in trouble was the understatement of the century. Breaths rushed out of her, and moments later she got cramps in her side. Clearly, she would be getting mauled to death because she was out of shape.
    With every step she took, she made promises to every god she’d ever heard of. She vowed that if she got out alive she’d live better, exercise, eat healthy, and quit eating chocolate. Two loud growls sounded from either side of her. Lili stopped dead in her tracks.
    It was useless to continue. Her lungs wanted to burst in her chest. She looked around at the surrounding trees, taking in the dark bushes, big trunks, and thick leaves. Where the hell was she? Dim light filtered through the small openings between branches. The lack of bright sunlight made the hour resemble evening instead of afternoon. Adrenaline kept her body’s temperature high and stopped her from feeling much of the cold in the thin strapless dress.
    Leaves crunched to her left, and she jerked her head toward the noise. One of the big wolf beasts appeared from behind a tree. He was so big she couldn’t stop staring. Branches snapped to her right. The sound made her turn to see the other animal standing there. Like a spectator at a ping-pong match, her head snapped back and forth between the two creatures.
    “Uh, nice doggies?” Blood thundered in her ears. Dread spread through her, making it difficult to think clearly. Her temperature shot down to the South Pole and cold seeped into her pores, shaking her to the core.
    Lili took a small step. Both animals closed in on her. Her chest rose and fell with each hiss of