Free Scorched by Lizzie Lynn Lee

clamped their jaws on his shoulder and arm, shaking him violently. Doug was too stunned to fight back. He shouted in desperation, trying to untangle himself from the wolves.
    Something bounded toward Doug like lightning and the stalker’s body was yanked off the ground. Molly couldn’t believe her eyes. It was Tristan. New hope surged into her heart. Tristan was alive. Oh God ,
    She felt relief wash over her.
    However, Tristan wasn’t himself; he was in mid-shift. His entire body was covered with spikes and scales, piercing his clothes and boots. His eyes didn’t look human, and both eyes sockets were filled with fire—literally.
    “Molly!” he called without turning his head in her direction. His voice didn’t contain an ounce of humanity. “Are you hurt?”
    Molly swallowed hard. “N-no. I’m fine.”
    Doug looked stricken. At this point, he was no longer resisting. His body hung limp in surrender.
    “Esposito,” Tristan croaked, “take Molly to safety. I’m afraid I can’t hold it much longer.”
    The biggest gray wolf gave a loud bark and snatched the back of her collar, dragging her away from the scene. The other two did the same thing. One grabbed the cuff of her pants and the other her shirt. Molly protested, but it was futile. It happened so fast she didn’t have the time to register what was happening. Grass, rock and thorny underbrush ravaged her back and her ass. The wolves kept pulling her away. Pain filled her senses.
    There was a brilliant light from afar, and a ball of fire engulfed the place where Tristan and Doug were. Red, yellow and blue flames burst out and consumed everything in their path.
    “Tristan!” Molly screamed, but no voice came out of her throat.
    Her back felt raw and wet with her blood. Pain exploded from every nerve in her body, and she felt lightheaded. She grew weaker and weaker.
    Finally she passed out.

Chapter Nine
     
     
    One day later…
     
    At that moment, her hospital bed was the most comfortable place in the world, and Molly wouldn’t trade it for anything. Especially with the morphine drip at the touch of a button, she was on cloud nine. All her problems were far away, unimportant. Forgotten. Fuck yeah! She liked this fugue state. She’d always been a happy drunk.
    After the fiery blast in the mountain, she’d been evacuated to the hospital, where she’d undergone hour-long surgery.
    As soon as her condition was downgraded to stable, she was moved from ICU into a private hospital room. Tristan had been there for her. Remarkably, he looked okay, not a scratch on him. How the hell did he survived? Molly wondered. Seconds later, she corrected herself as she remembered that Tristan wasn’t human. Silly me!
    Tristan wasn’t the only one who visited her in the hospital. His partner Raffe Esposito had been there. Sarah Dawn, her old bestie from high school. Tristan’s boss. And a few people she didn’t recognize. A bouquet of flowers and get-well gifts occupied the whole surface of the table beside her bed.
    She’d been drifting in and out of pleasant dreams since the surgery, and when Tristan returned to her room, looking fresh and squared, she knew she had to wake up. There was so much she wanted to ask him.
    She shook herself out of the euphoric embrace of the morphine and opened her eyes wide. “Tristan.” Her voice was hoarse, so he helped her take a sip of water.
    “How do you feel?” Tristan asked.
    “I’m fine. How about you?”
    “I’m fine too. As you can see.”
    “I thought you were dead.” Molly briefly closed her eyes. The memory of her finding he’d been shot was one of the scariest moments of her life.
    Tristan only gave her a wan smile. “He can’t kill me that easily.”
    “I was worried.”
    “I’m more worried about you.”
    “But I’m fine.”
    “Yeah, says you.”
    “Are you picking a fight this early?”
    “Sorry.” Tristan held her hand gently, carefully avoiding the IV line. The nurse couldn’t find a good vein