Free Let the Wild Out by Madelyn Porter Page A

reaching down his hand. Crimson trails ran over
the side of his face, dripping from the deep gash in his head.
    “Rachel? Are you—?”
    “William, he’s not moving. Help me. I smell gasoline.” She
hoisted Douglas’s body up the best she could. William grabbed Douglas beneath
his arms and pulled him out of the vehicle. When William again appeared to help
her out, she said, “He was trying to protect me.”
    “Of course he was,” William answered, as if such a thing would
be common knowledge.
    She grabbed his hand, jumping up as he pulled. She leapt out
of the window to land on the car door. Pain racked her and she cradled her
ribs. Standing, she looked around the forest. Douglas lay on the ground,
unmoving but breathing. She focused on his neck, seeing the gentle beat of his
pulse. Smoke trailed from the dented hood of a green pickup several yards
behind them. The instincts of the wolf surged within her. She crouched down,
turning her attention to the trees.
    “Running,” she said, pointing into the woods. “There. Two on
four legs.”
    “I hear them,” William answered, breathing hard. She heard
the shift in his voice.
    “Driver?”
    “He’s dead,” William said. “Shot.”
    “You?”
    “I was thrown from the car. I’ll live.”
    “Douglas?”
    “Will live.”
    Rachel felt her body start to shift. She let the anger
consume her. “Chase.”
    “No. Not now. We must get Douglas to safety.”
    She growled, but resisted the urge to track their attackers.
When she looked at William, his silver-filled eyes were just as hungry as hers.
They were both breathing hard, as they fought their primal urges. Concern for
Douglas finally broke through the animal and drew her attention back to the
moment. As if a cloud lifted from her mind, she began to tremble. She leapt
from the car, landing next to Douglas. She touched his head.
    “They shot our engine,” William said. Rachel didn’t remember
hearing gunfire during the crash. “I’ll check the truck. See if you can wake
him.”
    “Douglas?” she asked, stroking his face. He lay on the side
of the dirt road. It couldn’t have been comfortable, but she wasn’t sure if she
should move him. “Can you hear me? Open your eyes and look at me.”
    The truck engine tried to turn over, struggling and
sputtering each time William turned the key.
    “Dougl—” Rachel tilted her head, listening to the distance. The
feet had turned. The attackers were circling back. “William!”
    “I hear them. Stay with him. I’ll go. We don’t know who
we’re up against.”
    “No. You stay.” Rachel shot to her feet and took off
running. She ignored the pain, knowing it would be temporary. “I’m faster.”
    “Rachel, stop!”
    She didn’t stop. Spreading her arms, she leapt into the air.
Her clothes fell away and feathers sprouted all over her body. She flapped her
wings, soaring into the sky. The soreness from the crash melted away with the
shift. Trees blurred beneath her as she followed the sound of running feet. A
flash of fur revealed the mountain lion, St. Joan. Douglas had called her an
“American claw for hire”. What was the mercenary doing in the UK? And why was she
trying so hard to kill them? Was it as Douglas had implied? Was it because they
were two chiefs and some wanted them dead for political reasons? Then why the
great lengths to keep her with them? If they were the ones in danger, and both
chiefs wished to see her safe as they claimed, then why did they keep her in
harm’s way? She wasn’t stupid. For whatever reason, whether it was association
or simple bad luck, she had become a target too. Their three fates were
intertwined.
    Another blur caught her attention. William had shifted and
ran towards danger, undoubtedly wanting to rescue her before she did anything
stupid. She hesitated and lost a little bit of her control. Should she go back
to Douglas or help William? Rachel began to descend. She was losing energy and
wouldn’t be able to