Challenged - Skinwalker Book 2

Chapter 6

As the hallway door closed behind their backs, Sierra dug in her pocket for her cellular phone to check the message that had come through. It was Jason. By the time they'd stopped at her bedroom door so that she could quickly stow the journal away, his simple message was lighting up the screen:

'U ok?'

She was about to type out a reply when Anthony and Ken came hurtling out the rec room and dashed down the opposite wing. Anthony paused for a second when he saw them, grabbing Ken by the collar of his shirt and effortlessly holding him back in the process.

"You guys staying? Coz if you are, you'd better get your butts down to dinner if you want any food!" he grinned.

Apparently the prospect of some good nourishment had put the two of them in a great mood. It was a natural response that was instantly shared by their new team members.

"I thought I smelt something awesome," Devon replied with a grin.

Sierra's stomach chose to voice an opinion on the matter before her mouth could. She was now ravenous from her earlier transformations.

"Race you?" Devon challenged her gamely.

Sierra slid her phone back into her pocket while she held his gaze. She was pretty sure he was faster than her, even with her new and improved muscle tone.

"Sure," she replied as she spun on her heel as though about to take off.

He took the bait and darted forward in response, whereupon she reached out and tapped the back of his ankles to knock him off balance, sending him sprawling to the floor at her feet. Two easy strides took her past his prone figure and put her in the lead, though it didn't take Devon long to recover and speed off after her. Anthony and Ken glanced at each other in surprise at her unexpected antics before following on after the new arrivals enthusiastically.

When Sierra entered through the doorway, the bustle in the great hall immediately died down and all faces turned to her. More than a few of them looked wary. She cringed and hung back, knowing that she only had herself to blame. The worst part was that just being in the room with them was setting off her craving again. It was so strong that it almost outweighed the intensity of her hunger. Almost!

She froze, feeling horribly unsure of herself. Devon glanced back at her on his way to the table, then seemed to understand the strange look on her face and returned to her side to wrap a comforting arm around her back.

"Come on. You've got this - besides, you need to eat!"

"But I don't know if I can stop myself," she whispered back anxiously - not that whispering in human tones was terribly effective in a room full of creatures with heightened hearing.

"You avoided me and Jason for ages when you met us - that's gotta count for something. I mean - Jason I kinda get, but you know how irresistible I am..." he joked.

Sierra smiled appreciatively.

"Can I sit next to you?" she asked. "Maybe you can keep me in my seat - help me... behave?"

"Aw, you know behaving is not really my style," Devon smirked.

"Devon, please. You don't understand what this is like," Sierra pleaded.

"Oh come on. You know I'm just kidding around. Sit between me and Luc and get some grub in your stomach."

"Thanks," Sierra choked out, more relieved than he could have guessed.