Stay Away (The Beocraftian Gambit - Book One)

PROLOGUE

In the quiet of the night, the bellow of an anguished shifter broke the stillness, filling the dark woods with terror. Its roar shook the very foundation of the little cabin where the couple had camped out. Even though it came from a distance, it still had a terrifying impact on them.

Sinclair and Rebecca exchanged glances, fear lingering in their eyes. A tingle ran down the length of Rebecca's spine after the roar died. She recognized it.

"Oh, God. It's T-Murek." Her face paled. "He's here." She uttered a breathless gasp and whirled to face him with frightened eyes. "Phineus is still out there."

She quickly handed the baby in her arms to her husband, who stood paralyzed with fear and reached for the door.

"No, Rebecca!"

She tried to unlatch it, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"I have to save him!" she bawled, struggling to break free.

"No!" he bellowed. "If you go out there, you'll die!"

She persisted, pushing his fingers off her wrist. "But Phineus—he's out there. If I don't go now, T-Murek will kill him!"

Putting the baby gently in his crib, he turned to face Rebecca, pressing both hands on her shoulder to steady her and staring into her frightened eyes—as if trying to make her see reason.

"If you go out there—" He gestured towards the wooden brown door. "You will die." Drops of sweat formed on his forehead and rolled to his side. He clutched her arms in a death grip, never wanted to let go. "We have to go now," he begged, his voice sounding low.

Rebecca sobbed, her shoulder slumped and her cheek became wet with tears. "But my son, he will die! He will—" Her words were cut short after Sinclair seized her in a warm embrace.

A loud thud sounded after the door fell. A figure approached and stood at the entrance. The temperature in the room quickly dropped a chilling few degrees at the mere sighting of him. The haughty look on his white face sent a chill down Sinclair's spine.

Sinclair held out his arm to push his wife behind. Rebecca's eyes widened at the sight of the bloodstain on his lip. The stain on T-Murek's grinning lips only reaffirmed her fear. She tried to hold back the tears, but his name forced itself out of her mouth in a loud cry.

"Phineus!"

She charged at him. "You killed him, you sick bastard!"

"Rebecca!"

Sinclair held her back and got her under control. T-Murek pulled out his tongue and licked the blood off his lips. A childish cry whined in his ears. His grin widened after he saw the crib far across the cabin.

"Quick, Rebecca! Take the boy and get the hell out of here!" Sinclair roared.

"No!" she argued, then broke into a sob. "He'll kill you!"

"He'd kill us all if you don't go now with the boy."

T-Murek removed a small, shiny object from underneath his coat. A pocketknife with a jagged blade.

"Go now, dammit!" he barked on sighting the blade.

Without a word, Rebecca—acting on pure adrenaline, took the child from the crib and dashed through the door into the chilly waft of the night, making scared noises as she ran.

Looking over his shoulder, Sinclair saw that she had already left the room. He turned to snarl at T-Murek. "Leave my family alone. This is between us."

Sauntering towards him, T-Murek shot him a venomous glance. "Oh, but we now involved them in this mess you've created." His voice was gravelly and cold. He rubbed the knife against his palm and said, "I'd make sure your wife watches as I disembowel you."