THE CLAIMING (The Chosen Series #1)

Маленький волк

Washing my face, I use my fingers to comb the knots from my curls and take a moment to survey my reflection in the mirror. My eyes seem different. The usual deep brown irises are now flecked with gold, an unsettling similarity to the other mated women downstairs. My hair appears almost unnaturally lustrous, and my ordinarily pale skin has taken on an almost eerie translucence. Great, now I look like Bella or whatever the chick's name was from that vampire movie. Weren't there wolves in that too?

Shuddering, I move back into the bedroom and crawl onto the massive bed, letting the sun coming through the glass windows warm my body. Closing my eyes, I allow my mind to drift.

<Doe.>

Griffin's voice slithers into my thoughts. Too drained to block him completely, I begrudgingly grant him a sliver of access. Our minds intertwine.

< I can feel you again.>

My heart tightens. The emotions seeping from Griffin are overwhelming, but I forcefully restrict their impact, only allowing a fraction to penetrate my consciousness.

<Come back. Can't control them without you.>

<Them, who's them>

<The voices Ava. HIS voice. Only you make them stop>

Agitation floods the bond. He's pacing, I sense. Reluctantly opening our connection a bit more, I catch a glimpse of him, his shirt torn, blood streaking his torso.

<You need to come home,> his voice distorts, turning bestial, <before I make you>

Anger, a primal fury, seethes through him. This is not the person I thought I knew.

<They cannot keep you from me, MATE. YOU. ARE. MINE.>

Fear courses through me, and I abruptly sever the connection. Trembling, unable to reconcile the beast with the man, I sit up. It's then that I hear shouts and cries from downstairs.

Hurrying down, I open the door and rush downstairs. Chaos reigns. One of the men, a tall blond guy, maybe Thor's brother, is slouched on a chair, his upper torso gruesomely lacerated. Deep gashes dissect the flesh, blood pooling everywhere.

The women work urgently to mend him. Yet, from where I stand, I witness his skin start to knit together on its own. Watching with a mix of horror and fascination, I almost miss the other three men in similar states. Erin is off to their right, looking unnaturally pale.

Moving to her side, I whisper, "what happened?"

She glances at me, her eyes surprisingly bloodshot, swallowing hard. "I was, I was on the phone, umm." Her eyes dart around the room, landing on Liam, "um, I ran into, ah Liam, and we, we heard shouts, and we ran, well, Liam ran, and I tried to but couldn't keep up." Shaking her head, she continues, "It was almost a massacre. Ava, I, I..."

"It was Griffin," Liam interjects, "well, his beast," he adds, mumbling and moving to stand beside me, allowing Erin a break, "he's demanding we give you to him, and if not..." his words trail off, glancing towards the injured men.

"Ava," Erin murmurs, her tone hushed. "According to the others, he was unstoppable, deranged, until he said your name. Only then did he stop."

The mind connection.

"I connected with him," I murmur back, then quickly add, "but only briefly."

"Well, that brief moment saved their lives," Liam adds, his body pulsating with adrenaline. "Damn, I didn't realize how powerful he could be."