Compelled (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 5)

Turned out getting to the end was easier said than done, especially after I started to vomit every few steps. The only bonus was the little froden hadn’t left me yet, and its presence was somewhat comforting as it pressed against my foot every time I stopped.

Its presence also appeared to be deterring other bowling balls. I’d heard a few thuds, but the creatures never came too close to my new animal companion.

“Still not in a fucking fairy tale,” I shouted to the sky. Fate had a wicked sense of humor, but I didn’t hate my new companion.

We pushed on through the forest until we arrived at a small stream. It couldn’t be the large waterway that had been described by Julietta, but maybe it was an offshoot of that, which would mean I was heading in the right direction, at least.

I didn’t trust the water was clean enough to drink, but I did splash my face to refresh myself from the vomiting and to, hopefully, wake me up enough to reach the finish line. No doubt the other vamps were far ahead now, but I’d never been competing with any of them. My determination to finish was for one reason only: I was going to kick Hattie’s ass.

The stream wasn’t deep, so I thought nothing of splashing into it to cross to the other side. Should have known nothing would be that straight forward in this obstacle course. The moment my boots hit the sandy bottom of the creek’s center, they sank to my ankles, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t pull them free. The worst part was every time I wiggled, all I did was sink deeper.

The froden, who I’d nicknamed Bowley, short for bowling ball, sat on the side staring at me with those huge eyes, probably wondering what sort of moron drowned in three feet of water. Bending down, I tried not to jolt myself deeper as I worked the laces of my boots, hoping to slip my feet free. I got the right out easy enough, but by the time I had, the left was deep enough that my entire boot was covered. Gathering up my strength, right foot pushing off the remains of my boot, I yanked my left with all the strength I had.

I didn’t think it was going to work, but at the last second before my energy gave out, there was a pop as I was thrown across to the other side, landing ungracefully on the bank.

Breathing heavily, I looked over to see Bowley curl up in a ball and scoot across the top of the water like it was skating over ice. It reached me in a second, and now I knew how to cross water here—swim without touching the bottom.

Pushing to stand, there was a moment where my legs didn’t hold me, but somehow, I found the fortitude to stay upright. Moving forward, I tried to ignore the hot and cold flushes in my face and the faint taste of vomit in my mouth that made me want to heave. Not to mention the cramps that felt like they were going to kill me. But I didn’t stop. No fucking way was I letting Hattie win. That backstabbing bitch was going down.

The next obstacle in my path turned out to be water again, only this time it was boiling. As I closed in on the massive hot springs, steam shot up from where they bubbled. Judging by the temperature of the air, I could only assume falling into this water would mean instant death.

There was only one path through the center, trees blocking both the right and left side. I took my time, moving very slowly, until I eventually reached the final stretch of hot spring. Of course, when I was two feet from freedom, the narrowest section of path crumbled under my feet.

A shriek escaped, just as my new friend, already proving more loyal than the last one, bowled into me from behind and sent me flying. I landed hard, my head slamming into a tree, and there was a brief moment where I lost consciousness.

The next thing I felt was a sharp nudge at my side. Forcing my eyes open, I found Bowley rolling into me, making small snuffling sounds. Thankful my little buddy hadn’t been boiled, I turned to see what had it so riled up and gasped as a tracker ren loomed over the top of me.

Holy sins of the shadow beast.

This was it, the way I was going to go out… eaten by a damn bird and all of its family.

“Fuck you, Hattie,” I screamed, and it was so sudden that the ren jumped back a foot from me.

Finding strength I didn’t know I possessed, I lurched to my feet and dove toward it, claws springing to life as my wolf raged through the pain in our body.

Maybe this was what I’d needed all along to get my wolf moving.

Life and death. Fight or flight.

Base instinct.

I’d never know if it was the screaming, the claws, or my vomit-breath, but the tracker ren decided it wasn’t interested in my particular brand of crazy today, taking off into the air. My adrenaline died off as quickly as it’d arrived, and I ended up in the fetal position, hugging my gut to ease the one big cramp that felt like it was taking me over completely.

“Save yourself, Bowley,” I croaked as it rolled close to my face. “I’m done for.”

Bowley was not the best listener, since it didn’t move at all, not even when I started vomiting again, and all that came up this time was red liquid.

Whether the blood was Lucien’s or my destroyed stomach lining, it was not a good sign, so I forced myself once more to stand. The vomiting episode had eased my cramps for a moment, so I started to run. This was it, my last chance to make it out of here before my body quit on me completely.

I’d done a lot of hard shit in my life, and this was just one more to add to the list.

Hattie thought I was weak and that she could take me out, but she had no idea the determination I’d been born with.

Not to mention if I died here today, I’d never have another moment with Lucien, and that was too terrible a thought to even consider.

I was already on a countdown clock, and I would not have that cut short.

Not by any fucking vampire.