Blessing of Luna (Wolfgods Book 1) by Blaise Ramsay (best books under 200 pages .TXT) 📗

from the one he had when he was around Jill, Mack or Dr. Langston. His sense of danger rose to a level he'd never experienced before.

“Damien Pierce?” The taller of the two with a goatee and dreadlocked hair spoke to him in a smooth yet deadly voice. It almost sounded sinister.

He wore sunglasses despite the rain and almost pitch black sky. The only source of light came from a few street lamps.

“Maybe. Who's asking?” Damien staggered as he got up from his knee, his back braced against the wall to give him some sense of security.

The shorter man with the shaved head slammed him hard in the face with what felt like a set of brass knuckles, bruising his cheek almost instantly. It felt like getting hit by a truck or kicked by a draft horse. His vision blurred to the point it made him nauseous.

“Wise guy's got balls. Got to give it to you for guts.” He flicked his cigarette to the ground, stomping it out. “Nothing personal, but we're here to kill you.”

“Kill me?” Damien had no idea why anyone would want him dead. His heart pounded in his chest. His mind ran through any option he might have to help him escape. A sense of helplessness quickly filled him with doubt that escape was even possible.

The taller of the two stepped forward and grabbed Damien by the collar of his jacket. He lifted and threw him halfway the length of the alley. He flew through the air until he landed hard on the gray lid of one of those heavy green dumpsters, knocking the wind out of him. The slick surface of the lid made him slide to the ground, landing on his side with a thud.

The memory of getting hit by the SUV ran through Damien’s mind as he tried to catch a breath. His ribs ached with each attempt as he tried to lift himself up.

A sting in his leg made him look down to see blood pooling from the knee to the ground. His leg was broken.

Damien closed his eyes. His shoulder burned, feeling as if it had been fractured at the collarbone. His back hurt and his head felt like he might have a concussion. There was no way he could escape with the injuries he'd sustained.

The men walked down the alley towards Damien. Their steps slow like predators stalking prey they knew couldn't escape them. They seemed to relish the idea of finishing him off at their leisure.

Damien resigned himself to the thought he could actually die. There was no one outside since it was raining so trying to call out for help would be next to useless. He couldn't move or hope to fight them in his current state.

From the way he’d just been thrown, he doubted he could fight them regardless.

"That's a good boy. Just surrender and we'll make this quick." The shorter man loaded a clip into his firearm. His gaze shot up just as someone jumped from a roof above the scene.

Jill's sudden arrival brought Damien's hope back to life. It was like she dropped out of nowhere, her long coat blowing as she landed from what had to have been at least six stories high.

Water splashed into Damien's face forcing him to shake it off to get the dirt-mixed rain out of his eyes. Jill positioned her body in such a way it could serve as a shield between Damien and the men.

She looked over her shoulder. “Damien, how badly are you hurt?” She asked, her voice low and holding a more threatening tone than it usually did.

It took Damien a moment to think. “My leg's broken, my back hurts. I’m pretty sure my collarbone is fractured and my head feels like it could explode. Otherwise, I think I'm okay.”

A low growl escaped Jill’s throat as she turned to kneel next to Damien with no fear of exposing her back to the men.

There was something different about her. Almost as though her whole persona changed in response to him being in danger.

Taking an old tarp off of a stack of mattresses, Jill started covering Damien, making him look at her in question. Her hand cupped his face so gently it made his heart flutter in his chest. Her thumb lightly brushed the bruise on his cheek. The look in her eyes was so filled with pain, it made him feel like he'd just swallowed rocks.

What’s going on? Why is she looking at me like that? Damien thought, his own gaze meeting Jill’s.

“No matter what you may hear, please do not uncover yourself, okay?”

Damien nodded, not understanding why her voice held such a strong sense of desperation. It almost seemed like she was afraid to do what she felt she had to.

Her smile was saddened. A deep longing behind the words as she wrapped his knee with some material she tore from the inside of her coat to serve as a temporary tourniquet.

After Jill covered him, Damien could only see the silhouette of her boots as she turned on her heel.

“You had no right to hurt him. You filthy, bloodsucking parasites had no right to touch him. I'm going to make sure you regret every injury you inflicted with interest.”

The intensity in Jill's voice was unlike anything Damien ever heard from her. The voice he knew was soft, seductive and reassuring. This one was almost more of a low rasping growl than actual words.

Bloodsucking parasites? Sounds Damien never heard before followed the short exchanges accompanied by cursing from the two men.

Gun shots rang out as the men tried to defend themselves. Ripping, tearing, screams of pain and what sounded like a dog snarling and whimpering joined the gnashing of teeth as the fight went on.

Something metal bounced off of the concrete in front of Damien's face, making