Chapter 6

Cadence approached Harlan. She kept her voice quiet, asking where she could wash up away from the prying eyes of the main camp.

Harlan nodded understandingly. He pointed toward a secluded bend in the river located just outside the main wooden palisade.

He walked into his hut and grabbed a relatively clean, soft animal hide. He handed it to her to use as a makeshift towel.

They walked side-by-side to the riverbend. The rushing sound of the water grew louder, masking the crunch of their footsteps on the gravel.

Harlan stopped at the edge of the dense tree line. He stated firmly that he would stand guard facing the forest to ensure her privacy. He turned his broad back to the water.

Cadence thanked him sincerely. She felt a deep sense of security with his massive, imposing presence standing watch.

She stepped behind a large, mossy boulder. She shivered slightly in the evening breeze as she stripped off her dusty, sweat-stained modern clothes. She folded her jacket neatly on the rock.

She waded into the cool, crystal-clear water. She let out a soft sigh of relief as the grime washed away from her skin. The cold water soothed her tired muscles.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of cold, slit-like reptilian eyes watched her every move from the tall reeds on the opposite bank.

Cristian Pope, the rogue Serpent-Shifter, glided silently into the water. His movements caused barely a ripple on the surface.

Cadence ducked her head completely underwater. She used her fingers to vigorously scrub the dirt from her scalp.

She surfaced, wiping the water from her eyes. On the shoreline, Harlan's acute senses suddenly flared. He stiffened, his ears twitching sharply. A faint, unnatural disturbance in the water's current and an icy, metallic scent triggered his deepest predatory instincts. He spun around, his eyes scanning the dark water frantically, his muscles coiled to strike, but the intruder's stealth magic masked its exact location.

She suddenly froze. An eerie, unnatural chill ran down her spine, raising goosebumps on her arms.

The water surface rippled unnaturally. It formed a distinct V-shape heading directly toward her waist.

A massive, terrifying silver-scaled serpent head rose from the depths. Water cascaded off its smooth, deadly snout.

Cadence opened her mouth to scream. Sheer, paralyzing terror locked her vocal cords tight. No sound came out.

The serpent shifted in a blinding blur of motion. It instantly turned into a breathtakingly handsome, unnaturally pale man.

Cristian wrapped a cold, incredibly powerful arm around her bare waist. He jerked her flush against his hard, freezing chest.

The instant Cristian broke the surface, Harlan locked onto the threat. He did not wait for her to cry out. A thunderous, earth-shattering roar erupted from his throat as he launched himself from the tree line, shifting into his massive, lethal tiger form mid-leap.

He dipped his head. He inhaled deeply against her wet, exposed neck. His silver eyes darkened with sudden, violent obsession.

He whispered in a silky, hypnotic voice. "Your scent is the most intoxicating thing I have ever encountered. You smell so pure, completely devoid of this land's wildness, like a distant, untouchable star."

The physical contact broke Cadence's paralysis. She finally found her voice. She let out a piercing, terrified scream that tore her throat.

She thrashed wildly in the water. She pushed her hands desperately against Cristian's immovable chest, trying to break his iron grip.

Harlan crashed through the reeds, soaring entirely across the shallow water. He launched himself like a furry missile directly at Cristian's head.

Cristian cursed under his breath. He was forced to release Cadence's waist to dodge the incoming lethal claws.

Cadence stumbled backward in the fast current. She scrambled frantically onto the rocky shore, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She grabbed her hide towel and clutched it tightly to her chest.

Harlan landed heavily in the water between Cadence and Cristian. He bared his massive fangs in a murderous, deafening snarl. Water sprayed everywhere.

Cristian stood waist-deep in the water. His expression shifted from surprise to a look of arrogant amusement.

He slowly wiped a single drop of blood from his pale cheek. Harlan's claw had narrowly grazed him.

Cristian smirked. His chilling silver eyes locked onto Cadence over the tiger's broad, protective back.