All's Were That Ends Were - Krystal Shannan Page 0,1

her finger and rotated it. The solitaire diamond dug into her skin as she turned the ring. Around and around. Around and around. She hadn’t been able to take it off.

Not yet, anyway.

She turned back to the dumpster on the far side of the back lot near the trees and hefted the bag up again. Why couldn’t the damn thing be right beside the back door?

“Dawn Mikkelson,” a harsh male voice spoke her name with enough malice to make her gasp. “You need to leave Mystery.”

She dropped the trash bag, fear gliding up through her body like a rising tide rushing to drown her. Dawn whirled and slammed into a large body.

Dammit. Where did he come from?

Arms closed around her and she squirmed, slipping down out of his grasp for a moment.

“Bitch!” he said, his voice a snarl. Thick fingers curled around one of her arms and tightened until she whimpered from the pain.

“Let me go,” she said, trying desperately to keep the fear out of her voice. She grabbed at his fingers and pulled, but it was like trying to get a stone statue to bend. She sucked in a breath to scream, but he grabbed her by the neck, choking out any noise she could’ve made and carried her the last few steps to the dumpster.

He slammed her back into the unforgiving metal with a thunk. The back of her head hit and everything around her went a little fuzzy. The hand around her throat tightened and she fought hard for her next breath.

The tide was over her head now.

Pain lanced through her arm and her neck and now her lungs burned. It was like drowning without the water. “P-p-please,” she coughed up.

“If you know what’s good for you, sell the bar and leave Mystery,” he said, his voice getting even thicker. He slammed her against the dumpster again and she couldn’t hold in the choked yelp.

Something was running down the back of her neck. Warm and oozing. Why had she come outside in the first place? Where was she? It was so dark and spotty. The world was spinning around her.

A snarl and flash of black and orange hit the man holding her and suddenly she could breathe again. Another growl rumbled near her. She rubbed her neck and focused on breathing. Air was possible now. The burning was slowly fading. The black spots in her vision were also fading away.

The man who attacked her was screaming, but the screaming was getting further away.

There was a wolf and a…

Dawn blinked again. It couldn’t be real. She couldn’t possibly be looking into the golden eyes of a tiger. A living breathing orange and black cat bigger than anything she’d ever seen at a zoo with fangs that looked like they belonged in the prehistoric era. And beside him was a black wolf. Also, gold eyes. Also, bigger than any wolf had a right to be.

She should be screaming right now.

That would be the right thing to do.

Warn people she was about to be eaten by wild animals.

She opened her mouth to scream and nothing came out but a tiny gasp of air.

The tiger walked closer. She stayed still on her hands and knees in the parking lot. Maybe if she didn’t move. Maybe if she didn’t run.

The tiger rubbed the side of its face against hers. The fur was exquisitely soft. He was purring too. A tongue snaked across her cheek and then he rubbed her with his cheek again.

“Please don’t eat me,” she whispered, her voice raspy and broken.

The wolf huffed out a soft bark.

The tiger swung his big head to look at the canine and bared his teeth. Huge teeth. His fangs were easily a foot long. Tigers didn’t have fangs like that. Of course, tigers weren’t as big as this guy was either.

The tiger turned, putting its focus back on her.

She whimpered a little.

The tiger responded by licking her cheek again. Like a house cat. His tongue was rough and soothing and except for the fact that his mouth was right there next to her face. Those jaws were about to make her pee her pants.

The wolf huffed again and trotted for the trees behind her, disappearing into the underbrush.

The tiger chuffed, like he was pissed, but he gave her one more lick and then loped after the wolf like they were best buds just out for a stroll.

All the air left her lungs and she collapsed to the ground. Tears poured down her cheeks