The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

His mouth opened, but nothing but blood came out. I
rose as I let go of him. He toppled, jerking as his blood
spilled freely.
“Well,” Casteel drew out the word. “That will not be a
quick death.”
Watching the stone turn black in the moonlight for a
moment, I looked at Casteel. “I was wrong before. Some
don’t deserve the honor of a quick death.”
One side of his mouth quirked, hinting at a dimple as his
gaze flickered over my face. “Such a stunning, vicious little
creature.”
I turned as Kieran stalked past me to where the body
thrashed on the ground. He planted a massive paw on
Alastir’s back, his claws digging in as he lifted his head to
the sky. A deep howl pierced the silence of the night,
echoing through the valleys and over the sea. Tiny
goosebumps prickled my skin. The sound was haunting,
seeming to hang in the air even after he lowered his head.
A heartbeat passed.
Down below, near the dark sea, a long, keening howl
answered. Farther out, there was another and another.
Then, throughout the city, hundreds answered Kieran’s call,
their yips and barks only overshadowed by the pounding
sound against the ground, the rush of their bodies racing
among the trees. The thousands of claws digging into soil
and stone.
They came.
Like one of the relentless waves crashing against the
rocks below, they came in flashes of fur and teeth, both
large and small. They came, and they devoured.