Special thanks to all my advanced readers who helped me edit this chapter and come up with questions!  

I've announced the STAWP art contest winners! To celebrate the first place winner, theirs is the official STAWP book cover this week! 

Saffron

"Wait," I cry, trying desperately to think of something to say—anything to stop the giant from shooting Amaryllis's mom.

He hesitates. His eyes widen, and his gaze turns to me. "What do I do?" he cries, sweat dripping down his forehead. "You killed Robbie! How could you kill Robbie?"

"He's not dead, I swear." I look down at Robbie just in case, but his chest continues to rise and fall. "He probably just fainted."

"Fainted? Yeah, that's right. He fainted! That's what happened." The giant's voice fills with relief and he starts to nod. With each jerk of his head, more sweat slides down his face, and he's forced to blink it away.

I relax, just a little, and send up a quick prayer to the Moon Goddess. Please, I beg. Please let him wipe away the sweat. Just for a second. Just long enough to lower the gun. A second is all my wolf and I need. We're both ready to shift, we just need an opportunity... and maybe some divine intervention.

I can almost feel the Moon Goddess listening, and the giant starts to blink faster against the dripping sweat. I hold my breath, but his grip on the gun doesn't waver. Then, a second later, there's a clang, and Jess starts to cough to mast the sound of her trying a new key on the cell door.

"I'm going to shoot," the giant shouts, his eyes on me but the gun trained on Amaryllis's Mom. His hands are shaking so much that I pray he'll drop his weapon. He doesn't.

"Please don't shoot her," I beg. Jess starts to cough again, and the clanging resumes. The giant looks even more agitated, but it gives me an idea. "Look, what if we both went into one of the cells? You can lock us in until Robbie wakes up or Kyle gets back. Then you won't have to shoot anyone."

If he locks us in a cell, Jess can wait until his back is turned, break out of her cell, and knock him unconscious. We might even be able to convince him to go look for Kyle, and then we can all break free.

I look at the giant hopefully, and he hesitates, considering it. It seems to take him forever, and sweat continues to drip down his face. He has to blink against it repeatedly, and he even ends up licking some of it away, but doesn't lower the gun.

"Please," Amaryllis's mom begs.

Mom? Amaryllis lets out a surprised whimper. She races across her cell, still in wolf form, and sticks out her nose out of her cell.

Rylie, stay back, her mom cries. Please, honey.

"That's your daughter?" the giant demands.

"Yes. Please don't hurt her! Just lock us up in a cell and we won't cause any trouble."

"Fine." The giant grunts. "On your feet."

Amaryllis's mom starts to stand, but then all hell breaks loose. The lights go out. A gun shot rings out, echoing through the pitch-black hallway. Someone screams—I think it's Amaryllis's mom—and the giant lets out a string of curse words. Keys clang madly from the direction of Jess's cell. Someone whimpers. An alarm starts blaring, drowning out Amaryllis's panicked shouts.

It all happens so fast that I don't have time to react. Luckily, I have my wolf now, so I don't have to. We're already shifting, and my beautiful Saffron dress—the one Luna gave me, the first true gift since Mom died—shreds around me as I transform from human to wolf.

The loss is a pang, which only fuels my anger, an emotion my wolf echoes. The only thought on her mind is attack, yet she doesn't try to take over. She's just there, guiding me... helping me react before my thoughts can catch up.

It feels like we're one, my wolf and I, racing down the hall together as we prepare to attack. She puts one paw after the other, moving our wolf form more quickly then I've ever thought possible. I'm there to warn her to steer off to one side, in case the giant starts shooting.

Suddenly, I feel my body tense. My wolf reminds me of the spot where Amaryllis's mom was crouched before the lights went out. I know what we're going to do before it happens, before we push off from the dusty floor and fly through the air. If my wolf miscalculated—or if Amaryllis's mom tries to stand—we'll crash into her, but it's too late to change trajectory now.

Luckily, her aim is true, and we land safely on the other side. My wolf reminds me of the exact spot where the giant stood and I know she plans to lunge for his throat next.

No, I warn. The gun.

If he's still pointing it straight out, he'll end up shooting us. It'd be safer to go around him, or...

We switch direction and aim for the spot where the giant's left leg should be. When we bite down, we encounter cloth, then flesh, then bone. Bullseye.

The giant roars. The sound is almost completely drowned out by the blaring alarm, but I don't miss the pain or outrage. He grabs us by the scruff of our neck and I feel a heavy object slide down my back and clutter to the floor. His gun!

My heart leaps at how close we just got to getting shot, before I realize we're far from safe. The giant is strong—too strong. He manages to rip our jaw off his leg and lifts us over his head.

If I was on my own, I'd be crashing to the floor by now, but I have my wolf. She's got instincts I just don't have, and she manages to twist our body just right. We slip from the giant's grip and land safely behind his back, prepared to attack.

My wolf doesn't care what we bite—his other leg, his arm, his shins—whatever bit of flesh is closest—but I remember Dad's training.

The neck. We need to go for his neck. I picture the exact set of veins and arteries we need to puncture, and my wolf responds to my mental image. She sends one of her own, of the giant's bent-over form as he grabs for his torn calf.

My eyes widen. I can't see a thing in the dark, not even with my night vision. If there were any light at all—a crack in the wall, a cell phone, anything—my eyes would have adjusted by now. This place though... it's pitch black.

There's nothing to guide us except instinct. Dad taught me to fight blind—to rely on my other senses—but not like this. Not with an alarm blaring to drown out almost all sound. When Dad made me fight with a blindfold, I could hear him breathe. I could focus on the sound of his limbs speeding through the air in a punch or kick, and I could fight. With the alarm blaring, all I catch is the tail end of the giant's grunt, but my wolf sends me a mental image of him getting up.

I have to trust her. I have no choice, so I let her guide me as we pounce. Together, we aim and snap our jaw around the giant's neck. We pierce skin. The spot feels right.

Then, we let go and the giant comes crashing down to the dirt floor. Hopefully unconscious, not dead, but definitely out of commission. 

❀Questions?❀

❀Comments?❀

✿What did you think of this chapter? 👍/👎?✿

❁ What started the blackout and set off the alarm? Any guesses? I mean, I know, but that would be cheating!

❁ You heard that gun shot. Do you think Amaryllis's Mom is dead?!?! 

❁ And what was up with the giant freaking out so much? What had him sweating? I got one awesome theory from an advanced reader, I think you know who you are!!!

❁ And what sort of wolf is Saffron's dad? Why did he teach her all this stuff? Or do you think there's just something epic about our Saffron? Something special? Something unique? 

❀ Character Battle by anonymous ❀ The gauntlet has been thrown. Two characters will fight it out to the finish, but which will take home the gold? It's character battle time!  Name any two characters and pick the type of battle. Debate who you think will win! (e.g., Dance Contest: Saffron from STAWP vs. Bella from Twilight --> I vote Saf because Bella is clumsy!)