MACE

My chest heaved.

I stared at my hands—human hands again—trembling violently against my own ribs. I rubbed them together, hard, trying to friction away the sensation of searing heat that wasn't there anymore. The damp chill of the morning forest felt alien against skin that, seconds ago, felt like it was crackling off my bones.

"What the fuck was that?" I whispered again to the empty ridge.

My voice sounded wrecked. Raw.

The mist below swirled innocently now. No shadows. No phantom wolves. Just fog and pine.

But I knew what I’d seen. I knew what I’d felt.

I hadn't just fallen. I'd been pulled. Dragged across some invisible...