In the silvery waterfall of moonlight, Jonathan Aztec, my second in command, holding rank as Beta of the Northridge pack, was something to behold. His powerful shoulders seemed to carry the waning gibbous, and the shadows that devoured the vast grounds of Battleridge manor granted him a wide berth.
He was a superior specimen. He was a male worthy of the ranking he'd been bestowed. But like all creatures, he wasn't born perfect, and his character flaw was a fault that bled out into the night like a severed artery: Concern.
It charged the air between us, a thick blanket that settled against the lungs like a boa-constrictor's loving embrace.
"What did you find?" I asked. The perverse silence that had entombed the dilapidated courtyard, screaming so loud it rang through my ears like a twisted lullaby, was shattered upon his approach. His boots smacked against the waterlogged ground, echoing in a way that spoke of his failures before he'd even opened his mouth. 
"Nothing,"
.......
"Until I can figure out what's going on, nobody finds out about the boy. Understand?"
"Understood."
"You're not going to ..." The pause that followed dragged out. "He's just a baby, Sterling."
"You're dismissed."

The Littlest Light

And if that wasn't motivation to haul ass. Cyrus was up like a springboard, and Lumen's hysterical sobs blended well with the demonic screeches that pierced the air. The ground beneath my feet felt fragile, as though ready to cave at any moment, and every instinct screamed at me to bolt, to run as fast and as hard as I could, but it was overridden, iron will keeping me five feet behind the lion and the boy.

Another step from the seaweed abomination. Another round of kissing dirt.

It seemed as though everything was stuck in slow motion; we finally reached the highest point, a heightened arc that overlooked the entire wasteland, making the city look tiny, even if the fucking monstrosity gaining on us looked very, very humongous.

/"Now what?/" Cyrus gasped as he set Lumen down. The boy looked barely conscious; dripping wet from head to toe, hair plastered across his face and tears running freely from his eyes, my heart broke for him.

Chapter126