And for a few wonderful moments, I’m winning. Gotta say, I’m loving this freaky new strength.

Belanger shouts at them, “For fuck’s sake, get him tied down.”

“He’s strong, Sarge.” Vander clutches his nethers with a scowl on his face.

Belanger’s not impressed. “He’s just a human brat.” He turns to the grizzly guy. “Adams, show the little shit who he’s messing with.”

I raise my fists. I assume Belanger means for Adams to take another run at me, maybe show me some fancy Guardian moves, but the man begins to strip. He unties his leather vest, drops it to the floor with a thud, and unbuckles his trousers. What the hell is he gonna do? Slap me with his dick?

When all his clothes lie in a pile on the ground, and he’s stark bollock naked, his bright eyes fix on me. His mouth twists with a cocky smirk.

I feel a sudden change in the Flame. The energy pulses and swirls, agitated, excited, the heat in my spine flaring. The air around Adams shimmers, silver sparks dance around his fingers. He looks me dead in the eyes. Then his whole body ignites into a rage of silver-white flames.

While I watch, mesmerized and dumbfounded, his body seems to fold in on itself, shifting and changing, half man, half beast. When the blaze of Flame leaves in a sudden gust, the creature left staring at me with the same feral glint in its eyes as Adams is a wolf.

A motherfucking wolf.

A massive, dark gray, grizzly thing, with paws like plates and teeth like a dinosaur.

With a deep growl, it runs straight at me and pounces to crash me back against the bars. Its gnashing jaws are level with my face, spraying spittle across my mouth. A stench of fur and fury assaults my nostrils. I grip the thick scruff at the side of its head and force its jaws back, but even with my added strength, I’m no match for this monster.

“Keep him there, Adams,” Belanger shouts. “You two, get the bars and get him cuffed.”

The two soldiers follow orders and grab a bar each. While I’m stuck in this position, keeping the creature from tearing a hole in my face, Vander fixes a manacle to my wrist. Collins fastens his to an ankle.

Frantic terror derails my strength. I lose my hold.

The wolf snarls, teeth scraping my jaw, but before he can make minced meat of my head, Vander pushes him off me, then jerks me by the manacle to swing me around and slam my face into the bars.