The League of Doorways (A Book of Vampires, Werewolves & Black Magic) (The Doorways Trilogy - Book Two) Read Online Free PDF Page A

noticed that her senses seemed to be alive somehow – burning inside of her. But as the smell of the other animals got stronger, she realised that it wasn’t just the feeling of hunger which was driving her forward – it was instinct, too. At the foot of the valley, the scent became so strong that it was almost overpowering. A thin , stringy line of dribble swung from her jaw and she flicked it away with her tongue. Her bright red eyes glowed fiercely in the approaching darkness.  Willow quickened her pace.
    Then she saw them, a herd of creatures like she had never seen before. They were smaller than her, their bodies covered in a white woollen coat, their faces black. They made a bleating noise, and this excited Willow. As her instincts took over, Willow crouched low in the long grass and crept towards the animals. Their smell became intoxicating and the desire to leap from her hiding place and attack was overwhelming. But she held back, making her way towards them, crouched so low that her fur-covered belly almost touched the ground. The creatures continued to bleat as they chewed the grass, unaware Willow was almost upon them.
    Then, launching herself forward on her hind legs, Willow sprang into the night, her huge claws and red eyes glinting in the moonlight. The sheep scattered , but there were some who just looked back, startled, wondering what had caused the others to race away. For one of them it was too late, as the giant wolf flew out of the night, sinking its razor-sharp teeth into its throat.
    The sheep made a whiny noise as blood, sticky and hot, gushed into Willow’s mouth. Willow’s stomach felt the promise of food, and she sank her jaws around the creature, its spine crushing beneath her hold. She tore the sheep apart in three quick shakes of her colossal head and began to eat. Ravenous, she ate, the taste of the animal’s flesh sedating her hunger. There was a sudden BANG from behind her. Willow lifted her head and looked back, red meat and flesh swinging from her jaws. At first, Willow wondered if it wasn’t the sound of her doorway reappearing. But the bang came again, and this time there was a bright flash of white light. Crouching, and smacking the meat from her jaws with her tongue, she heard another bang and then another flash of light. In that sudden brightness, Willow saw what looked like a man approaching, and it was the weapon he held in his hands that had made the noise and brought the light.
    “Filthy goddamn wolves,” the man roared, letting off another shot at Willow.
    The ground around her almost seemed to explode as the shot thundered into the ground by her paws. Willow leapt backwards, and howled.
    “I’m not scared of no wolf!” the man shouted, now running towards her. “Get off me land!” He fired again, the air around Willow exploding with another BANG and flash of light.
    Willow snarled at him, her snout rolling back to reveal her teeth. She didn’t want to hurt him. Not a man – a human.
    Then when the man was just feet from her, she looked upon his face, and now it was his turn to look shocked.
    “So they were right,” he gasped, raising his gun again. “They tried to tell us that those stories about the giant wolf appearing in London were just lies. They tried to kid us about the videos on the Net being fakes – but I knew there was something to it. Too many people saw...” before he had finished, he fired again.
    Willow scrambled around, her long, white tail knocking the shotgun from the farmer’s hands. He cried out in shock, not through pain, as Willow bounded away across the field. As she went, the night lit up again and again as the farmer fired at her retreating figure. With plumes of white breath coiling from between her jaws and her heart racing, she reached the edge of the valley and the wooded area. Looking back, she could see the outline of the farmer against the moonlight. Turning, she made her way back into the woods, and then stopped.
    There was