by Linsey Hall
“Just take her,” one of the Shifters said. “We’re out of time.”
The other bent down and roughly gripped my arm, then threw a small stone to the ground. Glittering silver smoke whooshed up around us, and the ether sucked me in.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I collapsed to the ground a second later. Pain shot through my skull as it cracked on something hard. I went temporarily blind while hands roughly tugged my arms behind my back and wrapped thick rope around them. My ability to move had returned, but it wasn’t doing me much good in this state.
As my vision slowly cleared, I lowered my eyelids and kept my body limp as I tried to get my bearings. It was night here, wherever we were, and the moon shined upon tumbled stone ruins.
I’d hit my head on stone stairs. I blinked as my gaze traveled up them. The huge, ornate library building I’d seen when I’d spied with Nix and Del. The one with the ghostly prostitutes. Maybe they would help me.
No, of course not. They couldn’t make contact with living things beyond talking.
I was in this on my own.
A boot nudged my middle. I lay still, my panicked mind hamster-wheeling for escape plans.
“How the hell did she get into Amara’s collar? And what are we supposed to do with her?” one of the Shifters asked from behind me.
“I don’t fucking know, Caitlyn.” Panic sounded in non-Caitlyn’s voice.
“He’s expecting us to bring him the child. We’re already two days late.”
“It was his fault he wasn’t available before and we had to hang out in that damned Dawn Temple.”
“He won’t care about that!”
Him? The Monster. My heart thudded against my ribs.
“Call him, then. Maybe he’ll have some use for her, and it’ll buy us some time. We can’t be any later.”
Oh shit.
“Hey, what the hell is going on?” I demanded.
A boot kicked me again. “Shut up.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her—Caitlyn, I thought—walk away. She raised her wrist to her mouth and spoke directly at a silver bracelet.
A communications charm. Damn it. My heart thundered in my chest.
“Hey, I can help you get the girl,” I lied. “If you’ll let me out, I’ll know just how to do it.”
“Are you fucking kidding?” Not-Caitlyn walked around so that I could see her and glared down at me, her blue eyes sparking. The bag with the Heartstone was strapped over her back. My dragon sense pulsed, tugging me toward the bag.
“You think I’m going to believe some scum who sides with the Origin?” Not-Caitlyn said.
Okay, so Elenora was probably right about who these two were. Dougal’s daughters.
She tapped her chin. “Actually, if he let you ride on his back, he probably cares for you. Maybe we should kill you instead of turning you over to the boss. Let him know how it feels.”
Caitlyn walked back, stopping by her sister. “Chill out, Lorena. He’ll be here in a few minutes. She can’t be dead when he arrives, no matter how much I’d like to see the look on the Origin’s face when he realizes we killed his precious…” She frowned. “Rider? Who the hell are you, anyway? Why’d he let you on his back?”
Great. I was smack in the middle of some old blood feud, tied up with my hands facing away from my enemy so the only thing I could blast was some stairs, and these bitches wanted to either kill me or turn me over to some asshole.
This was going swimmingly.
“None of your damned business,” I said as I pulled on my magic, drawing deep. They thought they’d eliminated the threat by tying my hands so I couldn’t shoot them with fire.
They were so wrong.
I reached for my magic, sending it out toward the Shifters to get a feel for their power. There was no time to doubt myself now, just time for action.
It was the first time I’d mirrored a Shifter other than Aidan, and the muddy scent of their magic overwhelmed me. I barely resisted gagging.
But it was easy to get a handle on their wolves. So much faster than mirroring one of Aidan’s many forms. His power was so complex, but theirs was simple. One form. A cinch to mirror.
Heat and magic filled my limbs. My newly sensitive ears picked up whispers—the ghosts?—and my nose caught the scent of the nearby sea. A second later, my body shrank and twisted, singing with magic as my limbs bent to form canine legs and slip out of the restraints.
My vision sharpened, taking in the shocked expression on the Shifters’ faces. I’d changed so fast even I was impressed. A growl escaped my throat as I lunged at the woman nearest me. I sank my fangs into her calf, and blood gushed over my tongue. I didn’t have time to process the taste as I shook her and dropped her to her back.
I lunged for her throat, but dark magic vibrated the air. My fur stood on end and an unconscious whimper rose in my throat. I recognized that magic signature. I stumbled away from the Shifter I’d downed, almost going to my knees in fear.
A man stood at the top of the steps, only ten yards from me. He wore a suit, so benign for so much evil. His power rolled out from him, a tidal wave of strength comparable only to Aidan’s. The magic that radiated from him smelled like rot and decay. It felt like bee stings against my skin and tasted like death in my mouth.
I shuddered, frozen with terror.
Run!
My mind had fractured into two parts. The woman who fought like a demon and the little girl who recognized this man’s power. No. This Monster’s power. Because that was what he was. We hadn’t mislabeled him. Magic that felt like his was the darkest kind. Evil.
Demons poured out of the portal behind him. Five. Bodyguards?
I tried to stop the whimper that rose in my throat as I watched the downed Shifter scramble to her feet. The other approached the man, her shoulders slightly slumped. She was afraid of him too.
Smart Shifter.
She pulled the Heartstone from her bag and handed it to the man. It sparkled blue in the moonlight. My dragon sense tugged, but even it couldn’t pull me out of this fear-induced stupor. What the hell had he done to me in the past that I froze up in fear now?
That had never happened to me. I was the Huntress. I was action, not inaction.
The Monster gripped the Heartstone, not even bothering to acknowledge her. His gaze met mine.
Ice froze in my veins.
Recognition flared in his gaze. “Well, well. What do we have here? Doesn’t your magic feel familiar, little FireSoul wolf.”
His voice snaked around me, spurring me to action. I sprinted away, unable to help myself. Adult Cass—brave Cass—wanted to stay and fight. But I wasn’t that woman anymore. I was scared to the pads of my wolf feet, driven by memories I didn’t quite remember and instinct I couldn’t ignore.
I ran, frantically searching for a hiding place. There were fallen columns and tumbled walls, but nothing big enough. I sensed light a millisecond before pain slammed into me from behind.
I skidded along the ground, my tail and back lit up with heat. He’d thrown a fireball at me. The smell of my singed fur filled my nose as pain streaked through me.
Fear drove me to my feet. I was grateful for the fact that my Shifter form repelled the worst of his magic. A few more and I’d be down for the count, but I could still run now. The wall where I’d hidden with Nix and Del on our recon caught my eye. I raced toward it, desperate for cover. Another fireball shot straight by me, singing my fur but not landing.
I crouched behind the little wall, panting and quivering, then peered around the side. The Monster walked down the stone steps. His five demon guards fanned out behind him. The Shifters had turned into wolves. They stalked ahead of him, growling, their gray muzzles pulled back from sharp white teeth.
How the hell was I going to escape? Those wolves would run me down if his fireballs didn’t get me first.
Fight.
I shivered.
Fight.
I tried to shove away the fear, to su
rface from beneath the lake of terror that drowned me. I wasn’t that scared little girl anymore.
The memory of stabbing the cell guard and stealing his powers flashed in my mind.
Maybe I was that little girl. And like her, I was going to fight.
But I couldn’t do it as a wolf. I reached for my magic, imagined myself as human, and let the heat fill me. My limbs stretched and fur receded, leaving me naked but too damn pissed and scared to care.
I called upon my lightning, envisioning the hot white bolt and the crack of thunder, letting the crackle and glow fill me until my skin felt electrified. I’d use Aaron’s gift against the master who had enslaved him. As Aaron had wanted.
I surged to my feet and threw out my hands, sending a jet of lighting so big that my fingertips sparked. The bolt streaked through the air as thunder boomed.
Quick as a snake, the Monster raised his hand. The lightning bounced off an invisible shield, ricocheting up into the sky. From either side of me, ghostly blue figures surged forward.
Had backup arrived?
The transparent figures of the long dead ladies of the night surged toward the Monster and his pack. Their robes and elaborate hair flowed behind them. They weren’t able to make contact, but they startled him enough that I was able to call upon more lightning. I threw it toward him, immediately drawing upon more.
The Monster deflected the bolt with his shield, but the second hit. He barely stumbled though.
Damn, he was strong.
I raised my hands to try again, sweat dripping down my spine, but the Monster raised his hand and released a sonic boom. A wave of power unlike anything I’d ever felt blasted me backward.
My head cracked against the stone. Stars danced behind my eyes.
The force of his boom felt like it pulverized my insides, shattering my ribs and turning my organs to soup. My breath strangled in my lungs as I tried to suck in enough air to keep going.
As my vision began to clear, I struggled to push myself up. Something hard slammed against my throat and pushed me to the ground. Fear made my eyes fly open. The Monster loomed above me, his expensive shoe pressed against my throat.
I gagged at the feeling of being beneath his shoe. Naked. Without my weapons. Too weak to throw lightning. Rage suffused my fear, and I struggled to rise. He was too strong though, and I still too weak.
“Isn’t it a pleasant surprise to see you here, FireSoul.”
His voice was sickeningly pleasant, his face that of a nondescript middle-aged man. But his magic washed over me like a wave of tar, even worse than the collar at my throat.
I spat at him.
He pressed his foot down. Pain surged as my throat felt like it crunched.
“Now, now, that’s not very nice. Girls should be nice, shouldn’t they?”
Rage lit in my chest, hotter than a thousand suns. I tried to scream at him, but no sound could escape my throat.
“I’ve looked for you for years,” he said. “But how lucky I am to find you here. A gift.”
A gift?
“Fucck ouu.” The garbled words felt good.
“That’s not nice.” He leaned down to grab my arm. “Come on, we’ll teach you a lesson about how girls are supposed to behave.”
Oh hell no. I ignored the pain screaming through my body and reached deep for my magic. It electrified my skin, but before I could release a bolt of lightning, an enormous golden blur plowed into the Monster, lifting him off me and slamming him to the ground nearby.
Aidan stood over the Monster, who sprawled on his back, the Heartstone gripped in the fist nearest me. Aidan’s great claws dug into the Monster’s chest. Nix appeared at Aidan’s side a second later, looming over the Monster like an angel of death.
The Monster’s gaze met mine, fury burning in its depths. A second later, he disappeared.
The dark stain of his magic on the air followed him, but so did the tug of my dragon sense. I focused on it, trying to locate the Heartstone or the Monster, to finish the job we’d started.
But the Heartstone was gone. Like, really gone. Nowhere on earth that I could sense. Same with the Monster.
But how was that possible?
Growls sounded from my left. The wolves approached Aidan, snarling, and crouched low to pounce. Beyond them, Mathias, Del, Claire, and Connor fought the remaining demons. Fire and steel flashed through the air. Their master had taken his portal with him, so they were left for the clean-up crew.
My gaze was drawn back to Aidan. Nix lunged at one of the wolves, a long spear in her hand. But Griffin-Aidan stood stock still, his gaze on the wolf who approached him.
He wouldn’t kill her.
Of course.
His father had killed her father, but he wouldn’t kill her.
I didn’t have that problem. I leaned up on my elbow, tried my best to ignore the pain in my side, and sent an enormous bolt of lightning at the wolf. Thunder cracked and the white light lit up the ruins surrounding us. The wolf tumbled to its side.
As it staggered up, I sent another bolt, this one smaller. My power was waning. The wolf fell again. I’d have felt guilty if I weren’t wearing this collar and couldn’t remember Amara’s face.
The wolf climbed to its feet. Its thick Shifter hide would keep repelling my magic.
I closed my eyes and pushed the pain to the back of my mind as I reached out for the wolf’s signature. I was going to have to fight on her terms. The muddy smell of her magic filled my nose, but I resisted gagging. Power and heat filled my limbs as they shifted. Reshaping my bones and organs gave me strength, as if anything that had been wounded had now healed.
I climbed to my feet and charged her, the wind in my fur. She turned to meet me, snarling and snapping, then lunged toward me. We collided in a blur of fur and fangs. Her sharp teeth caught me in the side, but I bowled her over and snapped at her underbelly.
My lips grazed only fur as she jerked away, but I followed, vengeance and rage propelling me. I leapt upon her, going for her throat. My fangs sank deep, blood gushing over my lips and tongue. I shook my head, tearing at her flesh.
She shifted, the wolf disappearing to reveal the woman beneath me. I released my jaw and followed suit, transforming back to human. Her eyes were closed and her throat torn out, but she wasn’t dead yet. Close, though.
My mind flashed back to Aaron, to taking his power as he lay dying. To the cell guard who I’d killed as a teenager. Covetousness welled within me, the dragon in my soul rising. I tried to force it back. I hadn’t planned to take her power. Just to kill her.
But fire filled my soul, burning me from within. The flame spread through my limbs, licking at my skin. It raced away from me, faster than I could catch it.
I pressed my hands to her shoulders. The white flame reached out to her, sinking inside her, stealing her magic. I would take her wolf Shifter into myself. Hunger surged, a force of its own that operated outside of me. Joy flared as I stole from her.
My magic examined hers, veering away from the muddy part that reeked of betrayal and evil. It sought out the pure magic, the kind that hadn’t been tainted by this woman’s grief and rage, and drew it back into me.
Her wolf’s enhanced senses flashed through me. Her animal connection to the earth grounded me. The bright light of her magic replaced the fiery pain that filled my body.
When the last of her life’s blood drained onto the white marble, the magic in my collar died. My soul buoyed, my body stopped aching.
She’d been the one to put the collar on Amara. She’d been my master.
She’d deserved what she got.
I dragged a shaky hand over my sweaty brow. What had happened to me? I’d stolen her power—and I’d liked it. That hadn’t happened with Aaron. I crawled away from her, bombarded by my heightened senses. I shook my head and forced my new Shifter senses to fade so I could think.
I’d once said that I could never steal the gifts of an unwilling supernatural. That it would destroy me.
; I hadn’t realized I wouldn’t have a choice. The FireSoul within me had risen up, taken over. And I’d liked it. Too much.
Because I’d awoken it by embracing my magic?
I had no idea. But it scared me. Taking her power didn’t bother me as much as I’d expected it to. She’d been evil. She would have sold Amara to the Monster. Now I could use her Shifter power in my fight against him.
But the fact that I’d been compelled to steal it—like an addiction I couldn’t fight—freaked me the hell out. And I’d actually liked it? I shuddered.
I tried to shove the fear to the back of my mind, climbed to my feet, and looked around. My limbs felt like jello, so sitting would be good. Somewhere away from the Shifter’s body. I found a big stone block and collapsed onto it.
My friends were polishing off the demons, and the ghosts were sitting on the steps of the great building like they were watching a soccer game. Nix was backing away from the body of the other shifter. Like her sister, she’d also transformed in death.
Aidan approached me on two legs, apparently having changed back into his human form. He tugged off his jacket and crouched down, handing it to me.
“Thanks. I really gotta practice not incinerating my clothes.” I didn’t care so much about being naked while I was fighting. Trying to stay alive was pretty much the only thing on my mind. But the aftermath sucked. I wasn’t a huge fan of standing here stark naked. The memory of strapping my daggers to my thighs this evening flashed in my mind. Aidan had given those to me. “Damn it. I incinerated my daggers.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get you some new ones.”
I smiled. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I’d like to.” He reached out and helped me to my feet. My legs were still wobbly from using so much power, but at least the dark taint of the collar’s magic had faded.
I reached up and pressed the latch. Tensed, I waited a second. My muscles relaxed when the thing fell to the ground, harmless.