Aubrey sucked in a deep breath, not denying it. “Give me something here, Jay! I can’t just sit here and let this happen. I can’t be the one to plug you with a dart that may kill you. Don’t ask me to do that!”
His anger rose, his own frustration getting the better of him. “Do you think I like this idea? Do you think this is going to be a fucking party for me?” He punched the mattress then got up, wanting to just get clear of the room to calm down before he said something he’d regret.
She came at him though, blocking him, all up in his face. “And what? This is a good fucking time for me? You’re asking me to hurt you!”
“I’m asking you to do your duty. To the pack and to me. What’s the problem? It’s not like you’ve never shot a beast before.”
She flinched. And he regretted that he’d hurt her but he wasn’t going to take it back. It was the truth and if he couldn’t tell the truth to Aubrey, then they were doomed.
She glared at him, pain flashing in her eyes to be replaced by determination. “Suit yourself, asshole.” And then she spun and walked away, slamming the door on her way out.
His shoulders dropped, his anger falling with it. If that was what it took for her to do what she needed to do, then so be it. They’d make up on the other side of the shit-show.
A wave of dizziness hit him like a train and he collapsed to his knees, a sudden stabbing pain in his head making him moan.
“What the fuck?” He gripped the sides of his head. It felt like someone was prying his skull open with a blunt knife.
Everything faded to black when he hit the floor.
“Jaylon?” A voice came like an echo, banging around in his head like a thunderclap. “Jay!”
“Yeah, man, I’m here.” Jay pushed himself up. It was foggy, dark, like a bad horror movie.
“Listen to me.” A shadowy figure loomed above him. Too big for a human.
“Raven?” It sounded like an amped up version of his pack mate. Too gruff or something, not totally recognizable.
The figure gave a harsh laugh. “Yeah, Raven.”
“Where are you guys? Mayhem is worried.” Jay waved the fog around, to dispel it. It just swirled, growing thicker.
“I’m in your head. Calling you,” Raven said. “Hive mind. We are one. You need to come. Join me.”
Jay winced as another slice of pain ratcheted through his head. “Fuck, are you doing that?”
Raven held out his hand, an offering for help.
Jay didn’t hesitate—he took it.
When he made contact, he realized his mistake. The hand he grabbed wasn’t a hand at all. It was a clawed paw, attached to a huge motherfucking beast with yellow eyes.
“We are one.” The beast growled, fangs bared as he lunged for Jay’s throat.
Chapter Eighteen
An undercurrent of anxiety pumped through Aubrey’s veins as each passing minute brought them closer to morning. “Do we even know where this portal is supposed to open?”
Summer checked her weapons, touching each one on her belt. “Ariana said that it looked like the backyard, near the gazebo.”
“And we’re sure it’s happening here?” Aubrey wasn’t convinced any of this was going to happen the way the clairvoyant had predicted. “I mean, there are gazebos everywhere.”
“Darcy is going to come through looking for help.” Mayhem approached them from behind. “She’ll open it here.”
Aubrey shook her head. “There are too many unknowns.” And she hadn’t even spoken to Jay since their fight. What if it was the last thing they said to each other? What if their last interaction was an argument? She pushed those thoughts from her head, ran her fingers over the feathers of her arrows before plucking one for Summer. “Here.”
Summer took the arrow and moved off to the side.
“Why are you so calm?” she addressed Mayhem, letting her irritation with him, with the situation, come through.
He cocked an eyebrow, letting her know she was crossing a line with him. “You see Jay?”
“I left him in our room hours ago. I’m assuming he’ll meet us out here in a few.” Aubrey was certain she’d see him waltzing out any minute, looking like his usual cocky self.
“To answer your question.” He put his hand on her shoulder, weighing her down with it. “I’m not calm. I’m just better at hiding it. We have a lot in the balance here. I recognize that. And if I thought there was another way, I’d take it. We’re in this war whether we like it or not. Darcy and Raven need our help. We have to get them back. The bottom line is that we’re unprepared and it’s my fault.” He lifted his hand. “You’re carrying a heavy burden in this plan. If you don’t want to take the shot at Jay, Hannah will do it.”
Like hell. Aubrey squared her shoulders. “No one could see this coming, May, and with all due respect, no one is going to be taking that shot but me.”
Mayhem nodded, satisfied. “Very well.”
Summer approached with the enhanced arrow. “It’s on there good and tight. The dart needs to embed pretty deep, the full symbol has to be under the skin—in the muscle if possible.”
Aubrey took the arrow. She was going for his ass. Less chance she’d fuck up and hit any vital organs and the meatiest part of a beast’s body. Plus, Jay deserved a kick in the butt.
“Sun is coming up.” Mayhem started walking toward the forest line. “Get yourselves in position. I told the boys to meet me in the usual spot this morning so I can tamp down any aggression that might happen if someone goes beast too soon.”
Aubrey frowned as she watched Mayhem walk away. “Didn’t Ariana say that the prophecy happened when the sun was up, like high in the sky?” It was still dark out—not pitch black, but it still felt like nighttime. The sun was going to hit the horizon any second. She was just as tuned in to that time of day as Jay was.
Hannah came out of the house, followed by the rest of the group, Ariana, Lance, Greer and Harper.
“Yeah, she did.” Ariana glanced around.
“So what does that mean?” Aubrey secured her quiver to her back and nocked Summer’s arrow.
Her question went unanswered. As the day broke, everything just happened. No time to think.
The eerie sound of Mayhem howling, usually a welcomed noise, made her shiver. Everyone in the group turned, tension high as they waited. The thunderous roar of paws hitting dirt came at them within seconds. The boys were on their way.
The prophecy said that Jay wouldn’t go beast until he saw Raven. She didn’t know how much time that meant, so she prepared to take the shot at him as soon as he was within range. Drop him fast and early, put him out of the game, and hopefully out of danger. Perfect plan, as long as she didn’t kill him with her poison.
So she waited, breath held, arms steady, string kissing her nose, ready to let the arrow fly.
A snap of magic made her flinch, distracting her from her target as she shifted her eyes toward the rest of the group. The air was shimmering only a few feet away.
“Party time,” Greer said as she raised twin blades, one in each hand.
The zing of metal made its rounds. Lance pulled his sword, Ariana her two wicked looking sickles. Summer held her throwing knives. Hannah mirrored Aubrey with a bow and arrow nocked. She wasn’t as good—not as accurate but she could hit a target pretty well, if not in the bullseye, definitely close to. She’d be able to poison a beast if nothing else.
Everyone was amped. Aubrey could feel the electricity of excitement, fear, the craving for blood. She zeroed back on her target. The boys were just out of range, all wolves still. Thank fuck for that.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the portal shimmer, coming to life, crackling with power. When it opened, it was like a curtain drawing back in a theatre, sweeping into a wide scene, Darcy at the forefront. The sun glaring down, blasting the lingering darkne
ss around Aubrey and the others.
So that was what Kelly had seen. Wherever Darcy was, it was later in the morning.
Aubrey gave her friend a quick once over, noting that Darcy was bloodied, stumbling toward them, her mouth open like she was screaming something at them. Aubrey got a little closer, maintaining her hold on her arrow, dividing her attention between the portal and Jay. She needed to take the shot as soon as he was within range.
Aubrey shifted her gaze over at the wolves, almost there, almost time.
Darcy’s voice came to them like a balloon being popped. “Stop Raven!”
Aubrey looked past Darcy. Over her shoulder in the near distance was a gigantic beast, raging over a handful of cowering women.
“Stop Raven before he kills them! The Huntresses, all of them will die!” Darcy’s words hit Aubrey, killing her concentration.
The portal opened wider. Aubrey shifted, taking aim at Raven. She had the shot; she could take Raven out. She heard a roar, swiveled her eyes to see Jay locked on the same image, his wolf looking fierce as it slowed. He stumbled, caught himself before coming to a dead stop, the intensity of his stare terrifying. He huffed once, twice, his body seeming to grow with each breath.
“He’s going beast!” Greer shouted. “Take the shot!”
Aubrey gulped back her fear, took aim at Jay.
Darcy screamed. “He’s going to kill them!”
Aubrey hesitated, glancing once again at the scene in the portal. Raven reared, claws up, fangs bared. Those women were going to die. No one else could take the shot. No one else could get that distance.
Hannah tried. She launched her arrow and it skittered just within the portal opening.
“Take the shot, Bree,” Summer screamed. “Jay is changing!”
“We’ve got this. Do what you need to do.” Greer ran past her into the portal, no hesitation. No fear. Ariana and her crew followed, ready to battle, war-crying their way through.
Their action snapped Aubrey back. She adjusted her aim on Jay, resolve pumping her heart in a fierce rhythm. She let the arrow go and prayed to whomever was listening that she didn’t kill Jay with her poison.
The arrow struck his hind leg, embedding deep, just as Summer wanted. It knocked him to the side, the magic that came with it making him bellow. He hit the ground hard, doing nothing to brace himself. The other two wolves surrounded him, nudging with their noses, pawing at his body.
Oh god. What did that mean? She wanted to run to him. Wanted to make sure he wasn’t dead.
“Bree,” Hannah screamed. “Help us!”
Aubrey pulled another arrow, then turned and ran into the fray, jumping through the portal. No hesitation. The Huntresses needed her. Whatever happened to Jay, his pack would handle.
It wasn’t just Raven in the portal. There were at least ten beasts. Saska was off to the side, seemingly deep in a spell. Her arms were up, magic coming off her in waves, the air warbling around her, making it seem like she was in a bubble. Aubrey lined up a shot, ready to take that bitch out once and for all.
Something crashed into her, taking her down, her face hitting the dirt, knocking her head so hard her ears rang. She flipped to her back, realizing that her quiver wasn’t where it should be. A beast loomed above her, holding her quiver in its claws, taunting her with it. She raised her bow, knowing it was useless, no way she’d get a hit.
I’m dead.
The beast sneered as it tossed her quiver to the side, swept the bow out of her hand when she tried to let an arrow go. She reached down and pulled her dagger, lifting it just when the beast lunged. She raised her other arm, barring her forearm to protect her head. The beast sank its fangs into her. She screamed as it tore in deep, mangling her to the bone. She returned the favor with her blade in its eye, forcing it to the hilt, hoping she actually hit its brain. The beast ripped its head back, taking a chunk of her flesh with it. Blood and saliva went flying. Her knife went with the beast. She was weaponless.
It howled, stumbled back, no doubt feeling the burn of her poison now. The beast clawed at the blade, unable to yank it out.
She reached to the side to retrieve her bow, rising quickly to sit. Her quiver was a foot away.
Another beast locked eyes on her. She scrambled to the side, her fingers almost on an arrow.
“Bree, duck!” Summer raced toward her, launching a knife just above Bree’s head as she entered the portal.
Something hit her ankle, the back of her leg pushed to the side. She glanced over her shoulder to see another beast down, just at her feet. Then she hit the ground, her cheek kissing dirt.
“Close one,” Summer panted as she held out her hand to help Aubrey get up.
“Help me, Bree.” Darcy came out of the battle, staggering, her face a bloody mess, a gaping wound at her throat. “I can’t fight it.”
She fell and Aubrey dropped her bow to catch her. “What happened?”
Darcy looked up at Aubrey, her eyes glassy, dilated so her irises were big pupils. “You need to stop him before it’s too late. He doesn’t want to do this!”
Aubrey looked over at Raven, her stomach bottoming out as his claw came down, cutting through the throat of one of the women, her scream dying in that moment. “Holy fuck.”
Aubrey let Darcy go, instinct taking over. She raised her bow, realized there was nothing to nock, glanced over at Summer and snatched one of her blades from her waist. She trained on Raven and without thinking, let it go.
“No!” Darcy screamed as the knife embedded in Raven’s chest, stopping him from slicing down the next woman.
He looked up at Aubrey, shock visible on his furry face, then fell to his knees. He was dead before he hit the ground.
“The portal is closing.” Greer was next her in that moment. “Get your friend and let’s get out of here.”
Aubrey nodded, no time to think about what she’d just done. No time to feel anything. She bent to help Darcy up. “Come on, there’s nothing here for you now.” So cold. So heartless. She’d curse herself later for those words. Not now, not when death was closing in.
Darcy snapped her eyes up, glaring at her, her lips curled into a sneer. “Because of you,” she spat.
“You told me to stop him.” No time for this. No time to argue. “We have to go.”
“You killed my mate.” Darcy raised her hand, power pulsing there.
Aubrey blinked with surprise. Her brain slowly catching up with reality. “Darcy?”
Darcy pulled her hand back, getting ready to launch. Aubrey made a dash for the portal opening. She dove through just as Darcy’s spell hit Aubrey on the hip, spinning her fully around to see Darcy standing, still in the portal, looking at her with total hatred. Saska sauntered up from behind Darcy with a satisfied smirk on her face. She put her hand on Darcy’s shoulder, then embraced her when Darcy collapsed. The portal closed. Shutting Aubrey out.
Aubrey screamed, her hip suddenly burning with Darcy’s magic.
Nothing had been saved. Nothing had been gained. And Aubrey was sure she’d just made things a million times worse.
Chapter Nineteen
Jay had awareness. He knew what was happening. His mate had shot him.
His leg burned with the magic, not hers though. He took in a deep breath, fighting against the pain from the arrow embedded deep within his muscle. He lay on his side, panting, still a wolf but not fully. He’d begun to change from wolf to beast, and his body was huge, bigger than it should have been. Summer’s magic was battling to keep him locked down, to keep his beast leashed. He opened his eyes, seeing the world as his wolf normally did. It wasn’t often he had consciousness during this time.
Mayhem stood at his snout, sniffing him, nudging him. He snorted a response—back the fuck off—but it didn’t convey the way he wanted it to. Mayhem bared his fangs, sensing, no doubt, that something was wrong.
>
Jay huffed out some breaths, working up the strength to rise. When he made a move, Dy put a paw to him and pushed him back down. Jay growled, a jolt of anger rising. He snapped his teeth and Dy backed up a step. Mayhem growled in response. Jay looked up, straight into his alpha’s eyes.
And then Raven’s voice was in his head, just as it had been since he’d fallen into that strange dream world. Pain exploded behind his eyes.
“You were born to lead,” Raven whispered. “Join me.”
Jay shifted his gaze from Mayhem’s, looking to where he’d last seen Raven in the bubble of magic. Yellow eyes stared back at him.
“We are one. Join me.”
Jay felt the snap of Mayhem’s teeth on his snout, and let loose a low rumbling growl.
His body contorted, bulking up, bursting out, his paw changing to a clawed fist. He shook himself free from Mayhem’s hold, reached down and snagged the arrow, yanking it from his leg and tossing it to the side.
Mayhem jumped on his back; Dy bit his leg. With a furious roar, he shook them off, his body growing bigger, stronger.
I was meant to lead.
He needed to join Raven.
As he stood on hind legs he felt the tremendous rush of power; he spread his arms out, puffing his chest and bellowed into the sky.
He took a thundering step toward Raven, watching as he struck down a woman—a Huntress—felt his power, his hatred rise. Kill the Huntress. He wanted what Raven offered. Domination. He felt the power coil within, ready to move into the portal to join Raven.
And in that moment he saw a blade traveling through the air, from the hand of his Huntress into Raven’s chest. He blinked hard, comprehension coming as Raven hit the ground and the tether that connected them snapped.
Lifting his head again, he roared. Raven was dead. Life extinguished, just like that. He shifted his eyes to the source. His Huntress had thrown that blade. He took a step toward her, rage building beyond control.
Beast Rising: The Order of the Wolf, Book 7 Page 15