Myths & Magic: A Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection

by Kerry Adrienne

  They didn’t seem to see her. Jasper’s knife whistled by her ear, and Jet only dodged it at the last second. Snarling, Jet threw his own knife. It soared by her, sticking into Jasper’s shoulder. He stared at it as he collapsed on the stone.

  Eyes gleaming, Jet moved in for the kill.

  “No!” Sylvia threw herself and the chair in front of him. The chair partially shielded Jasper. “If you want to kill him, you’ll have to kill me too.”

  Rage darkened his face as he approached. He leaned down, moving in for the kill, though she wasn’t sure if he intended to slay Jasper, her, or both of them.

  Sylvia squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to see Jet murder anyone.

  You cannot kill our mate. The voice blazed in her mind. I will kill us first.

  Gathering her courage, she cracked open one eye. Fur burst from Jet’s skin, his muscles swelling and transforming, until he stood before her as the huge black wolf. His golden eyes met hers, full of recognition, and she almost wept. Her Alpha was back.

  “Jet?”

  Lowering his head, he licked away her tears.

  “Jet, what about Jasper?”

  He shook his head. Carefully, he took the limbs of her chair in his jaws and crushed them, one by one.

  Grimacing, Jet kicked Jasper’s knife toward her. Sylvia picked it up and chopped at the chains. The silver blade made short work of them.

  They both turned to look at Jasper, unconscious on the floor. Sylvia ran to his side. “He must have hit his head.” Laying a hand on his fevered brow, she willed him to wake.

  Jet leaned down, nuzzling his brother’s head.

  “Wake up, Jasper. You have to wake up.”

  He didn’t stir.

  Jet shifted, his face stricken. “I did this.” With a trembling hand, he touched the knife that sprouted from his brother’s shoulder. “This is my fault.”

  “It isn’t your fault—no one could resist a command from Ammon.”

  Jet’s eyes were unusually bright. “I’m not going to let him die with that sorcerer’s blade in him.” Grasping the knife, he pulled it out.

  Jasper sat, gasping.

  Jet immediately turned the knife on him. “Who are you?” he demanded.

  Glaring, Jasper swatted at the knife. “Put that away. You know perfectly well who I am.”

  Jet relaxed as Jasper clutched his shoulder.

  “That hurt worse coming out than it did going in.” He glared at Jet. “Thanks a lot.”

  “Well, you got me, too.” Jet showed off his arm. “Let’s call it even.”

  “We can call it even when I stick you with a knife.” Jasper stood with a groan, fingers running over his wound. “Silver. That’s going to take forever to heal.”

  Jet grimaced. “I’m truly sorry.”

  “I know it wasn’t really you.” Jasper shuddered. “Part of me—I think it was my wolf—knew what was going on, but I couldn’t stop myself. I had no control, and I almost—I almost killed you, Jet.”

  “I think you got off worse.” Jet put an arm around Jasper as he swayed precariously. “How do we get out of here?” he asked Sylvia.

  “Ammon will be close, if not right outside the door. Dario may be with him.”

  “Two against three,” Jet said. “Our odds aren’t bad.”

  “More like two against two and a half.” Jasper winced. “Or less, if that damned sorcerer opens his mouth.”

  Sylvia tore a candle off the wall. “Maybe this will help.”

  Jet raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I think the knives would be better—”

  “No. The wax.” She scooped some out, letting it cool only for a moment before she stuffed it in her ear. “It will block any sound.” She handed blobs of warm wax to Jet and Jasper.

  “You’re brilliant,” Jasper said.

  She shrugged. “We’re not out of here yet.”

  “We need to leave fast,” Jet said. “Run, and keep running.”

  “His voice is bad, but he can also do damage with his eyes,” Sylvia said, putting the wax into her other ear. “Don’t look at him, no matter what. I’ll point the way out. Got it?”

  The two of them nodded, stuffing the wax in their own ears.

  Sylvia gave them a thumbs up. “Ready?” she asked, unable to hear herself.

  They nodded.

  The three of them strode to the doors. Jet looked at Jasper, counting down from three. On his mark, they slammed against the wood.

  The bar gave way, and splinters flew.

  Sylvia threw her hands over her head, but the three of them pressed forward. Ammon stood ahead of them in the passageway, dust covering his majestic blue robe. She looked away as his mouth opened, issuing a command they couldn’t hear.

  Jasper charged, punching the sorcerer full in the face. Ammon hadn’t expected that. He crumpled to the floor.

  Chest heaving, Jasper stood over him. It seemed like he wanted to finish his foe, but Jet grabbed his shoulder. Dario had appeared in front of them.

  Jet stepped forward, and the vampire backed away, his hands raised in surrender. Sylvia pointed down the hall toward the exit.

  “Go!” Jet mouthed.

  The three of them sprinted down the hall. Sylvia guided them through the maze of corridors, hoping she remembered them right. At last, they smelled a breath of cool night air. They raced into the darkness, hope renewed.

  Together, they stumbled out a set of large front doors, down the drive of what looked to be a decrepit castle. Ivy clawed at the bricks, and seemed to be pulling them down an inch at a time. Half the windows were missing. But all they cared about was the sweet taste of freedom, the freshness of the night wind, and the splendid stars above.

  Sylvia pointed. The mountains lay to the west. As one, her mates shifted. Jet bent low, the white patch on his chest bright against the dark. She swung onto his back, glad she could save her feet this time.

  The wolves whirled, and the three of them raced toward home.

  Chapter 10

  They made it to the canyon just before dawn. Jet slowed as Jasper had begun to limp.

  Jet shifted, still carrying Sylvia on his back. “Does your arm hurt from the knife, or from the punch?” he joked.

  The gray wolf whined, transforming into Jasper, who looked more weary than Sylvia had ever seen him.

  Stumbling forward, Jasper put a hand on his wound. “I wish I had done more than punch him. I should have killed him when I had the chance.”

  “We got out of there,” Jet said. “That’s what matters.”

  Sylvia rubbed her ears. The wax had fallen out miles back, and she felt nervous without it. “He’s going to come back, you know.”

  “We know.” There was steel in Jet’s voice. “But we’ll be ready.”

  She slid off Jet’s back, striding into the comfort of the canyon walls. She needed to make sure the rest of the pack was safe. There was no telling what Ammon might have done to them. She couldn’t remember more than the sorcerer ordering her to surrender.

  “You’re different, aren’t you?” Jet was asking Jasper. “After defending our mate.”

  “Yes.” Jasper’s voice was slightly wary. “I can feel the change.”

  “You’re an Alpha now.”

  She turned back to look at them. They stood still, facing each other, like they had in Ammon’s lair. She felt a chill race up her spine. They wouldn’t challenge each other again, would they?

  Jasper let out a long breath. “I can leave the pack, if you want. I won’t betray you.”

  “No.” Jet clasped his brother’s uninjured shoulder. “Stay, and lead the pack with me. Share our mate. With two Alphas, we’ll be twice as strong.”

  “Two?” Jasper glanced at Sylvia. “Don’t you mean three?”

  Jet grinned. “Three Alphas—even two and a half—against one sorcerer? He won’t stand a chance.”

  Sylvia wished she were as confident.

  On the canyon rim, someone barked. She looked up to see Everett st
reaking back toward the den. Breaking into a run, Sylvia raced after him. She needed to know that Rowan, Gwen, West, and the others were all right.

  She rounded the bend in the canyon and found the pack pouring out of the den. Half of them were shifted, and the rest bristled with weapons.

  “Who goes there?” Rowan shouted.

  “Your Alphas,” Jet called.

  The pack didn’t stand down or lower their weapons.

  “How do we know you aren’t being controlled?” Rowan growled.

  Jet sighed. “We don’t have time for this.”

  “Oh, yes we do.” She raised her bow, pulling the drawstring taut. “What’s something you would only know if you were in full control of your brain?”

  “That you’re annoying?”

  She glared at him. “I mean, that is really convincing. But I’m still the one with a nocked arrow.”

  “There’s something you told me that you kept secret from everyone else,” Jasper said.

  “And what’s that?” She turned the bow toward him.

  “That you once had a crush on Ash.”

  “Ash?” Jet stared. “The Ember pack Alpha? No way.”

  Rowan’s ears were turning red. “He wasn’t Alpha then. We were practically still pups.”

  “Rowan and Ash?” Jet grinned. “I should have sent you south instead of Juniper.”

  She loosed the arrow, and it sailed by his ear. “That’s the last I’d better hear about it, Alpha!”

  The pack broke into laughter, tension ebbing away. Rowan strode forward and embraced Sylvia.

  “I’m glad you took care of yourself, and got those overgrown coyotes back okay.” Rowan showed her the stockpiles of weapons and shields that they’d accumulated at the den’s entrance. “Ever since you left, we’ve been preparing for your return. Just in case you needed some help sorting out that maggoty magician.”

  Sylvia stared around her, stunned. “You didn’t doubt we’d come back?”

  “Of course not.”

  She had to look away before her happy tears spilled over. The Oak Canyon pack was too good to her.

  Jasper waded into their midst, bombarding Rowan and the others with questions of exactly how many arrows they had, and how their food supplies were holding up. Slipping away, Sylvia found Jet.

  “Ammon will come after us,” she said.

  “I know. But we will finish this.”

  Sylvia grabbed his hands. “I want you to Bite me.”

  “Now?” Jet looked taken aback. “He could be here any moment.”

  “That’s why you have to Bite me now—I’m not strong enough as a human.”

  He squeezed her hands. “You’ve escaped him, twice. Without you, I couldn’t have done it once. You’re stronger than me.”

  “Not strong enough.” She set her mouth in a stubborn line. “I want to be a shifter when I face him. I’m done running.”

  Jasper passed by, and Jet grabbed his arm.

  “She wants to be Bitten,” he told his brother. “Help me talk some sense into her.”

  Jasper gazed at Sylvia, his eyes lingering on hers. “Bite her. She won’t change her mind.”

  “What? You’re the one who said she might not survive the Turn!”

  “And you’re the one who said she was strong enough.” Jasper faced his brother. “It’s the best chance we all have of surviving the sorcerer.”

  “So this is your first act as Alpha?” Jet asked accusingly. “Disagreeing with me?”

  “No. My first act is protecting our mate.” Jasper lowered his voice. “I can Bite her if you’re too afraid…”

  “I’m not afraid,” Jet snapped. “I’ll do it now.”

  “Maybe on one of the beds, in case she thrashes.”

  “Thrashes?” Sylvia asked. “Will it hurt?”

  “I’ve heard it’s very painful,” Jet said. “Maybe your Bite can wait until after we defeat the sorcerer—”

  “No. Let’s do it now.” She pulled him through the curtain of roots and up the stairs, before he could say anything else to try and change her mind.

  Sylvia lay on the furs, her heart pounding. Jasper and Jet stood on either side of her.

  “Are you sure about this?” Jet asked.

  “Positive.”

  The sun rose over the trees, blood-red light spilling into the room. She stared out the window, hoping this wasn’t the last sunrise she’d see.

  “Fine…” Jet leaned over, fangs ready. Lovingly, he Bit her at the base of her neck.

  Fire shot through her veins.

  “Sylvia?” Jet grabbed her hand.

  She screamed, and everything went dark.

  Jet and Jasper faced each other, knives ready. Their eyes were blank.

  “No!” Anguish surged through her like a physical pain. “You can’t!”

  They didn’t recognize her voice, or each other. They would fight to kill.

  “Such a fun game, isn’t it?” Ammon stood beside her, barely containing his glee. “Once they’re gone, you’ll be mine again.”

  “I’ll never be yours.”

  He laughed, his green eyes cold. “You’ll have no choice, my dove.”

  She glared at him, her limbs chained to the chair. “You’re wrong. I’ll always have a choice.”

  “And what would you do?” His haughty words rang out over the stone. “You’re a lowly human, with barely enough strength to defy my weakest command. You’ll never defeat me.”

  “We’ll see about that.” She felt different this time, fiercer and more powerful. Something swelled inside her, leaving no room for fear.

  Sylvia flexed her limbs, and brown fur sprouted over them. Her muscles grew, breaking the chains. She threw off the chair, heard it crash against the wall. She dropped to all fours, stalking toward Ammon. Her teeth had lengthened, and she licked them with her new tongue. She wondered what sorcerer would taste like.

  Ammon backed away, toward Jet and Jasper. The blankness slid from their eyes, and they turned their knives toward him.

  “Please, Sophie—Sylvia. I’ll do anything. Just don’t—”

  With a snarl, she pounced.

  “Sylvia. Sylvia!”

  Jasper’s room swam into view. Hazy at first, the details began to fill in. She was wrapped in sweat-drenched furs, and she seemed to have pinned Rowan to the floor.

  Sorry, she wanted to say, but she barked instead.

  “You have to shift back,” Rowan said. “Just think about what it’s like to be human. Two arms, two legs, fingers and toes… it’ll come.”

  There was a lessening feeling as her beautiful brown fur receded. Sylvia rolled off of Rowan, stumbling as she tried to rise.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Rowan said. “The first few shifts are the hardest. But your wolf will know what to do.”

  Staggering to the bed, Sylvia rubbed her eyes. The sky was still the same red color, and it felt like she’d been running for hours. “What time is it?”

  “Dusk.”

  “So I’ve been out for less than a day?”

  Rowan shook her head. “You were Bitten yesterday.”

  Leaping up, she raced to the window. “Ammon. He hasn’t come yet, has he?”

  “No. But if he does, you’ll be ready.”

  She bit her lip. Should she go out and find Ammon herself? She never wanted him to return to the canyon to threaten her pack. But she was so tired from Turning. She couldn’t go tonight.

  “Sophie…”

  The call was magnified by the canyon walls, and his voice made her hair stand on end.

  “Time to come home, Sophie.”

  Rowan gripped her shoulder. “Rip him apart.” Grabbing her bow and quiver, she raced down the stairs.

  Sylvia followed, as if in a dream.

  “Don’t keep me waiting, Sophie.” Ammon’s voice echoed through the oak. “I’m losing patience.”

  Once down the stairs, she turned toward the entrance. It was time to see what Ammon made of her claws and tee
th.

  I still want to know what sorcerer tastes like, her wolf said.

  It was time for Ammon to meet his fate.

  Jet and Jasper were waiting for her by the curtain of roots.

  “I told the pack to put beeswax in their ears,” Jet said. “Do you want any?”

  She shook her head. “I want to hear his dying breath.”

  “Are you ready?” Jasper asked.

  “Yes. I just hope Ammon is.”

  The three of them shifted. Sylvia walked out of the den, flanked by her mates.

  Ammon stood before her, in a robe of silken gold. “It’s time, Sophie. Time to give in.”

  Snarling, Jet and Jasper charged. Ammon flicked his fingers at them, and they both slowed, ambling past him like they’d forgotten why they’d been angry.

  Her ears swiveled back as she caught the noise of footsteps behind her. She turned, growling at Rowan, Gwen, and Fable, forcing them to retreat. No one else would be hurt on her behalf.

  Ammon laughed. “So you’re a shifter now? Aren’t you the clever one. I just hope you don’t catch fleas.”

  She could feel them, biting her all over. Closing her eyes, she resisted the urge to scratch.

  They aren’t real. They aren’t real. They aren’t real.

  Ammon snapped his fingers, and the sensation vanished. “I must confess, I grow weary of our little game, Sophie. Your defiance amused me for a time, but my patience has reached its end.”

  Reaching into his robe, he drew out an amulet on a silver chain. “See this?” He touched a finger to the pendant, a purple stone carved into a snake devouring itself. “I’ve concentrated my power. As soon as I slip this around your neck, you’ll be mine forever.”

  She eyed the purple snake, her hackles raised. Even from here, she could feel the ominous pulse of power.

  “Soon, I’ll command you to do as I please. But I need to tell you how it works now, because once it’s around your neck, you won’t be able to think of anything but me.” His eyes were the color of a storm at sea. “It won’t matter if you’re shifted or not—I’ll bind you to me once and for all. Now come here.”

  With horror, she felt her paws move forward to obey him.

  No!

  She focused all her thoughts on two legs, and shifted. Though she stood naked before him, she had control of her limbs again.