Misfit Fortune

by Stephanie Foxe

  Chapter 71

  Amber

  Quiet had settled over the house. The pack was long gone but she could still feel them, like always. The wolf prowled inside her mind, waiting patiently for the challengers to arrive. She was not afraid anymore.

  She heard them coming before she saw them. The rumble of engines drifted past her, carried on the steady breeze. There were dozens of vehicles headed toward her. It wasn’t just Carter coming. It was all of them.

  The first car –– which was actually a limousine –– turned down her driveway. It had little flags sticking up on either side of the hood with some sort of coat of arms on them. She rolled her eyes at the self-importance it must have required to attach flags to an already showy car.

  Following the limousine, a line of cars and trucks filed in through the gate. She’d had Ceri drop the wards and open it before she left to make it easy for them. They spread out and parked, not caring about tearing up the lawn. Not that it mattered considering how the estate was looking these days.

  The limousine driver climbed out and hurried to open the door for his boss. Ito stepped out, adjusting his suit jacket with a sharp tug. Following him was someone she had expected to see here. Still, the sight of Zelas, the angel that had approached her at the coffee shop, pissed her off.

  Ito might hate her for his own, misguided reasons, but he was still letting the angels use him. He was nothing more than their puppet.

  Amber sat and waited as the wolves gathered, forming a half circle around the front of the house. Her fellow council members were here along with their packs. Even Jameson was here, with Shane right next to him. She ignored them –– and the thumping ache in her chest. They hadn’t called. Hadn’t warned her. They no longer mattered.

  Once the group seemed settled, Amber rose from her seat and walked down the front steps of the porch. The rocks of the driveway were cool under her bare feet.

  “Welcome to my home,” she said pleasantly as she nodded in greeting at Ito.

  Ito lifted his cold eyes to her own. She waited for the weight of his dominance to make her legs shake again, but it washed over her like a weak puff of air instead. Here, at her home, protected by the power of a shaman and her pack combined, he couldn’t reach her.

  “Amber Hale, you have been accused of colluding with demons –– an enemy of all humanity –– and of threatening the peace werewolves have maintained with the angels and human governments.” He paused, stepping aside. “Let the accuser step forward.”

  The crowd parted and Jason Carter strolled to the front, looking very pleased with himself. “For these crimes, I formally challenge Amber Hale, in front of these witnesses. Let truth favor the victor.”

  Ito stood by Carter. “Amber Hale, how do you respond?”

  They intended for this to be a spectacle. To make an example of her: this is what happens when a bitten wolf oversteps.

  Bram had told her she’d have to beat them outright. It was almost like he knew what they had planned all along.

  “So is this like drowning a witch? If she floats, she’s guilty, and if she drowns, she’s innocent?” Amber asked, tucking her hands in her pockets.

  Red leaked into Ito’s eyes. “Accept the challenge, or kneel and choose death. You will not mock our traditions.”

  She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It was difficult. Meeting Carter’s gaze, she took the only choice she had. “I accept the challenge.”

  Ito turned to the crowd, hands behind his back. “Will anyone protest this challenge?”

  Jameson stepped forward, and as quickly as hope bloomed in her chest, it was snuffed out. “The local council will not protest this decision.”

  Carter snorted at that, then winked at her. He’d done this. Turned the council against her, taken Shane from her, and blocked off every avenue of escape. He thought he’d already won, as if she had no chance in a fight against him. The wolf peered out of her eyes as she smiled at him. He was wrong.

  “Who will stand as witness for Alpha Jason Carter?” Ito asked, his voice carrying across the space.

  “I will.” Tatiana stepped out of the crowd and stood behind Carter, a self-satisfied grin on her face. She met Amber’s eyes and the grin widened. “I stand as witness for Jason Carter in the formal challenge laid out against Amber Hale.”

  Ito nodded his head in acceptance. “Your witness is recognized.” He turned back to the crowd. “Who will stand as witness for Amber Hale?”

  “I don’t need one,” she interrupted. Her pack wasn’t here and it was unnecessary anyhow. There were almost a hundred people gathered here. They weren’t exactly short on witnesses.

  “That is not your decision to make,” Ito said sharply. “There must be someone to stand as your witness if you are to accept this challenge.”

  Her eyes strayed to Shane but he was staring at the ground.

  “I will!” A shout came from behind her.

  Amber turned and saw Icewind staggering out the front door in obvious pain.

  “I stand as witness for Amber Hale in the formal challenge laid out by Jason Carter.” Icewind straightened slightly, holding herself up on the porch banister.

  Ito’s teeth ground together in irritation. He must have thought it would be that easy. “Your witness is recognized.”

  Carter stepped forward, pulling his shirt off over his head. “Let’s do this.”

  Always with the nudity. Pushing away her human concerns about modesty, Amber unbuttoned her shirt, holding Carter’s gaze the whole time. He would get his fight, but he wouldn’t like how it ended.

  Once they were naked, Ito stepped between them. “You will shift, then when I say begin, you will fight to the death. Only one of you will be permitted to leave this ring.”

  Carter shifted immediately, exploding into his wolf form with a howl. He was bigger than average with fur as black as his heart.

  She leaned into her shift, letting it flow without effort. When her paws hit the ground, she realized something was different.

  “Why is she so big?” someone in the crowd whispered.

  She shook out her fur and kept her focus on Carter. Nothing else mattered until he was dead.

  Ito moved back and stood with the others. A breathless anticipation fell over the gathered wolves. No one spoke. No one moved.

  “Begin.”

  Chapter 72

  Genevieve

  They all felt Amber shift. That meant she was going to fight. Genevieve dropped the last of her clothes to the ground. She wouldn’t be fighting alone.

  She stared at the temple standing on the hill. It looked like it had come straight from Rome with tall columns all around the outside. There was some kind of inner chamber she couldn’t get a good view of.

  Of course a rich angel would not only build himself a temple, but use it to hide a powerful magical artifact.

  “Xenya is still talking to the tribe,” Ithra said, worry lacing her voice.

  “She’ll be able to convince them. Have faith, my love,” Olwen replied, pressing his forehead to hers.

  Genevieve felt a little bad for overhearing. It was hard to give people privacy when you could hear everything they said, but she always did her best.

  They’d all been hoping the tribe would come help. If they weren’t here yet, she doubted they would come at all. It was up to them. Three werewolves, a human, two trolls…and a demon.

  Kadrithan had disappeared, promising to return quickly. He had two minutes to get back here before they were going to just do this without him.

  Tommy jogged up to her, pulling leaves out of his hair. He didn’t even flinch at her nudity and she barely gave it a thought –– it was hard to care about at a time like this. “I counted ten guards. They smelled like magic but I’m not sure if they’re angels or something else. It was hard to tell from so far away.”

  She turned to Ceri, who was creating some kind of spell next to them. “How are things coming?”

  “Good. Almost done,” Ceri
said distractedly.

  Derek was standing a few feet away, his shotgun slung over his shoulder. He looked relaxed and she envied him. She was all wound up with nerves and worry. Amber had always been with them for stuff like this. This time, she’d been left in charge and she got why Amber always worried so much.

  It was harder when the decisions were yours to make. She hated it. She didn’t want to let the pack down.

  Kadrithan stepped out of the darkness in front of them. He looked more solid than normal. “Ithra, are you ready?”

  The troll stepped forward and nodded. “I am.”

  Olwen put a hand on his wife’s shoulder, squeezing it gently.

  “Do you agree to accept my mark in exchange for my help retrieving the second half of Raziel’s key and protecting everyone here tonight?” Kadrithan asked.

  Ithra inclined her head. “I do.”

  He placed his hand on her chest over her heart. “A debt for a debt.”

  Ithra repeated the phrase, not flinching as the demon’s magic burned into her skin.

  Genevieve’s nose twitched at the unsettling scent –– a mix of sulfur and fire.

  “I’m done,” Ceri said quietly, looking out at the temple and ignoring what was happening behind her.

  “It’s definitely going to get their attention?” she asked nervously. A lot was riding on this. If they couldn’t draw most of the guards away it would be a hard fight for everyone going to the temple.

  Ceri nodded. “Oh yeah. No chance they’ll miss it.”

  Genevieve looked at Olwen. “You still good with being bait with me?”

  He nodded. “I’m faster while Ithra will be more able to help Ceridwen. It is the best task for me.”

  Cracking her knuckles, she nodded decisively. “Then let’s do this. No point in wasting any more time.”

  “Alright, no turning back once I do this,” Ceri said.

  “Sounds goods. Keep them safe, Tommy, alright?” Genevieve said, clapping him on the shoulder.

  “Keep yourself safe. I still don’t like you doing this. There are a lot of guards.”

  “That’s exactly why we need to.” She squeezed his shoulder one last time. “Go ahead, Ceri.”

  She crouched down, pressing her hand to the edge of the circle, and said something in Latin.

  A fire started in the circle. It grew higher and higher, rising up above the trees. Once it was at least thirty feet tall, it sprouted legs, then a torso and arms. Horns rose from the head, wreathed in smoke.

  A booming voice echoed through the forest. “I will enjoy watching this temple burn.” Then, the fiery demon cackled maniacally.

  Kadrithan looked at Ceri and raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  She snorted. “I think my impression is pretty spot on.”

  Genevieve rolled her eyes. “Hurry up and get to the temple or this will all be wasted.”

  She dropped to all fours and shifted, not waiting on them to stop gawking at Ceri’s distraction. Olwen nodded that he was ready and ran in the opposite direction as her.

  Their job was to keep the guards that came to investigate busy. They’d take them out if they could but making sure the guards chased them and not the rest of the group was the most important part of the plan. If the others could get in and out quickly, they might be able to avoid a fight altogether.

  In this form, the pack bond was even more apparent. She could feel Amber drawing on it for strength. If she focused, she knew she’d be able to see through Amber’s eyes but she resisted the urge. Amber was fighting so that they could do this. She couldn’t waste the opportunity by being distracted.

  Her feet padded silently against the forest floor as she raced toward the temple. A branch cracked ahead and she slowed, listening for footsteps.

  To her left. A small group, maybe three or four people.

  She changed directions, getting ahead of them, then ran straight toward them. They had to see her for this to work.

  They were getting close now. She’d miscalculated before. There were at least five of them and they smelled like magic. This was going to be risky.

  Picking up speed, she wove through the trees. She needed to strike first with this many of them. She’d only have the element of surprise once.

  Instead of heading straight toward them, she changed angles, coming at them from the side. It was dark but she could see perfectly.

  A woman walked at the edge of the group, magic crackling at her fingertips. Genevieve picked up speed, muscles straining at their limits, then launched herself at the woman’s neck.

  Her jaws snapped closed on air, but her back paws dug into the woman’s gut, tearing through her flimsy shirt. She leapt away immediately as gunfire cracked through the air. Dirt splattered against her flank as bullets hit the ground.

  The woman was screaming, hands pressing uselessly against her wounds.

  “Kill the wolf!” One of the men shouted.

  She launched herself behind a tree just in time to avoid a bolt of lightning. It hit the trunk of the tree instead and burst into flame with a loud crack.

  It looked like they had more than one witch. That was unlucky for her.

  Keeping as low as she could, she kept running. She’d wanted to stay close to the group but since they had guns, she could only keep so close without risking getting shot.

  With a frustrated growl, she switched directions, running perpendicular to them to get on their other side. She’d just have to take on a little risk if it meant keeping their attention.

  The underbrush was thicker up ahead. She crouched down behind it and waited. It was hard to hear over her own pounding heart. She swiveled her ears, letting the wolf come to the forefront.

  It wanted to hunt. Corral their prey into a vulnerable position and take them down one at a time. It didn’t give a crap what kinds of weapons they had. Fear slowly faded into the background of her mind, replaced by cold determination.

  She moved silently through the trees to flank them. They had guns and magic but they were intruders here. The wolf understood how to blend into the shadows of the forest, where to step, how their prey would move. She could smell their fear on the wind.

  Two men with guns walked slowly in the rear about twenty feet apart. They had spread out too far, a mistake they would not realize until it was too late.

  She stalked forward, low to the ground, until she was within range of the man on the left. Muscles bunching under fur, she waited until he was mid-step to launch herself at him.

  Her jaw closed around the back of his neck and she bit down hard, shaking her head viciously as her claws dug into his back. His neck snapped before he even got a chance to scream.

  The body fell to the ground with a heavy thump.

  “Eric? You okay, man? ” the other guard called.

  Genevieve faded back into the woods, circling around behind him as he walked slowly toward them, his gun held at his shoulder.

  She waited until he was just a few feet away before charging at him. He yelled when he saw the body, swinging around and shooting wildly, all his bullets hitting trees.

  She leapt, coming at him from the side. Electricity blasted through the air and struck them both. It knocked her off target and she hit a tree, stunning her. Her muscles twitched and jerked painfully. Gunfire followed and a bullet ripped through her front leg. It missed the bone but she couldn’t move it.

  She forced herself to stand and stumbled away on three legs, taking cover behind a clump of trees.

  “Where did she go?” the other witch demanded, fear making his voice quake.

  “I don’t know! Why didn’t you hit her again?”

  “Shut the hell up! This was supposed to be an easy job! Now Eric is dead and––”

  Gunfire interrupted the complaining as one of the men sprayed bullets into the trees. Luckily for her, in completely the wrong direction.

  She’d have to move soon though. She nosed at her leg and the pain nearly overwhelmed her. It was healing but wi
th a wound this bad, it would take time. Too much time.

  Forcing herself back up onto her three good feet, she looked around for an escape route. She had to make a run for it or instead of being a distraction, she’d just be dead.

  Before she could take a step, she heard footsteps. Someone new was coming and she was blocked in.

  Her ears flattened against her head and she bared her teeth. If it came down to it, she wasn’t going down without a fight. They’d pay in blood if they wanted to kill her.

  The footsteps drew closer, then stopped abruptly. She froze as well. What the hell were they doing?

  A whisper in a strange language cut through the silence, then the guards behind her screamed.

  She creeped around a tree and peeked out, freezing at the sight that met her eyes. All three of the remaining guards were dead. Black vines that glinted in the moonlight held them suspended above the forest floor, piercing their bodie in dozens of places.

  “Angry fools and…liars.”

  Genevieve turned around slowly. A woman with stringy blonde hair streaked with dried blood swayed unsteadily in front of her. Her eyes were solid white.

  Behind her stood Deward.

  “Where?” the elf demanded.

  Genevieve shifted. She didn’t try to run, there was no point. “The temple.”

  Deward stood behind the elf silently. Just staring at her. Like the woman, his eyes were solid white. They both smelled like old blood and sweat.

  Genevieve’s head began to ache as she looked at them. She knew them, right? The troll…he looked familiar.

  The wolf pressed its claws into her mind and clarity filtered back into her thoughts. She scooted away, unable to stand as she fought off the effects of the curse.

  She didn’t fight the shift. She needed the wolf. Lifting her head, she howled.

  The pack bond grew inside of her and she pushed the image of Cassandra and Deward toward Tommy with all her might. Her vision blurred, mixing with his as she saw through his eyes and he saw through her eyes. She broke the connection immediately. It was too disorienting and he’d seen enough.