Wounded(13)

“That was not smart; he took a lot of your blood. Each time he does, it ties you more to him.” She brushed a hand over my neck and the skin tightened, the two pinpricks healing over.

“Mm frothing bhmmd.” Damn, the words wouldn’t come out. I tried again. “Liam is worth it.”

She let out a little sigh and helped me stand. I was wobbly, but already a little strength was coming back. “Faris?”

“He’s trying to get Thomas to work with him to open up a double doorway, one the unicorns and harpies can easily go through.”

“The harpies are here?”

“Eve, she’s gone to meet them, stall them if she can.” She helped me walk and tried to pull me to the back of the house. “Faris is out here.”

“But Liam is this way,” I grunted and slid out of her hands, using the wall to support my steps. Berget let out a sigh and came around to help me.

“I could just pack you out there, you know.”

I snorted. “Yeah, I know.”

But she didn’t try to, and for that I was grateful.

The courtyard was a seething mess of supernaturals by the time we got there. No one had listened to me. Apparently, everyone wanted to stay and fight. Fucking hell. I’d almost prefer they were still afraid enough to run. A part of me, though, was secretly pleased. When push came to shove, they would fight and work together. That was a good sign at least.

Standing on top of the fountain, Doran chanted, his deep baritone taking me back to the first time Liam had held me tight as the hoarfrost poison had been drawn from me. Doran’s words swirled through the air creating a fog that cut through the night, silvery and sleek.

As it condensed, wolves slunk toward us through it. Correction, werewolves. They were all easily as big as Liam, their backs bristled with hair that stood on end and their teeth were bared. Shadows of the night, it was a fucking eerie scene, straight out of a horror movie. Their eyes glowed gold in the scattered light around us. The wolf at the front shifted, her body emerging from her wolf shape in a smooth wave as she stood in the fog.

Buck naked, she’d obviously never been taught to shift with her clothes. Straight black hair and porcelain skin accentuated her ballerina body.

Alex was suddenly there, putting himself between me and the woman. “Beauty bad,” he snarled, snapping his teeth, his tail stiff in the air.

She laughed and put a hand to her throat. “Oh my, is this Alex? You escaped us many times.” She sneered. “Impressive. For a submissive.”

From my hip, I took my coiled whip and slowly let it unwind. “Who the fuck are you?”

She flicked her hair back so her body was totally exposed; her nipples didn’t even pucker bad in the cold air. Bitch. Her eyes flashed gold as her wolf rose for a brief second.

Yeah, she really was a bitch.

“You may call me Beauty. I am the leader of this pack.” Her eyes narrowed. “I do believe you have thwarted me in the past, when I tried to kill the submissive.” Her golden eyes flicked to Alex suspiciously, but he didn’t cower, instead stiffening even more as a growl trickled from his lips. “But, he does not seem so submissive now.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be out there, helping Liam?” I was guessing as I pointed with my whip; I’d assumed the howls earlier had been because Liam had called them. Beauty casually looked over her shoulder and then shrugged.

“He sent us to wait for him here. Which means we will wait until he comes.”

Alex didn’t seem convinced of her sincerity. “Bad. She is bad.”

I Tracked demons and evil spirits, just to be safe. The pack was clear—there was nothing coming off them that worried me. But the sudden clatter of hooves steered my mind away from the werewolves.

Nikko came snorting up behind us, his crush strung out in a ‘v’ formation.

What is wrong? The wolf sent us away in a hurry and I sensed there was more than your wish for us to move.

“The ogres are not our friends.” I tried to think of a way to say it so nothing would be given away to Beauty and her pack. “They are friends of Orion.”

Nikko reared up, sending me back a few steps. He came down so hard he cracked the tile at his feet. They meant to take us by surprise? To come down on us as we slept?

“Most likely.”

“Who is this Orion? I have heard his name,” Beauty said, her eyes narrowing.

There was no chance for me to answer. A howl ripped through the night air and there was only one wolf who wasn’t standing in the courtyard.

Liam.

The wolves turned as a pack, bolting into the darkness. I started to follow, knowing there was no way I could keep up to them.

I will carry you; he saved us. Nikko went to one knee and I didn’t think, just leapt on his back. A second unicorn with a coat so red it looked liked fresh spilled blood joined us and Erik leapt astride as though it were nothing.