Page 24 of Broken

Except survive, I think to Amand. A witch’s spell can not continue without the witch. The wolves race toward the back wall, smashing and destroying her vast array of magical specimens so that none of this can be recreated. With each smash of glass onto the stone floor, my excitement heightens.

I slither in, watching as Briar's wide smile soon turns to fear and then I dart toward her. A bloodcurdling wail echoes through the cave as one of my fangs pierces her stomach, Briar flailing to be let go. The crack in the cave is still there, slowly widening but I’ll leave that to Cole’s Alpha and his team. This bitch is ours.

Amand happily bounds to my side as I offer him the kill, one of his fangs sinking into her leg. She’s still sniveling and crying and wiggling but that is only causing more damage to her body. She’s mumbling several incantations to free herself but the venom pouring through her will kill her before any of those can take effect.

The sound of ripping flesh meets my ears as Amand pulls back, taking her leg with his fang. Again, she screams, whimpering for safety but her cries fall on deaf ears. I would have still ripped her heart out for stealing the Omegas and using them as fodder, but our mate? There is no forgiveness for that.

Blood pours from her new wound as Amand returns for the other leg. This time, I pull back, relishing in the way her dying screams bounce off the walls, her blood coating my scales. Too soon, the glorious sounds from her mouth die off, leaving me with a limp, disfigured body as she falls to the floor when I finally shake her off my fang.

The cave rumbles as the witch from Cole’s Alpha’s team hums her own spell, brows furrowing as the cracks stop enlarging. The red light dims, Briar's efforts dying right along with her. Whatever she was trying to resurrect will stay where it is until the next bastard tries something equally stupid.

Lev stirs from the other side of the cave, groaning as an Alpha bends down to check on him. My heart jumps into my throat as I realize he’s okay, his magical signature still there even if it’s faint. Unable to change back due to the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I merely slither closer, hoping that our mate will not reject us in this form.

Amand makes it to Lev first, lowering his head to the ground so that he seems less threatening. There is nothing but relief and wonder in Lev’s expression, tired as he is.

“You came,” he whispers, reaching forward for us to come closer.

Chapter 20

LEVIATHAN

My mates are absolutely gorgeous. Dark, iridescent scales litter their bodies. Their heads are easily the size of my torso, lethal fangs parted as they hiss their displeasure with this moment. I wasn’t expecting the cavalry but I’m glad to see them, the poor witch scattered across the other side of the cave. I should be terrified of the blood coating my mates’ fangs and the way they so eagerly ripped Briar apart but I can’t.

She wanted to bring back power that’s been locked away for a century for no other reason than to demand respect. Training her magic would have been safer and easier but she succumbed to the allure of dark magic. Not that it matters. She’s dead, her blood spilt and I get to live another day. My magic will replenish itself but it might be a few days before I’m 100%.

One of the Alphas shifts back and moves to the Omega at my side, petting her head as she regains consciousness. She whimpers in relief, her eyes widening as she reaches for the Alpha. She must know him by the sudden excitement flooding through her features and the way she clings to him. Cole’s Alpha, however, is focusing on me. So are my mates.

The Basilisks train their attention on me as they slither closer, the movement of their bodies mesmerizing. With a quick swipe of his head, Rowan slices through my restraints with a fang before I reach up to lightly touch his nose, loving the way he nuzzles against my palm. Amand does the same to my cheek, their bodies curling around mine until I’m swarmed in a sea of scales.

“You’re both gorgeous.”

Sometimes, I’m jealous of shifters and their second form but not now. I’m ecstatic that these men are mine. We stay there for several moments as I soak up the warmth of their body heat and the feel of their scales against my skin.

Cole’s Alpha clears his throat as he steps forward while still keeping a respectful distance. He's naked as the rest of his men are, except for the witch, their destruction evident. Briar's materials are strewn across the floor, nothing left to be used. He's a formidable Alpha, muscles lining every last part of his body but he stands there with no shame. Shifters lose their clothes every time they take on their beasts' form, a hazard of a creature's designation. “You okay to talk, Leviathan? What happened here?”

Rowan hisses but I continue stroking just above his nose. My body is tired but the sooner everyone knows what happened, the sooner the case is over. “Greed. Lots of it. She wanted power and thought resurrecting the first Alpha would give her that.”

The Alpha cackles as he shakes his head. “Dark magic and things created from it will not listen to pure magic. Even if she had somehow resurrected that beast, it would be an entirely different beast we were fighting.”

I cough, still feeling the effects of her magic as well as the numerous times I nearly suffocated with those invisible fingers around my throat or my tongue swelling in my mouth. Amand scoots impossibly closer until I’m just covered in a blanket of heated scales. It’s rather nice but I don’t want to be in this cave any longer than I have to.

“How do we report this? The police-”

“Are dirty,” Cole’s Alpha says. “We’ll clean up the cave and seal it off since we have the resources to do so. Lily over there is our resident witch and expert of all things magic. She’ll make sure this doesn’t become another hiding place for future witches. As for the precinct, they’ll eventually know that both of you were rescued. How much you want to offer up is your decision.”

That sounds eerily similar to how I conduct my investigations. Vince only ever knew what I told him. There have been many nuances and tidbits that I keep to myself until the end, not wanting to ruin all my hard work by zealous officers who want to tack another case onto their wins. I’ll settle for mentioning that the Omega was rescued and the witch is dead.

It’ll be easy enough to back Vince into a corner because the man doesn’t think he can be wrong. “Fair.”

“Let your mates take care of you, Leviathan. We’ll be in touch.” He moves to the other side of the cave, inspecting what is left of Briar with the rest of his team. She’s a gruesome mess remnant of the anger pouring through my mates. I wish I had been a little less in pain to truly enjoy the show and as much as I want Vince in ten different pieces, I want him to suffer every single day for what he was part of.

I run my fingers along Amand’s scales, drawing little circles as I soak up their presence. Their magic is like a fierce grip, sifting into my skin and mixing with mine. It’s perfect even if it might kill me. “We need to go home. I don’t want to be here anymore but I’m not so sure the public would enjoy your shifted forms.” It’s the one thing that brings them back to men, two very well-toned and gloriously naked men pressed against my sides. Heat bleeds through me as their interest thickens against my hips, Rowan nuzzling against my cheek as his tongue runs along the edge of my jaw.

“I think I like it when you call it home, Leviathan,” Amand purrs. He stands up and pulls me to my feet, a groan tearing from my throat. I hadn’t expected to be this sore but it feels like I got run over by a truck, my limbs weak and heavy. He hauls me into his arms and curls me into his chest before pressing his forehead to mine. “I thought we might have been too late and the idea that there wasn’t going to be a future with you was hard to accept.”

A smile plays on my lips as we exit the cave, my lids slowly falling shut from overexertion. Fighting against the witch as she stole my magic took more out of me than I thought. Hopefully, a good nap is all I need to right myself back to normal. Well, I could use a drink. And a good fuck.

“Why are you two still naked?” I question, knowing full well that they’ll pick up on where my mind just went.

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