Page 66 of The Fearless Witch

I snarled in irritation. “Can you take care of them?”

Malakai inclined his head.

“I can put a glamor on the place and make sure they don’t come near.” He nodded. I raised an eyebrow curiously, and I was just about to ask if that was possible outside his grove when he added, “I’d like to ask a small favor, though.”

“What kind of favor?” I said, stopping with a hand on the front door.

“I’d like to use a small portion of your land for myself. No more than a few yards.”

I gave him a confused look when my phone buzzed again. I glanced down at the location before sighing. “Yes, fine, you can have it. I need to go.”

“I believe you should be heading north,” Malakai said right as I was crossing the threshold.

I peered at him over my shoulder, then broke into the sprint. The coordinates Allison sent me had been in the north quadrant of my land, but how did he know that? I needed to have a longer conversation with the Fae because he seemed more aware of what was happening on my land than I was. Not to mention, he was keeping things from me, I could feel it.

A familiar smell caught my attention, and I whipped around several times, making sure I hadn’t imagined it. That smell was clearer in my memory than even my mother’s face. It was almost as vivid as Celeste’s, but it brought the exact opposite emotions.

I ran faster than I ever did before, not caring if branches pulled onto my clothes or my shoes got scratched on a stone or a root. If Maria let her presence be known, she wanted me to find her. Finally.

The sound of voices made me slow down because they definitely didn’t belong to her. They weren’t screaming either, which meant…

“What took you so long?” Allison asked the moment I stepped through the trees to where she and a few others had gathered. The rest regarded me with silent nods, looking around tensely as if expecting an attack. A tall, dark-haired man with his chest gaping wide open was lying at their feet, his face twisted in agony and horror. He had seen his end coming this time, and he was probably still alive when she ripped his heart out.

She wanted him afraid. She wanted them all afraid.

“We all have the attacker’s scent now. They got sloppy and left a trail this time, so—”

“Get out of here,” I whispered, switching my full attention to the trees around us.

“Excuse me?” the Beta said through gritted teeth.

“She didn’t get sloppy or impatient. She sent me an invitation.”

The little blood that remained on her face drained away, and her eyes turned golden as she looked around. The other had stopped moving, listening to the quiet forest with their hands on their clothes as if they were ready to rip them off at the first hint of danger.

All was quiet. Too quiet. It was already too late.

Something shot out of the trees, snatching one of the werewolves by the legs and dragging him into the nearest bush so fast that even I didn’t have the time to react. The man screamed once before his voice cut off abruptly. Another one moved to go after his comrade, but the two beside him hauled him back just as the sound of snapping branches had them shifting into their wolf forms. A body fell from above just as the three finished their transformation, the corpse landing heavily on the ground in front of them, eyes gouged out and heart missing.

Another scream came from behind us and I twisted around just in time to see a dark form snatching a second of the shifters and dragging her into the shadows.

“Gather up!” Allison hissed and her men retreated to where she stood, everyone shifting and moving to stand in a circle around her. In the end, she was the only one who remained in human form, even though her eyes were a steady golden color.

“You can’t fight her,” I said to her. “When I say go, run. Don’t stop until you get inside the house.”

“What about you?” she asked, her gaze locked on the place where the second werewolf had disappeared.

“You pray she still wants me alive because if I die, you’re next,” I whispered right before another body fell through the branches, coming down upon my feet. Her mouth hung open in a silent scream, her ribs so senselessly shattered that her insides were spilling out.

The wind changed, bringing in a cold, familiar scent. The dark silhouette shot out of the trees, straight for Allison, her hand already reaching for her chest. I moved on instinct, crossing the space in less than a heartbeat and grabbing the pale, scarred wrist I had drank from more times than I cared to remember.

Her fingers had wrapped around Allison’s throat, but as I yanked Maria’s hand back, I noticed she didn’t get the chance to sink her nails in. Blood sprayed from the scratches that appeared on the werewolf’s neck, but the injury was not fatal—or at least not yet.

“Run!” I shouted, and to my relief, the wolves obeyed. They dashed through the trees as one, leaving me alone with the vampire that had been haunting me for weeks, maybe even longer.

When my eyes found Maria’s bright red ones, it felt like time had stopped. She hadn’t changed at all, same pale skin, high cheekbones, and raven hair that looked smoother than silk. She had let it down tonight—a sign she was on the hunt since she liked to soak it in the blood of her victims. It’s what kept it so healthy and shiny, she claimed.

Her hand was still outstretched, Allison’s blood dripping from her long, manicured nails. She didn’t move to free herself from my grip, just cocked her head while I tried to decide if I should charge or retreat.

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