Page 74 of Teeth To Rip & Tear

“An almost humanoid face, though, to be sure.” Dean shuddered.

“You’ve encountered one before?” Wyatt cocked his head to the side.

“Nasty things,” Dean muttered, adjusting his shoulders as if preparing to be attacked.

“My training offer isn’t looking so bad now, is it?” Mitchell snickered. “We have more than our share of monsters in Locket. That’s why the Huntsman had stationedusby the Gate.”

“Is there something special about the Locket Pack then?” I asked, eying each of the males. Dean, Kaleb, Mitchell, and even Wyatt.

“Bloodlines.” Kaleb blurted out.

“Skills,” Mitchell interjected. “We’re the ones the Huntsman sends when things look dicey.”

“Special forces,” Dean grunted. “He sends us in when he wants a job done quick.”

I chewed my bottom lip. “I can’t fight,” I admitted. “I don’t even think I can run very far.”

The Huntsman was officially insane, or he was trying to get me killed.

My vote was for both.

“Do we have a strategy?” I asked hopefully.

Dean cleared his throat. “I’ll stick close to Mallory. Make sure nothing hurts her.”

Kaleb hid a smile. “Mitchell will be on the offensive. Wyatt, you try to distract the durrach. You’re the fastest.”

“Watch out for the tail,” Mitchell warned. “Scorpion venom ain’t nothing to sneer at, and from what I understand, a manticore might be a helluva lot bigger than a regular scorpion.”

I shuddered. “What about you, Kaleb?”

“I’ll be with you upfront. Tracking.” He said simply. “Two noses are better than one.”

“Um...” I shifted from one foot to the other. “I don’t think I can track with my nose. I don’t even know what a manticore smells like.”

Kaleb gave me a funny look. “How did you track the Horned Lord then?”

I rolled my tongue over my front teeth and answered, even though I didn’t want to. “The sparklies.”

“Sparklies?” Wyatt chuckled.

“Sparklies,” Kaleb repeated dryly.

Dean growled. “Don’t make fun of her. Let her explain herself.”

“I think it was magic?” The statement came out like a question. “I kind of followed it? And found the stag.”

Dean nodded, accepting my explanation, though the others looked skeptical.

“It must be a Weaver thing.” I shrugged.

“We should walk around.” Mitchell scratched the scar on his cheek. “Wait until Miss Mallory spots some sparkles.”

“Sparklies.” Wyatt corrected with a giggle.

“If you’re all finished making fun of me, maybe we should start. I don’t want to be trapped in LA all night with no money and a bunch of wolves that don’t know how to cross a road without getting flattened.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

Mitchell hooted. “She’s got you there.”

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