Page 96 of Bound By Roses

Even if they all shifted, she wouldn’t be seeing through their eyes unless they let her. And if they’re all forcing their vision on her, something is definitely wrong.

I rub small circles on her back. “It’s okay. Focus on one.”

“I can’t,” she gasps at the same time Fern yelps.

Fuck, I should just shift, but until we know what this is, I need to be able to talk to everyone, and I can’t do that as a wolf. I can see Vik trying to comfort Fern, but the shake of her head and tremble through her body tells me that she’s just as overwhelmed. Me shifting wouldn’t stop that. But Abby can.

“You can,” I tell her. “You control them. Pinpoint Ellis and focus on his eyes.” He’ll be the most coherent. “You’ve got this.”

She groans again, her teeth clenched and eyes shut tight in concentration. And then her body relaxes. Her eyes are the same gorgeous blue as always, but there’s a faraway look to them now. Even Fern has stilled.

“Oh, no.” Abby’s eyes refocus and then she’s running.

I’m faster than she is, so I easily match her pace. Fern runs at our heels and I don’t worry about Vik, because he’ll be faster than us in the water. “Talk to me, Stabby.”

“He’s awake.”

“Already?!”

“He’s hurt someone. The sirens—oh, Gods. They’re going to kill him.”

My heart threatens to break at the thought of that someone being Tess. I don’t bother peeling off my shirt or loosening my pants before I shift mid-run. Abby’s going to be pissed about this later, but I’m not going to be responsible for yet another monster.

‘Hold on!’I shout down the bond before I loop around behind her.

‘To what?’She screams when I run between her legs and swoop her onto my back. I’m smaller than a horse, but this will have to fucking do. Her hands grab fistfuls of fur around my neck, all the while shooting mental curses at me. Even with Abby’s weight, I’m faster than Fern, which is a good thing, because the last thing we need is her getting mixed up in this.

‘Where are they?’We shouldn’t have left him inside the city. None of the others turned so quick. There was always time to get them outside. Always time to explain this. But if he’s lost himself to the wolf, no one is safe.

‘The beach. He followed the wolves out.’

I’ll have to remember to thank Ellis for that. There’s a reason he stepped up after we lost Ruben.

I reach out for the wolves and find my connection blocked. It must be whatever Abby did to stop the onslaught of eyes and the reason Fern stopped seeing them.‘Let me in,’I tell Abby, and immediately the block crumbles.

I see through their eyes—at least sixteen pairs—but I have more experience than this than Abby. I recognize the grey shimmer of Ellis and latch on until his are the only eyes I see through aside from my own.‘Get him as far from the city as you can. We’re coming.’

Ellis’s voice floods my mind.‘On it.’His gaze shifts as he turns in our direction. I recognize all of the wolves except for one. Ty’s wolf is a light brown, almost sand colour. It’s not his colouring that has him standing out from the rest. It’s the red eyes that tell me he’s nothim.

Right now, he’s nothing but the monster I used to be. The monster I’m terrified of becoming again. I reach for him, but there’s no connecting to a mind that isn’t open. There’s only one way to get through to him now.

There’s movement in the water to Ellis’s left as six sirens with spears and blades rush up from the waves and spill onto the beach. There’s malice in their stares, and they aren’t focused solely on Ty.

Abby gasps and I know she sees it too.Feelsit too. The fear of realizing you’re not the hunter. You’re the prey.

And for Abby, she’s seeing a whole new side to this. This is just like the Lunar Hunt she endured month after month, onlythis time, she knows the truth. That these wolves are people and she’ll mourn the ones we lose.

But I won’t let that happen. I won’t lose anyone else.

We’re close enough that I can just make them out in the distance. I can still stop this.

‘You need to get off my back,’I tell Abby and immediately feel the refusal in her body as she tightens her grip.

‘I’m not letting you go into that alone!’

‘You have to trust me. I can stop this.’She curses and I take it as agreement.‘When I tell you, let go and roll left. You’ll be fine.’

‘I trust you.’I feel her words as much as hear them.

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