Page 75 of Moonlighting with the Werewolf

“Not precious enough for you to try to ruin it, the way you try to destroy everything you can’t have,” Conall said, drawing all the focus. “Is that it? No one loved you? Ever think it might be your awful personality?”

The second of stunned silence left me curious about the expressions on the witches’ faces, but I couldn’t concentrate on them. Grams once lost the key to her handcuffs—don’t ask— and called me in to help free her “special friend” from the headboard. Chatting with a gray-haired man in a prone position with nothing but a pillow strategically placed over his, um, nether region inspired me to practice so it’d never take that long again.

I was about as rusty at picking locks as the nail, but luckily, the mechanism on the collar wasn’t complicated. I jabbed in the tip, feeling for the piece that’d trigger its release.

“If you think this will help negotiations, wolf,” Andromeda spat, “you’re sorely mistaken.”

“You promised me no further harm would come to Kerrigan, and then you threw her against a wall, so forgive me if I don’t trust your bullshit negotiations.”

While there were obviously other fish to fry, I nearly dropped the nail over his use offorgive me.Fake or not, I was impressed his stubborn side allowed him to force out the words.

Almost...Theclickechoed through the room, and I quickly yanked off the heavy collar. I shot to my feet as Conall burst into wolf form.

Three witches rushed us at once.

Conall dodged a strange spark of light from the portal witch and knocked her aside like she was nothing. She hit the wall with a crunch of bones, and while he went after Andromeda, I set my sights on Talia.

Releasing a guttural yell, I chucked the heavy collar at her, tempted to celebrate like a quarterback when it slammed into her skull. More, she crumpled to the ground and stayed there.Holy shit. Not only did that work, she’s out cold.

Conall roared, and my jaw dropped at the amalgamation of human and wolf he’d become. Andromeda flung up her hand, muttering some incantation, but before she could finish it, heclamped a gnarled, clawed fist around her throat. The cruel smile she’d worn since our first unfortunate meeting faded as he lifted her in the air. Her legs aimlessly kicked out for purchase, and who knew someone else’s terror could taste so sweet?

“Wait,” she wheezed, and the veins in his arm bulged as he squeezed tighter.

“Like you did, when you attacked me two seconds into our meeting?”

“Your pack...” She pried at his fingers to no avail. “I have people posted...” Her gaze moved to the desk in the corner, and a sleek object flashed as it skittered across the surface and soared directly for me.

Before I could react, the sharp tip of a letter opener hovered a centimeter from my eye. I flattened myself to the wall, wishing I’d put more space between it and me so I could attempt to duck, but too late now.

All the blood rushed to my head, my rapid pulse causing it to throb behind my temples, and was this the point where my life flashed before me?

“I’ll drive it through her eye and right into her brain if you don’t set me down,” Andromeda said. “Talia, could you help instead of merely gaping in horror?”

In the peripheral vision I hoped to keep, I caught movement: Talia pushing to her feet with a groan.

Conall opened his fist, and Andromeda stumbled backward, clutching her neck the same way I’d done after she’dcut mine openwith her witchy talons. How nice to only be missing a little oxygen and not a fucking pint of blood.

Talia plucked the letter opener out of the air, the jerk of her arm muscle leading me to believe it’d taken considerable effort. She repositioned the sharp tip above my carotid artery, increasing the hysterical rush beneath the surface. If she’d everfelt any sympathy for me and my plight, the oozing gash on her forehead had erased any and all traces.

Andromeda sighed, as if annoyed at us for causing such trouble. “Look around, you two. Haven’t you noticed how few of my sisters are here with us?”

As if I knew how many witches comprised a coven. I glanced at Conall to gauge his thoughts on the subject, only to find him as stoic and expressionless as Sasquatch.

“My coven, along with another we’ve recently formed an alliance with, have your compound surrounded. If I give the command, you’ll lose hundreds of pack members. You’d be wise to remember that before you engage in any more theatrics.” She narrowed her eyes on me, and I did my best to hide my surge of fear. At least we’d tried. But we’d also failed, hard, and hearing the pack was in danger... “I take back what I said about you being smart. Step out of line again, Dr. Ryan, and I’ll take one eye as a warning.”

At her mother’s raised eyebrow, Talia jabbed the tip of the letter opener into my skin, hard enough a trickle of blood escaped to join the rest dried to my chest and shirt. Much more of this, andI’dbe the one needing a transfusion.

“Understood,” I said through gritted teeth.

Andromeda typed something into her phone and held it up for Conall. “There. If they don’t hear good news from me within the next fifteen minutes, they’ll attack. They have you two to thank for that.”

Defeat crept along the line of Conall’s shoulders, his stony facade giving way to utter despair. All I could do was sit across from Andromeda as instructed.

I’d been plenty afraid during the past twenty-four hours. Witnessing the moment Conall forced himself to surrender to a witch, however, broke me, effectively sucking the wind out of my tattered sails.

“Let’s get right to the point, shall we? In a minute, I’ll detail the terms, the whys, and the hows. But since I want you to listen with an open mind, we’ll start with the stakes, so you’re fully aware that you don’t actually have a choice in the matter...”

The certainty in her voice grated, her victorious demeanor provoking me to rebel, no matter the cost, and regardless of how futile.

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