Page 19 of Hunted on Halloween

“Run along back to your house. I’ll take care of these two. Then tomorrow morning, when the sun is up, I’ll come and talk to you.”

Eva Mae was tall with beautiful black hair and a tan that left her looking gorgeous all summer long. Tia didn’t see her beauty, but a dark shadow that seemed to hang over her.

Tia laughed and then wiped her eyes like she thought it was so hilarious that she was crying. “Move out of the way. We have places to be,” she demanded.

Eva Mae brought up her hands and the next thing Tia knew she was flat on the ground from being lifted and thrown. Tieran and Bryce growled. Tieran helped Tia to her feet.

“You got games, Eva.” Tia dropped all pretense of friendliness. “We are going through you, whether you like it or not.” Eva raised her hands and Tia thought this must be what they mean when they say on-the-job training.

Tia swiped her hand in front of herself and then outwards to cover both Tieran and Bryce. Whatever Eva shot at them bounced off the shield Tia placed around them.

“Honey, I can make a shield,” she told Tieran, as if it were no big deal.

“Excellent, Witchling. Remember what you did and take it down from around me.” In a blink of an eye, the shield was gone and so was Tieran.

The next thing she knew, Tieran had Eva wrapped in his arms, his face in her neck as he drained her. Then he flung her back up onto her porch.

“Did you kill her?” Tia asked. She didn’t know how she felt. She and Eva had always been friends and now she kind of felt like Eva had turned against her. That didn’t mean she wanted her dead.

“No, my queen, I took your soft heart into consideration. That does not mean I won’t kill the next person to get in our way,” hecalled out to the waiting presence hovering around their houses. The air was filled with the sound of manic laughter. Tia knew they had a fight on their hands.

Chapter Nine

Tia stumbled down thestreet, getting closer to the manic laughter when, in front of her, the houses on either side and the street disappeared. The air shimmered, and there was nothing but a shimmering curtain of mist bringing demonic laughter closer to her.

“Tell me,” Tia turned to Tieran, eyes pleading just a little, “that we don’t have to step through that.” She knew better, but held out hope, anyway.

The night was all about doing everything she never wanted to do. Taking a deep breath, she went to step through the curtain, but Tieran caught her around the waist, pulling her back. He shook his head, and she knew that meant don’t say anything.

Tieran moved to one side of the shimmering curtain, making sure she was tucked behind him. Bryce moved to the other side, and they waited. Tia peeked out from behind Tieran’s back and watched Bryce with huge eyes. She’d never seen him shift from a shifter male to a werewolf.

His body grew taller, but it was the shift of his facial features and the hair along with the way his teeth grew and the sharpness of the nails that really fascinated her. When the shift was over, she understood why the clothes he was wearing were at least a size or two too big. She had wondered about it, but thought it was impolite to ask.

Tia knew her mate had also shifted. Just being behind him, she could see how his muscles had grown and how he was suddenly just a bit taller than he had been before. Watching these males change into monsters was interesting, but she knew if they were changing into monsters, it was because they felt danger was approaching.

Danger was coming, and she wasn’t prepared for it. She looked back at the shimmering curtain wanting to prepare herself for whatever was going to come out of it. Time seemed to stand still, and then there was a roar as the curtain undulated and a body barreled through it.

Bryce lunged forward, his hands clamping onto the inhuman creature with lightning speed. With a fierce growl, he hoisted the twisted form off the ground, muscles rippling with raw power. In one swift, brutal motion, Bryce twisted, a sickening crack echoing as the creature’s neck snapped. Without a second glance, he flung the limp body behind him, his focus already shifting to the next threat.

Tia’s hand went to her mouth in an effort to stay silent. There were a thousand questions she wanted to ask, the first one being how he could kill so effortlessly without looking like he had a qualm.

Was the world of the monster something she wanted to be a part of? She had asked herself that before, but seeing Bryce break that monster’s neck made her wonder. There was another undulation, and another body came through, coming for her mate, who she was sure she would one day love completely. Shewas already half in love with him and it hadn’t been a day. Tieran grabbed this one out of the air. This monster was female, the first one she’d seen.

Of course, there were female monsters. Why did she only think of them as males? She looked like the typical witch, an Old Crone. Tia wanted to reach out to her, one sister helping another. Tieran moved before she could even make a sound.

Tieran’s sharp nails shot out. They sank into the witch’s throat with precision. His grip tightened, a snarl curling his lips. With a fierce growl, he swung her effortlessly over his shoulder, her body arching through the air before crashing down behind him. Tieran and Bryce crouched. Two wolves came through the curtain, teeth bared, saliva dripping from their mouths.

One of them jumped at Tieran, making Tia stumble backwards. She fell to the ground, biting her lip, and still she could hear the small squeak of fear that came from her. Tieran and the wolf fought and she could tell that her mate wasn’t taking it easy on him.

If the wolf got a chance, it was going to rip out his throat. They rolled on the ground. The wolf got a chance.

His teeth latched onto Tieran’s arm. Tieran used his other hand to dig his nails into the wolf’s flank and pull. She could see claw marks and the blood dripping from the wolf’s side. Her mate gave a vampiric hiss as the wolf tried to tear into his shoulder.

Tieran took his other hand and dug it deep into the wolf’s other flank. The wolf released him, whimpering. Tieran threw him to the ground.

Tieran and Bryce crouched low; eyes locked on the shimmering portal as two snarling demons burst through. Their twisted forms were covered in black, chitinous armor. Their razor-sharp fangs gleamed in the dim light, and acrid smoke curled from their open mouths. The first demon lunged atTieran, sending Tia stumbling backward. She hit the ground hard, biting her lip to stifle a gasp of terror as she watched the chaos erupt.

Tieran and the demon clashed in a vicious blur of claws and sinew, each fighting with primal fury. Tia’s heart pounded as they rolled across the ground, Tieran unleashing every ounce of his power. The demon’s claws swiped dangerously close to his face, its eyes glowing with hellish intent.

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