Page 23 of Dawn Unearthed

Trace cursed, sighed, and then leaped over the bridge’s edge to deal with the revenants.

“Maybe keep them here so we can take care of them and not slowly move them downstream in the path of an unsuspecting innocent.” I slashed at another revenant, and its head rolled to the side.

“I did that?” Her body shook, her fingers whitening around the bat.

“You did,” I said and held back a smile. My bear was pleased. This woman was strong, far stronger than she knew. And she was mine—if she let me have her, and if I let myself pretend it could happen.

Because she was a witch, the one person my pack would never agree to have as its alpha’s mate.

Interestingly, my bear didn’t care.

And it wasn’t time for me to think about how sexy she was with her power radiating in those hazel eyes. How her honey-brown hair floated around her as if caught in a hidden wind that only her powers showed.

She gripped the blood-covered bat for dear life, and yet, she kept fighting. She might not think she believed what she was seeing, but she still fought. Protected, even in this dream that she thought she waded through.

And she did all of it as if on instinct.

She was so strong, so powerful. I couldn’t wait to see what she did next.

First, we had to survive.

Jaxton shifted quickly into his bird of prey, forcing a scream out of Sage’s mouth. That was disappointing, but she had never seen Jaxton shift before. She had never seenanyoneshift before. Maybe she would get used to everything and not cower when it came to the animals who lived within us.

Jaxton’s talons pierced the air as he killed the final revenant, the one that had come too close to Trace and Laurel. The three were friends—close friends—and they would fight and die for each other. Just like I would do for my siblings.

As the final monster fell, Rowen came towards us and cursed under her breath. “They had a spell blocking me. I can’t find them. But did you get their scent?” she asked as she ignored Sage for a moment and stared at me.

I shook my head. “All I smelled was rotting flesh, but I’ll check.”

“Me, too,” Trace said as he jumped over the bridge to get closer to us. Jaxton shifted back, and I ignored how Sage’s eyes nearly fell out of her head as she looked at the naked man. He had shifted and burst through his jeans because we couldn’t keep our clothes as we transitioned. I knew he hadn’t wanted to do that but needs trumped wants. Trace sighed and pulled a pair of sweats out of the messenger bag I hadn’t even realized he had been wearing this entire time.

“Put on some clothes. You’re scaring the newbie.”

Sage let out a breath, her eyes wide. “You’re a bird. I mean, abeautifulbird, but wow.”

Beautiful? My bear didn’t like that. Hell,Ididn’t like the sound of that.

“I’m a hawk,” the other man said as he put on the pants. I wanted to shield Sage’s eyes and not let her watch the other man. I was already jealous, but my bear wanted more. Needed it. After a fight like this, one with just enough danger to push adrenaline through my body, I wanted it all. I wanted my mate.

Damn it.

“Hawks aren’t that big,” she said. “Are all shifters bigger than normal size?”

“Usually, birds of prey are a little different because of our mass issues, but Rome and his two brothers are bigger than normal grizzlies. I have a different conservation of mass issue than they do.”

Sage looked around at the mess around us, at the gore on the bat in her hand, the water under the bridge, and let out a breath. “All of this is real.”

“What was your first clue? The water that you were controlling? The revenants? Or the man who was naked just now after shifting from a bird?” Laurel asked dryly.

Sage narrowed her eyes, anger sparking. Good. She could stand up to Laurel. I loved Laurel like a sister, but the fire that burned within her made her harder than she used to be. “I’m going to go with all of it, and you’re going to need to give me a moment to catch up. It’s been what? A day? And, suddenly, my entire life is filled with witches and shifters and now fricking revenants. This isn’t normal.”

“It’s our normal, Sage,” I whispered.

She looked at me then and shook her head. “Maybe, but I still need to catch up. And all of you need to let me do that.”

“We might not have time. Not in the way I wanted,” Rowen said. “If a necromancer sent their progeny out like this, it means they’re ready. Far more than we are.”

“What does that mean?” Sage asked as I cursed. She gave me a weird look.

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