Page 97 of Untethering Dark

Her nightgown.Thenaked “so happy you’re alive”hug only just now registering.Oops.

“Thanks.” Astrid donned it hastily, then broke into a quick clip, arms wrapped across her chest. Not from cold, but because bouncing tits were just not it for this situation. Suri followed.

“What happened to your drones?”

“Two of the three were smashed. It was like they already knew we were there. I was off in the trees a bit, up on some higher ground. That gave me a little warning, enough to get the drones off the ground, but not enough to spray without hitting our own. I fired a couple shots of regular pepper spray, but I must’ve missed, because it didn’t slow them down, and one of the poachers shot them out of the sky. Everything became so muddled, I couldn’t get another shot.”

“What happened after that?”

“They captured Johanna and the others, and I ran for help.”

Casting a look behind her, Astrid asked, “Did anyone follow you?”

Suri nodded. “There was one.”

“Was?”

A little smile lifted the corner of their mouth. “Blasted him with bear spray in the face.”

Well done.

“Duck!” Suri cried, and Astrid rushed to comply, but her head jerked back, new antlers dragging across the top of the threshold in an ugly scrape.

“Verdammt!” She rubbed the twin aching points atop her head.

“Are you okay?”

“Will be. Get the knives.”

While Suri raided the kitchen knife block, Astrid retrieved her ax from where it leaned against the wall by the back door.Next to it was the forest ranger assigned guard duty. The poor man was slumped over, still and cold. A pang of regret stabbed at Astrid’s chest, knowing Johanna would take the loss hard, but there was no time to attend to the body. The living needed them more, and there was no way of knowing how much time Johanna had left. Or even Gudariks, if he wasn’t immortal, after all.

Bells rang just beyond her gate.

The warning spell.

Her attention snapped to the front door, eyes narrowing.

Something had triggered them.

Suri’s eyes rounded, lips parting to ask a question, but Astrid held up a finger, silencing them. Whatever lurked outside, she’d have it think she was alone.

Ax in hand, she crept toward a front-facing window, scarcely moving aside the curtain to look outside. Cigarette Man and one other. Had he circled back to make sure she was truly dead only to find her body missing, and followed her tracks here?

Astrid met Suri’s eyes, mouthing, “Poachers.”

Nodding, Suri’s expression hardened, newly acquired knives raised and ready for slashing.

Anger bubbled beneath the skin. Astrid whisked open the door, cold rushing in and steeling her spine. She may be full Winter Hexe now, but rage still burned.

They dare trespass on my home. Dare take my friend, my love.

“You’re looking better, Blondie.” Cigarette Man smirked, his gaze dipping to the blood-stained center of her chest. The bullet hole there had all but sealed, just a bit of residual puckered flesh. “Not that I would’ve minded. So pretty at the edge of death.” The last bit was spoken softly, almost wistfully, as if he regretted the inconvenience of her survival.

Everything about his sickly sweet gaze fanned the flames of her anger higher, as a serrated steel knife the length and width of his forearm glinted in his hand. Like he was entitled to that which wasn’t his and would take it at any cost. Maybe she’d recapture him, just so she could savor taking him apart later.

The man beside him scoffed, his disgust almost matching Astrid’s own, but this was no ally. On the wake of that scoff, he lifted his arm, gun in tow. A muscle in his hand twitched, and reflexively, Astrid stretched out her hand, ice shooting from the palm. In a split second between the firing synapses in his brain and action, she froze the end of the gun barrel, just as it fired.

Screaming ensued.

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