Page 37 of All Hallows Trick

“What?” Misery’s brows slammed down over vivid gold eyes. “Fuck off. I’m not leaving you here.”

“Will you go if Cat comes with you?”

“No.” His jaw set. “There are wild animals blocking the way into our damn home. I’m going nowhere.”

Stubborn, protective man. I released his arm and cast a look at Death. “What’s the plan?”

“We can’t afford to get wounded again,” he replied, clever grey eyes assessing the rows of creatures. There were bear-like animals, a sandy-furred lion, tigers, jaguars like my Cat, and even a bear. Why were they each different? There was one serum, not a different one for each person. Poppy mentioned a single serum, and so did her lab tech and—

“How the fuck?” Misery demanded, lunging forward a step before I wrangled him back. Death would come up with a plan. Something better than my attack first, ask questions later approach. “We locked you up, you psycho bitch!” he snarled, spotting her before the rest of us.

“That’s impossible,” I spat, watching Poppy stroll casually out of the front door of our home. She was locked in the dungeon under Madde’s castle. She’d been there for days, secured inside the shields of his home.

Madde laughed, low and rolling. Knowing. Furious. “She baited us into leaving her alone by telling you about the tech. Sneaky little scientist.”

“Madde!” Cat yelled when he leapt into a flutter of darkness, cutting across the courtyard.

“He’s the strongest of us right now,” Death said, stepping in front of Cat when she made to run. He caught her shoulders.“He’s got more magic than all of us put together. He needs to be the front line right now.”

“He needs back up,” Cat argued, her eyes sharp as she peered around his arm at the row of horned, winged, clawed subjects. “He can’t go up against thirteen subjects and Poppy alone. We don’t know what she’s capable of.”

“Maybe nothing,” I pointed out. “She’s not a creature, and she has no magic.”

Cat’s mouth pressed thin. “She’s Nightmare’s lackey. Who knows what she can do?”

That was a cheery thought. “Any chance I can convince you to leave now, and hole up somewhere safe?”

Cat didn’t take her eyes off the castle steps as Madde’s spiralling of darkness collided with a sleek lioness with the tusks of a walrus. “You know the answer to that.”

The coldness in her voice sent a chill down my arms. IknewCat, knew she was dangerous and strong as fuck, but with the serum and antidote running through her veins, I realised I didn’t quite know what she was capable of. Her nostrils flared, nothing but icy rage in her eyes. An illicit cocktail of pride, fear, and arousal sent a rush of fire up my cock.

Now was not the fucking time to get a semi.

Madness grunted, the sound either of anger or pain, but I watched it strike Cat’s whole body like a whip.

“Cat,” I said, my hard voice drawing her attention. “You don’t take unnecessary risks. If you see an injury coming, you get out of the fucking way, even if it means one of us getting hurt. We’re tough, dead bastards; we can handle it. Even scratches, even bites, even weakness,” I said when she began to argue. “We can handle it. You fight like hell, give them everything you’ve got, but don’t you dare risk yourself. You hear me?”

Her throat bobbed, her expression cold, threatening. “I hear you.”

“Good girl.” I pulled her out of Death’s hold, brushing my lips over her ear. “Go save your man.”

Her breath hitched, a little flicker in her inhale that drove me mad. It physically hurt to let go of her, but it would hurt worse when Death realised I’d given her the green light.

“On a scale of one to ten, how okay are you feeling?” I asked Death and Miz. “And be fucking honest. Overplaying it does none of us any good.”

Misery dragged his teeth over his bottom lip. “Seven.”

“I’m a six. Death?”

His jaw clenched, and I saw the lie form in the first flicker of darkness in his eyes.

“I’ll put you at a three,” I cut in, and ignored his low growl of complaint.

He began to argue, but realised all at once that Cat was gone. I grabbed his shoulder before he could run after her and shoved him firmly behind myself.

“Oh shit,” I breathed, blinking at Virgil when I glanced back.

“Yep. I’m here, too.” I felt kinda bad for forgetting about him, but in my defence, there were a dozen animals on my doorstep along with the madwoman who created them. “You three hang back. We’re probably less susceptible to weakness.”

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