Page 75 of Gemini Hunted
Which means one of these shifters, prowling and slinking and converging on this tunnel from all directions, must be toting that nullifying object.
I desperately wanna shift. My dragon eyes see infrared in the dark, but my human eyes can’t. And my dragon queen wantsout. She’s snarling and thrashing in the prison of my skin. Frantic to defend our mates and protect our dragonets.
(Second time today she’s mentioned that, by the way. Dragonets. Like maybe she knows something I don’t?)
Stop distracting me, showgirl,I instruct her firmly.We gotta concentrate.
If my shift takes out enough of these supporting pillars, I’ll bring the roof down.
And Lucius is still out here. Somewhere.
Aided just enough by the dim violet glow of my electrified body, Neo lopes across the cavern and rushes under V’s floating body into the tunnel.
Thank fuck for that. At least that’s one of my warlocks safe—
A hyena explodes from the darkness, right on Neo’s heels. I give a warning yell and streak through the air in pursuit.
But Vasili’s much closer.
He’s a slim violet glitter in the near-total dark. With the wicked slash of one pale hand, V’s telekinesis hurls that hyena, howling and snarling, through the air into the reservoir.
With a mighty splash, that shifter vanishes in the depths—and doesn’t resurface.
I think of Mordred lurking down there and shiver.
Yeah, I’m not bonded with the kraken. But I hope like hell V gave marching orders to his demon before that nullifying object kicked in. Because we need Mordred and the Horn of Ceres in that tunnel with us.
Suddenly indecisive, I alight beside the reservoir and peer into the inky depths.
“Mordred?” I whisper. “You still in there, Aquaman?”
But I’m hella distracted. Somewhere in this pit of darkness, the whine and growl of labored breath tugs at my sleeve for attention. Sounds to me like shifters fighting—
Zara!
Sweet Jesus. V’s telepathic rasp makes me jump.
I hear you, bad boy.Projecting through the obstruction of that nullifying object—wherever it is—feels like trying to breathe with your face smothered in a pillow.
Zara…My dominant alpha’s voice whispers through my head. All faint and staticky, like an old-fashioned car radio broadcast in the mountains that’s almost outta range.Without you, little queen, this entire performance is for nothing. Stop fiddling with that kraken. I’ll find Lucius and the others. Kindly get your lusciousderrièreinside this tunnel.
Yeah, no.
Not happening.
I’m not leaving. Not without Lucius.
Especially when the walls ring with a shrill yip of wolfish pain.
Resolve fires in my diaphragm like a flaming sun.
I fling back my head, open my mouth, and voice a pure high note that summons a sheet of heat lightning beyond the slit of skylight.
In that flash of electric light, I finally find Lucius.
Fully shifted, his wolf is all the way across the cavern. He’s single-handedly (but with paws) guarding the outer door like Cerberus guarding the gates of hell. Fighting like a titan to keep a whole ravening pack of hyenas outside. Filling the doorway, my wolf is savaging three of the hugest hyenas I’ve ever seen. They’re like the A Team of hyenas, I seriously didn’t know they could get that big.
And Lucius.
