Page 31 of Pitch a Witch
I swayed toward him as if pulled by the same invisible thread that tugged at my chest every time River was near. As his head lowered further, his mouth was close enough for me to feel his breath ghosting over my own. There was no doubt I would’ve kissed him if that first scream didn’t pierce the night and make me jerk away from him.
“Shit.”
Calling myself all sorts of stupid and a few other words I’d never say internally or out loud, I made a mad dash in the direction of the sound. River stayed level with me, although he could’ve gotten there sooner. All he had to do was sprout his wings, but he didn’t. I refused to think about what that meant and what could’ve happened if we hadn’t been interrupted. Feet punching the ground covered in fallen leaves and twigs, I pumped my arms to add more speed.
Pulses of golden glow blinked across the trees and undergrowth while shrubbery and low branches tugged at my clothes and scraped my skin. When we reached the clearing, I skidded to a stop because I couldn’t understand what I was looking at. Gray wolves were slicing into much larger black ones, using teeth, claws, and anything else they could find. They even went as far as flinging dead or unconscious shifters at each other. Alex stood in the middle of the animals in all his human glory, bare chested, spitting mad, and tearing into anything that moved with his bare hands. The Alpha was literally ripping wolves twice his size limb from limb and bathing in thick sprays of blood that gushed from his victims.
Sissily angled herself a step behind the Alpha, her body partially hidden by his larger bulk, and she flung bolts of magic at the Blackwood pack like it was going out of style. My best friend’s petite form made her look like a pixie, with her long blonde hair and wide, expressive blue eyes, compared to the enormous Alpha and his glistening, ebony skin and tree-trunk arms.
“Stop, or the bitch dies.” A burly man with a shaggy beard that reached his chest stepped out from the tree line ahead of us, yanking a disheveled Amber alongside him by her upper arm. His voice carried despite the snarls and howls echoing around us.
The biggest shock of my life was delivered in the form of a gigantic Alpha covered in blood like war paint, the coppery, sticky liquid dripping from his body in thick ropes, and it came when he laughed his ass off as his eyes landed on the psycho holding his wife hostage. Not just his wife, I noticed. Amber was clutching Jack to her, her face hidden by a cloud of fire-red corkscrews. River made a grab for me and bodily carried me out of sight.
“Blackwood, I see you are still dumb as fuck.” Alex guffawed while the other man silently snarled at him. “I believe you’ve taken my mate, but you haven’t met her.”
Amber lifted her head and locked her gaze on the Alpha. The next thing happened in a blur. She pushed Jack away from her, and the kid bolted toward his father, shifting mid-run, and as a small pup, he darted around anyone who tried to stop him. Alex snatched him in his arm and tucked him to his massive chest, still chuckling like a loon. Sissily attempted a dash for Amber, but the Alpha threw his free arm out and stopped her.
In the place where Amber stood, a ball of magic exploded, and a slim red wolf jerked its head back and mournfully howled at the now-dark sky. River’s sharp intake of breath along with all the wolves present taking a step back in surprise told me I was missing something.
“I don’t get it …” I started saying to Blondie when the small wolf pounced like gravity didn’t exist and ripped the throat of the man next to it before I even had time to blink. “Well, shit.”
Lesson number twelve: If you ever see a red wolf, don’t just run. Run, scream your ass off, and do it all in zig-zag style. That way, there will be zero-point-zero-one chance of survival.
21
We saw the black, monstrous wolf a second too late.
River was too busy trying to drag me back the same way we’d come, and as you might’ve guessed, I struggled like a cat dumped in water, claws and all. What was his problem, anyway? We were the victors, and I didn’t even get the chance to turn some of those jerks into anthills thanks to the touchy-feely crap he’d pulled back there. I’d say that counted as a win.
Both of us froze when a low, menacing growl came from beside us, and twigs cracked under the massive weight of the Blackwood shifter. Two more dark shapes spread out from behind him, all of them with their heads lowered and ears pinned to the back of their skulls. A red glow lit up their eyes like hellish lanterns on their snarling faces, and my heart skipped a beat as I watched saliva dribble from their bared, sharp teeth.
Blondie decided to continue being an ass by tucking me behind him like some damsel in distress. Unfortunately for him, he was the one who taught me how to somewhat control my magic, so grinning like a mad woman, I sent a zap right to his bitable butt. He scowled at me over his shoulder after yelping and jumping a foot off the ground.
For the record, no, I wasn’t an idiot. Aware of the three shifters ready to rip us to shreds, I simply wasn’t as worried as I should’ve been. Wing man proved he could stand his ground with a horde of demons facing him. Against three wolves, no matter how large and strong, it was like bringing a knife to a gun fight, as the humans liked to say.
Usually, a time always came when being too cocky brought karma knocking on the door.
Which was the case at that moment.
River’s eyes widened momentarily, and before I could turn to see what had spooked the arrogant man, he grabbed my wrist and tugged me in front of the wolves. The shifters pounced without any warning, and I ended up rolling around in the dirt to avoid seeing my internal organs decorating the outside of my body. Grinding my teeth, I was ready to tear River a new one, but my anger fizzled into dust when I saw what he faced.
Two shade demons circled around him, their arms long past their knees and their jaw stretched out of their elongated, bold heads to almost reach their stomachs. At around eight feet or so, their willowy frames swayed in a nonexistent wind like snakes. These particular demons were not physically strong, which actually made them a worse adversary to face because they screwed with your mind. Liars, witches liked to call them, because they manipulated your thoughts until you went completely mad and killed everyone around you. Poor Blondie better call on his strong will if he’d like to defeat Python’s spirits of lying.
“Watch out,” I shouted when a third came from behind River, one arm outstretched to touch his shoulder.
He danced away, but that was all I saw because I had to keep the shifters off me. Two of the wolves snapped their jaws an inch from my face and jugular, which I barely escaped with a well-placed round-house kick and a burst of magic I used like a rope to smack one across the snout. Shouts, roars, and howls came from the clearing where we left Alex and Sissily, and although I wanted to rush to them and see if they needed help, I couldn’t.
Crouched low, I mimicked the movement of the black beasts when they tried to spread out and corner me from three sides. Sigils enthusiastically pulsing under my skin, I chose a different approach to a fight for the first time. Instead of using my fighting skills, I would only use my powers. With that in mind, I focused on the magic churning inside me and flicked both wrists at the shifters.
Blasts of bright light streamed from my fingertips, one too wide and cracking a tree in half, but the other met its mark. The magic wrapped around the wolf like a rope and circled its neck, spitting and hissing as it ate through fur, skin, and bone. The wolf wined and howled to no avail until its body dropped on the forest floor with a dull thump, the head rolling away from it. Not a drop of blood spilled on the ground. With one down and two standing, I turned toward them, wiggling my fingers as a threat.
Trees rustled and cracked behind me where River fought the shades. Their hissed whispers tried to push into my mind, but I repeated very loudly in my head, “Not happening, nope, not happening,” so I could focus on myself rather than whatever lies they spat at me.
One of the remaining wolves made a move to jump right, and I followed, but it changed directions at the last moment and his teeth sank into my side. One sharp tooth pressed deep enough I felt it scrape over my hipbone, and stars bloomed in front of my eyes. The scream I wanted to stifle ripped from my throat and echoed across the forest like a cloud of scared birds bursting from the treetops. My hand flopped in a wide arc, sending dark puffs of magic with blood red veins around me, which spread like a sheet.
That was when I heard it.
The voices were faint, and they didn’t use words. More like the tone was conveying their intent. Mind-numbing pain spread through me, and the stronger it was, the louder they got. In the meantime, the second wolf took the opportunity to tackle me, and only my hold on his snout prevented him from chewing off my face. In the back of my mind, I knew the voices wanted to help me, and with my blood soaking into the dry soil, I gave into them.
