Page 8 of Stolen Oath
The stunned expressions from those following behind the worried samaritan told me they had no idea what they were walking into, although it seemed curiosity still got the better of them. Leave it to people from LA to care more about drama than their safety. They even dodged between shelves and stepped over piles of broken glass as they approached us cautiously.
The telltale wails of police sirens reached us from the distance, but that did not seem to stop anyone from piling into the store. I could feel hundreds of eyes on me like ants crawling all over my skin. My breathing was becoming faster and panic was starting to settle in. I managed to crawl over to the blond shifter who was laying on the floor, so I could whisper frantically to him and none of the humans could hear our conversation. Unfortunatelly the snow and dust settled already so we were there to see by everyone.
Dimitri stood up slowly, his wolfish features still visible, even in his human form. He looked at me with an intensity that almost felt like he reached a hand and settled whatever fear was building in the center of my chest. It grounded me like nothing else would've. If I wasn't mistaken, I believed the alpha used the compulsion he would normally apply to one of his pack to snap me out of a full-blown panic attack. It was frightening how much power had poured out of me and I knew he was aware of that fact, too. His eyes darted toward the shifter who hadn't moved for several moments now, undoubtedly wondering if he'd killed him by accident.
Looking at the same shifter, I doubt the hyena would move an inch out of fear I’ll send another blast. Judging by the terror twisting his features, he knew I’d be sending it directly at him the second time.
Grateful for his help, I shook my head slightly, as if to reassure him we could deal with whatever the situation is before turning my attention back to the two hyenas on the floor. Keeping my tone low I made sure none of the humans could hear me.
“You two are going to answer some questions for us now, and if you say one word to any human I promise you dying will be the least of your worries,” I said through gritted teeth as rage began to boil inside me all over again. Dimitri saddled closer to me and placed his hand on my shoulder, lending his support and stopping me from trying to turn into a supernova again. “You're going to tell us everything we need to know.”
The hyena looked up at me with fear and desperation pooling in his eyes. All his bravado left the building after my dumb display, which could cost me my life if anyone saw me casting the spell.
“We were hired to take you out,” he stuttered out while his voice trembled. “We don't know who hired us, only that we were offered a large sum of money to do it.”
I frowned, not entirely satisfied with his answer. “Who offered you the money? Who contacted you,” I pressed, my voice low and dangerous, some remnants from the echo still present in it. Ants were crawling under my skin making me want to throw my head back and scream until I’m raw.
The second hyena whimpered when he tried to crawl away, finally moving and writhing in pain from where a piece of wood had managed to pierce his side. My eyes narrowed on him and his whimper sounded even more ridicilous.
Pathetic.
“I don't know,” he gritted out through clenched teeth, gripping his injury while tears streamed down his face. “I swear, we were just told to find you and kill you. The two of you, not him.” He tipped his chin to indicate that Dimitri apparently was too good to be killed by hyenas.
I sighed, feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Apart from the alpha's father, I didn't know who could possibly want me dead, or why, unless this person knew I was a witch. Something I was hoping was still a secret kept between me, Char, Damian, and the alpha. I knew, however, that whoever it was, the person was knowledgeable enough to send two skilled, albeit dumb assassins, after us. Lucky for us, between me, Char, and Dimitri we packed enough power to battle an army if need be, but that did not make the hyenas any less skillful as killers.
“We need to leave,” Char spoke urgently and rounded the pile of debris, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the back exit of the store. “The police are almost here and we can't risk being here when they arrive with Allie lit up like a sprinkler for fourth of July. We'll find somewhere safe to regroup and figure out our next step.” She glanced around, as if seeing the store for the first time. “I destructed the humans by making sure they know how the asilents traumatized the woman. They'll take care of her. Let's scram.” I had no idea how she managed to keep her purse intact, yet there it was, the tote swinging on her shoulder with not even a speck of dust on it.
Dimitri nodded, his face set in a grim determination and a muscle ticking in his jaw. Swiftly, he bent down and scooped the barely conscious dark haired hyena off the ground before effortlessly slinging him over his shoulder. Char and I rushed over to help with the second, locking onto an arm each and dragging him into the alley behind the store. The snow from the spell had already started to melt, but it was still solid enough to hear our feet crunching through it as we moved. The group of humans were gathered around the still crying woman, oblivious to us sneaking out.
Dear stars, please make the snow melt fast. There would be no way of explaining permanent snow that lasts for months to the human police or MPO if they found it spread out in the middle of summer like it’s the normal season for it. A potion made by a sourceress or snow made by a mage would dissipate within ten to twenty minutes. Anything longer will be screaming witch louder than the approaching police cars.
As soon as we were outside, the cold hit me like a ton of bricks, forcing my teeth to chatter. It was like walking into a freezer, the temperature dropping rapidly as the snow continued to fall in large, fist-sized snowflakes in the middle of LA. I shivered, wishing I could wrap my arms around myself, though more from fear of being discovered by the MPO than the cold.
“Are you okay?” Dimitri asked, his voice laced with concern as soon as my hands were free from the deadweight of the shifter.
My head bobbed to say I was, but the truth was I was so far from okay, I didn't think I would ever feel it. “I don't know how to stop this.” My hand waved at the snowflakes listlessly.
“Who said that you should?” I peeked over at him and his stormy eyes kept me a prisoner.
“It's snow,” I told him slowly, like he was stupid or something. “In LA.”
“The elemental who made the snow managed to escape,” Dimitri told me simply.
“What elemental?” Confused and drained, I blinked at him.
“Exactly.” He let loose a chuckle before dropping the shifter at his feet. “You two stay here, I'll bring my car around.”
And he was off.
“What elemental?” I mouthed to Char who was doing a poor job of pretending not to laugh at me.
CHAPTER5
Dimitri stuffed the two shifters in the trunk of the car with zero explanation when he brought his vehicle around to the back alley of our store, and they didn't make a peep about it. I could hear them mumbling something at that moment but it was too low for my ears to make any sense of it. Maybe hyena shifters weren't as dumb as the rumors said they were but neither Char nor I said a word either.
We weren't as dumb as we looked, as well.
I absently listened to Char and the alpha talk from the spacious back seat of the Lexus, my lower body sinking and melting into the butter-soft leather. The two of them became bosom buddies in the last couple of weeks, which rubbed me wrong in so many ways for no particular reason. The fact Char lost a very important memory so she can save my hide when I screwed up, made sure I kept my mouth shut about it. It ate at me what they discussed when I wasn't within ear shot, or more precisely if they talked about me. Being an adult means I acted like one on occasion.
