Page 137 of The Wolf and the Chimera
“Out of my way,” Medea hissed and threw the warrior queen aside.
The other chimeras roared their outrage and launched themselves at the gods with renewed vigor, only to hit shimmering, magical shields.
“No,” I whispered. No one heard me. “No, no, no…”
The rest of the shifters reconfigured themselves, until they bordered the temple in defensive crouches.
Not to attack the gods,I realized,but to keep the chimeras from escaping.
The chimeras backed away from the gods, but there was nowhere to go. They were surrounded.
Serene gazed fondly at the nearest wolf. “I’m glad you could get them to see reason.”
Anassa lifted herself from where she had fallen and shifted forms. When she stood on two, tan legs, pure sunlight adorned her body like a gown, and her eyes glowed like burning flames. Her power throbbed in the air, mighty even among gods. When her gaze swept over the spineless shifters, they tucked their heads, unable to bear her scrutiny.
“You will regret this,” she warned.
Anassa looked to Helios, God of the Sun.
“You will regret it too,” she promised.
“I think her crown has gone to her head,” Zeus mused. “Let’s remind these chimeras what it is to be mortal.”
Anassa didn’t break her gaze from her patron god, nor did she simper at his feet and beg for salvation.
Helios swallowed. “Kill them.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ryder
As I walked beside my brother through the brightly lit, narrow hall, the hazmat suit I wore crinkled with every step. The mask restricted my breathing, and the clear goggles forced me to use my human eyes to avoid being disoriented by every smudge.
How did Lyall’s wolves tolerate them?
Why?
When Kalli had led us into a connected storage room, I had been shocked by the number of strange clothes Lyall stored there for his closest underlings. Medical scrubs, white coats, and hazmat suits had lined the shelves and hangers.
I wondered how many wolves had been victimized by his experiments but shoved the thought aside. Any distraction could be deadly. Though the hazmat suit was stifling, it also concealed most of our faces and scents.
At a determined but unhurried pace, Kieran and I walked the path Kalli had instructed us to take. The hall twisted, and I hoped I wasn’t a fool for trusting her.
Though she had insisted splitting up was the safest option, I hoped I wasn’t a fool for leaving her behind.
Images of the brutal cuts down her face played in my mind. I had known Lyall was an asshole, but I hadn't realized he was an abomination.
I hadn’t realized he could hurt his mate.
I won’t leave the estate without Kalli,I promised myself.
I only needed to save Elle first.
Kieran and I didn’t dare pause at the many doors we passed, but around the bend in the hall, my steps stuttered.
On either side of the short stretch of hallway were glass walls and silver doors. A low curse escaped Kieran, and he paused. Even through the mask, the metallic tang in the air left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Keep walking,” I ordered Kieran in a low, muffled voice.
