Page 10 of Magic Hunted
And that kiss.
One kiss was all it had taken for me to forget everything.
Titan’s human army surrounded us. The scent of magic stung my nostrils. It was Titan’s magic, but faded and spread thin. A warning growl vibrated through Ashir as he stepped in front of me. His lips pulled back, revealed gleaming white fangs that were as long as my human hand.
Kalos withdrew his sword from the sheath at his back and pointed it at Ashir. His lips tightened into a straight line as he shifted his balance from one foot to the other. “Easy, Alpha. The king only wants her. She’s not worth fighting over.”
The fur on my shoulders rose and my chest vibrated with a low warning. I’ve never been worth fighting over, but I’d take joy in ripping them apart.
“Who would have thought the sewer-rat would be a panther shifter?” Peder said, aiming his crossbow at my head.
“She kept that little secret close to her chest. King Titan will love to know why,” Sinon said.
“And why she was on her back beneath them like the good little whore she is. It looked as though things were about to get interesting. I’m sure he’ll take great delight in their next little chat,” Kalos sneered.
Our next little chat would mean Titan’s insane rage and my inevitable torture.
I might be a sewer-rat, but now that I was a panther my body was a weapon. I had claws, teeth, strength, and pure hatred that tainted the blood in my veins. Maybe that was why Ashir forced my Change.
I brushed past Ashir, but Savvas and Dias surrounded me, attempting to put me behind them. This was my fight too and now I had claws and teeth, I itched to sink them into the soft skin of each male who had made my life a living hell. I had nothing to lose. I could not let them take me back to Titan.
“Stand down, sewer-rat,” Peder said.
I snarled a response. Peder jerked, his finger pressing on the crossbow trigger. The bolt released with a twang and streaked over Ashir’s shoulder. Blood welled through black fur as he let out a snarl of fury. My vision hazed and my sight locked on the guard. Hot rage imbued every pore of my body. A growl tore from my chest and I bared my teeth with a body-shaking snarl. Wrapped in boiling fury, I sprang from the ground, clamping my teeth around Peder’s forearm. The crossbow clattered to the ground, and I wrenched my head, feeling the satisfying snap of bone and rending tendons.
Peder’s shrill cry rose around me, music to my ears. He stumbled, tripping over his own feet before he fell onto his back. I released his arm, drawn to the rapid pulsing in his neck. Saliva filled my mouth and dripped down my fangs as I stepped on his chest and opened my jaw. His neck was so thin. So frail. The blood pumping underneath was deliciously warm.
I reveled in the power of my new body. Of every graceful step and the raw bloodlust that sang in my veins. My claws popped through leather and skin, blood welling through the holes. The acrid scent of fear welled in the air and I growled a purr.
“Please. Let me go.” Peder’s eyes were wide pools of terror. Blood vessels broke in the whites of his eyes. His face was a rictus of satisfying fear.
I lunged at his neck as pain lanced into my side. A cry tore from my mouth as Kalos strode toward me. “Release him!”
My burnt fur smoked as Kalos lifted his hand to send another bolt of Titan’s magic in my direction, his ring glowing with blue power. His fingers sparked. I’d seen him roast innocent shifters with that power, kick their charred bodies and laugh while he stepped over them in the streets. I might be a panther, but he still had Titan’s magic and I was no match for that.
A deep growl resounded before a streak of black shot at Kalos. Huge paws struck Kalos’ chest. The weight of Ashir’s panther sent Kalos to the ground. Ashir’s massive jaws clamped around Kalos’ neck and ripped. His scream was cut short as Ashir tossed a bloodied mass to the ground. Blood poured from his missing throat.
Kalos’ eyes rounded as he pressed his hands to his neck. He choked as he drowned in his own blood. His heels gouged the earth, his body struggling in his dying throes. His legs jerked, weak. His bloodied hands fell from his neck and his sightless eyes, wide and round in shock, stared at an endless spot no living being would ever see. Wisps of Titan’s magic drifted up from his body and whisked away through the trees.
I panted. Shocked.
Kalos was dead.
One of Titan’s cadre, his special agents, killed by Ashir’s hand.
Titan would never let the alphas live now.
Sinon let out a cry of rage. Bolts of electricity struck the ground at my feet, sending chunks of rock and mud spraying into the air. Dias cried out as a bolt struck his back.
“You die!” Peder cried out. Electric bolts flew from his hands. Lightning streaked and seared a path across my shoulder.
“Kill them!” Sinon yelled.
Swords slashed and arrows struck as their human army bore down on us. Ashir leaned into me, sending me staggering towards the space between two men. He nudged me with his nose with a desperate sound. Savvas and Dias pressed me between them, protecting me with their bodies as they herded me through the men.
The idiots were trying to save me. It was clear they intended to keep their bodies between me and Titan’s guard if I didn’t move, so I did the only thing I could do and jumped through the gap.
I knocked men sideways with my much larger body. One of the men swiveled on the balls of his feet. A line of fire erupted over my flank as his sword cut into my skin. I faltered. Recovered. Stuffed the pain into a closed-off section of my mind.
