Page 44 of The Beast's Baby
“I know,” she said. “But I trust the Maynard brothers. And their dad doesn’t seem that bad. I don’t think he had a clue.”
“You sure about that?” Jay asked.
“Of course, I’m not sure, but the brothers seem to be and, I don’t know, he’s their dad, right? So, if anyone should know, it’s them.”
An enormous crash was heard from outside the window. It was the third one and this time he rose to his feet. He couldn’t just sit this one out, could he? Perhaps he could throw Isobel some tool that might be useful. He wasn’t sure what that tool would be exactly, but he might make an okay decoy.
“Hey,” Olive stopped him. “Uh-uh,” she added.
“I have to,” he said, but she grabbed his arm in a vicelike grip.
“You’re human,” she stated firmly, as though he needed reminding.
“I’m aware,” he replied.
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll finish this myself.”
“You’re sure?” he asked, and she gave him a look that told him to get off his feet and go already.
So, he did. “Thanks,” he said, rushing for the door without a backwards glance.
He ran through the corridor as quietly as he could, not knowing what might be waiting for him at the end of it. He slowed when he approached the corner that would reveal the desk desert and whatever battlefield it had become.
Why was it so quiet?
Where before there had been the loud crashing of large bodies smashing into furniture, now there was nothing but an eerie silence. Was the fight already concluded?
Then he heard it.
Low growling.
There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that it was from a wolf. He could feel it reverberating through his ribcage as though the animal had somehow imbedded itself there, become a part of him too. As though there was a link between him and Isobel and her wolf. One that beckoned him forward, made him think that perhaps he could survive this after all.
He stopped when he reached the corner, peeking around it, shoulders so tense he felt like his shoulder blades were about to touch.
There was the wolf—enormous and dark brown and stunningly powerful. And there was the dragon. Not a physical manifestation of the creature, but a visual one as Cora’s veins were lit up with fire from deep within, coursing through her. The wolf had its back to him while he could see Cora’s expression clearly. The fire seemed fueled by fury, glowing softly around her irises in a warning. Or perhaps a challenge. This was her turf, after all. She didn’t look about to back down.
What was he going to do? How was he supposed to help?
Isobel?
Stay back.
Her voice in an immediate reply in his head. He didn’t need to be told twice.
He got the growing impression that this fight was what he had feared: one to the death. It made his heartbeat slow painfully, his breath hitch. He couldn’t imagine watching the wolf, bloodied and beaten, prostrated on the floor. He couldn’t imagine holding Isobel as she died.
No, he thought.I’ll throw myself between them before I stand by and watch that happen.
You’ll do no such fucking thing, Isobel’s voice resounded in his head.I can take her. She’s weaker than she thinks.
Good,he thought, but he had to admit that she looked far from weak.
In fact, she looked terrifying. Especially when smoke began to seep from her mouth, dancing in the air in front of her face. The fire grew brighter in the middle of her chest, beginning to pool into a concentrated expression of power that he figured could only mean one thing.
Is she about to—?he began, but he was cut off when Cora did as anticipated, parted her lips and breathed a plume of fire right at the spot where Isobel was crouching.
The wolf snarled, leaping out of the way, ensuring that the heat didn’t so much as scorch her fur.
