Page 152 of Mortal Shift
I rose nimbly to my feet, fully awake as I took in the rest of our small group rousing themselves. Jax was still in his wolf form, and was moving stealthily toward us, placing each paw with care to make the minimum sound, so that even watching him, I could barely hear his whisper-quiet approach. My eyes came to rest on Cole, also in his wolf form, staring out for the entrance of our little grove. Thaden caught my chin between his forefinger and thumb, and turned me back to look at him.
Go with Jax, he mouthed.We’ll come for you when it’s safe.
I open my mouth to argue, but the look in Thaden’s eyes had me snapping it shut again. Frustrated and resigned, I dipped my chin in a sullen nod. I didn’t want to run when Cole was about to go up against this thing, but deep down, I knew I had to. Being here would make me a distraction, and I loathed it. When I told Cole that letting Thaden feed was my only way to help in this fight, it had been the truth, much as every fiber of my being hated and rebelled against it. Wordlessly, and with my heart thumping with fear and frustration, I clambered onto Jax’s back, and sent one mournful, apologetic look in Cole’s direction. He dipped his chin in a lupine facsimile of a nod, and then his eyes locked with mine, and they promised that soon this would be over, that he would return to me safely. I had every intention of holding him to that vow.
His gaze shifted to Jax, who gave him a curt lupine nod, and then my mate stepped towards the grove’s entrance, Thaden and Thessalia flanking him on one side, and Alina on the other. My stomach clenched in terror as I watched them go, but Jax didn’t give me time to dwell on it. As the four of them melted into the predawn darkness, Jax slunk from the clearing, carrying me away in the opposite direction, and all I could do was sit helplessly astride him, a useless passenger. I didn’t know what Cole’s plan was, but I could guess. He, Alina, and the vampires would lead the wraith away from us, giving us time to escape to safety, and only fighting it if they had no other choice. Oh gods, I hoped it gave them another choice. I hoped they found some way to outrun it, outthink it, out anything but outfight it, because I didn’t know even with four of them that they could come out of that battle alive.
I swallowed bitterness as Jax broke into a run. Darkveil Academy was not for the fainthearted. Only the best of the best could survive here. Cole had warned me that when I first arrived, but never had I imagined myself so fervently praying that he and Thaden would number amongst those who made it to graduation.
A low whine slipped from Jax’s lips, and I realized he’d come to a stop. Glancing around, I recognized the spot where we’d had our first near miss with the wraith, when Cole had sent out his scouts and foragers, and Nathan had still been alive.
I slid from Jax’s back, consumed with guilt all over again, not only for being useless in this fight, but taking away one of our best fighters to get me to safety.
“We were starting to think you weren't coming back.”
I whirled round, I found myself staring at Ian and Wes, the two shifters who’d split off at the start of the night in search of food.
“You’re okay!” I said, my eyes searching the two shifters in their human forms and finding them free of injury. They must not have been able to find us again after we took off from the wraith the first time. Except... Why wouldn’t they have just followed our scent? And how had the wraith found us a second time? Unease prickled at the back of my neck.
“I see you worked out our little secret,” Ian said, his face twisting into a malicious grin that had Jax snarling. They were how it had found us. They’d led it straight to our camp.
“Why? I don’t understand.”
“Oh, there are a lot of things you don’t understand, human,” Wes said. “But don’t worry, you’re going to find out all about them.”
Jax snarled again, stepping to put himself between me and the two shifters, and though I wouldn’t be much use in a fight, I still liked Jax’s chances against the two of them. I’d seen him training with Cole, and there weren't many shifters here he couldn't take on, not even if they were tag teaming him.
“Settle down, pup,” a voice said from behind us, and I spun around to see three more figures emerging into the clearing. Kallan, in human form, and two wolves on his flanks: Eva and Harvey. We were so fucked.
“Told you I’d be looking out for you, blood whore,” Kallan taunted, his eyes roving over my body maliciously. “The only question is whether I finish you completely, or just leave a broken husk for Cole to find.”
Jax lunged at him, but one of the wolves threw itself forward, crashing into him mid-air and tossing him back to where Ian and Wes were shifting into their wolf forms, hackles raised and fangs bared, and deadly yellow eyes locked on to my protector. Snapping and snarling erupted through the clearing as the four of them fought, interspersed with yelps and squeals, and my heart squeezed and my throat constricted as I tried to work out who the sounds had come from as the tumble of fur carried itself deeper into the trees.
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them if I was you,” Kallan said, advancing on me with his tame wolf at his heel. “I’d worry about yourself.”
“Bite me,” I spat, and Kallan’s face split into a mocking sneer.
“I’m going to do that, and a lot worse beside,” he promised, cracking his knuckles as he swaggered towards me.
I glanced over my shoulder to the treeline, with the sound snapping and snarling was still ringing out. Jax wasn’t going to be able to help me in this fight, and worse, I wasn’t going to be able to help him. He was a good fighter, sure, but three against one? And soon to be five against one, once Kallan had dispatched me, which I was sure wouldn’t take long. He didn’t stand a chance. I could only hope that Cole would get back here in time. That he had somehow managed to lose the wraith with the help of Thaden, Thessalia, and Alina.
“If you're looking for your mate,” Kallan said, “I wouldn’t waste your time. After all, these will be your final moments, so you might as well enjoy them. It’s too bad that he'll be too busy chasing around after the illusion of a wraith to witness them.”
“An illusion?” My brow furrowed. “You’re a shifter. You can’t cast illusions.”
“I called in a little favor from a fae,” he said. “But the truth is, he didn’t take a lot of persuading. You and your mate have made more enemies than you realize. It’s almost a shame you won't be around when they destroy your mate.” He leaned in closer, so his lips were right by my ear. “But I will be.”
I lifted my knee and slammed it between his legs. He moved quickly, twisting his thigh to deflect the worst of the attack, so that my knee drove into solid muscle, but he still staggered back a step.
“You little bitch,” he snarled, straightening, and then his eyes narrowed, glinting maliciously in the lightening dawn. “I’m going to enjoy making you pay for that.”
He drew his arm back, then slammed the back of his hand down towards my face. I threw my arms up, blocking him, and I could feel the blow glance off my forearm with bruising force. The wolf by his side took a hesitant step forward, and Kallan whipped his head round to glare at it.
“She's mine,” he ground out.
“Whatever you do to me, I will never be yours,” I sneered. He drew back, and a flicker of fury danced across his face. It occurred to me that it probably wasn't a great plan to sass the man who wanted me dead, and was capable of making it happen without so much as breaking a sweat, but some other part of me knew that it would make no difference either way. He was going to kill me, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. So fuck it, if I was going down, I was going down fighting. And I sure as shit intended to give him a few scars to remember me by. I lunged forward, throwing two sharp jabs at Kallan’s abdomen, and he just stood there, allowing them to bounce off the solid wall of muscle that was his stomach. Well, shit. That did not bode well.
“Is that the best you’ve got, blood whore?” he taunted, and I felt a wave of fury rise up in me that this smarmy asshole was going to be the one who took me out. I threw another punch, this one aimed at his throat, and he swept it aside easily, then followed up with an elbow to my temple. Pain exploded behind my eyeballs and the ground swayed beneath me. The fact that I was still conscious told me it had just been a tap. He was holding back. The bastard was playing with me.
