Page 51 of Midnight Whispers
“No. No, please. Please.” Riley didn’t know he was going to say it until the words were out of his mouth. All he knew was Cass wouldn’t survive a fight. He could barely stand up. Riley couldn’t let him do it.
A gun clicked, as if someone cocked it back, taking aim. It had to be his dad.
The wolf on top of him shifted. When its teeth left his throat, Riley sighed in relief. But then the alpha pulled Riley to his feet. The alpha used him as a shield, threatening to kill him with the claws on one hand.
“If you shoot me, I’ll kill him. You don’t want your son’s blood on your hands, do you?”
“You’re done, Miller. Give up.” Dad never wavered. He seemed as if his energy waned. Riley couldn’t figure out why until one wolf, who had been bound by magic, moved.
The wolf shook off the effects of the magic as if he were shaking water from his fur.
Dad shook his head. “I can’t hold it.”
Riley had heard his dad chant the words enough times. He thought he could conjure the spell. As soon as he said the words, a shield shimmered around him and the Alpha.
“Shit.”
The alpha chuckled. “Well, aren’t you helpful?”
Riley pictured the shield coming down, and then it did. He didn’t have to use his words.
Dad sucked in a breath, but his surprise took a backseat to having his gun trained on the alpha.
The wolf bared its teeth.
“Take down the deputy first. I’ve got the sheriff and his son.” The alpha said it as if he were smiling. Since Riley’s back was to his front, he couldn’t say for sure.
The wolf snarled at Cass, stalking him. When it lunged, it went for Cass’s throat where his neck already resembled hamburger.
Riley tried to get away, but the alpha’s hold tightened. He didn’t know he cried out or that he screamed until it rang through the forest. The sound became tangible, touching everything in thick waves, like metal sailing through the air.
When Riley pictured it in his mind, everything froze except for him. Even the sound wave stopped moving. The wind froze on his command.
Riley tore himself away from the Alpha, falling to his hands and knees because of the momentum.
“Cass.” He couldn’t see through his watery tears. He still managed to get to his feet and made his way to Cass. He pushed the sound waves away like water. The wolf came next. He hadn’tbitten Cass yet, so Riley didn’t have to worry about hurting Cass as he pushed on the wolf.
The wolf hung in the air a few feet from him.
Riley’s hands shook as he touched Cass. He hesitated to touch his wound. His hands shook. “Oh god, Cass.”
He was bad off, and Riley didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to help Cass or how to fix him.
He didn’t know how to make things move again. He wasn’t even sure how he did what he did.
Riley waded through the waves to his dad. He pictured his dad moving again. That seemed to work before.
Except nothing happened. He touched his dad’s arm.
“I don’t know what to do. Dad.” He tightened his hold, leaning on him for support. “I need you.”
Dad’s body softened. Dad put an arm around Riley but kept his gun trained on the alpha. He scanned the area. Twice. And then turned to Riley, meeting his gaze. “You did this?”
Riley shrugged. “I don’t know. I think so. That wolf was going to kill Cass and I…I panicked.”
His dad blinked at Riley as if he were seeing him for the first time, but he recovered quickly. “We can use this.”
“Cass is all torn up. He needs me.”
