Page 24 of Enspelled

“I explained that a wolf had killed my sister, and if Liam did not bring the wolf responsible to me, they would become an endangered species in Madden Grove. Do you know what he did?”

I struggle to draw enough air into my lungs. Since I can’t speak, I shake my head no.

“He called for a glass of water and brought out two wolves, who explained that a lone wolf had killed Diana. A lonefemalewolf.”

He’s throwing me under the bus to save his pack. That’s what Liam is doing. Maybe the pack could have killed Georgia, but not before she’d wiped out a good amount of his wolves first.

“And then what happened?”

“I thanked him for the refreshment and left.”

“But you didn’t leave?”

A hint of amusement, dark and terrifying, flickers in her eyes. “Of course not. I waited until a wolf who’d watched Diana die left the house. Then I tortured the truth from him. Which brings me back to you, Briar Fenix.”

She tortured him to death. Oh, Goddess, how are things suddenly a million times worse than they were before?

I gulp. “What about me?” I ask, trying not to think about what Georgia did to the wolf to get him talking. Like all witches, I’m not a big fan of wolves, but no one deserves to be tortured to death.

“I need something from you, and you’re going to give it to me.”

She doesn’t have to tell me what she wants. I know: a way to turn this shifting ability into a weapon against wolves.

“But I didn’t do anything. It’s not my fault I can turn to a wolf.”

She nods. “I imagine it has to do with all those wolf souls filling your body. But they didn’t get there by accident. Someone cast a spell, and where there is one spell, there’s usually another.”

I stare at her. Is that possible? Did someone cast a transformation spell?

A growl fills my head. I jump. Only this time, it draws no reaction from Georgia, so I guess it must just be in my head this time. Seconds later, the distinctive sound of a truck pulling up outside has hope surging.

Keane is back.

Georgia angles her head toward the window. “The wolf. Hmm. He’s not a part of this conversation.”

And I know what she intends to do.

Suddenly I’m drowning in my clothes and I can’t find my way out. By the time I wrestle myself free, Georgia is half-standing at the dining table. Naked greed fills her eyes, so much of it that I’m amazed her face hasn’t turned green.

I bolt.

The front door is made from solid oak, strong enough that sometimes even a hard wind wouldn’t blow it closed when Aunt Mel would leave it open in summer to let a cool breeze sweep through the house. So when I throw myself at it, I’m expecting to bounce off it.

But since I have an elemental witch somewhere behind me who will blow Keane to pieces if I don’t warn him, I can deal with a sore head as long as it gets the door open and me outside of it.

What I’mnotexpecting is for the door to blow outward in a shower of fire, broken wood, and smoke, and then I’m outside.

A desperate leap carries me down the porch steps. The second my paws hit the ground, I’m running. I cast a frantic glance behind me and glimpse Georgia just coming into view. Spinning back around, I run faster.

Keane is half out of the driver's seat, his eyes wide open as I sprint toward him, mentally screaming at him to get in the truck andgo.

He takes one look at me, then behind me, before stepping out of the way as I throw myself in through the driver's side door and into the passenger seat. I’m only distantly aware of the pain when my snout?—I’m going with snout—smashes against the passenger door.

As I dive to the floor, the truck door slams shut, and then tires squeal as it shoots forward. I hit my head a couple of times, and the floor smells of stinky feet. But right now, nowhere seems safer than here.

7

KEANE

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