Page 25 of Charisma

“It’s not abnormal, but it’s something that’s not typical for those who are unsuspecting,” he remarks, a smirk settled on his face.

“I don’t find this shit amusing whatsoever,” Maverick scornfully hisses. “Not. At. All.”

“That’s my mate in there,” Beast rumbles out, his claws partially extended.

“It’s kinda like we’re at an amusement park,” I state, trying to get our fearless alphas to calm down before they completely lose their shit.

“Mine is in there as well,” Drakko supplies with a roll of his eyes as if he’s expressing a ‘duh’ inside his statement. “We have some of the best witches in the world in there, gentlemen, so we need to let it play out.”

As they continue their chanting chorus, the sky grows dark and lightning streaks plus thunderous claps can be seen and heard overhead. I watch as Buvor and Airvyd dodge them, plumes of smoke and fire-like shadows dancing through the clouds. “They’re gonna get themselves killed,” I mutter, irritated at the uninhibited and blasé way they’re soaring and dancing with the brewing storm.

“No, they’re not,” Drakko advises. “This is child’s play to us, ice bear. Calm your tits and chill.”

“Oh, that’s a great pun on my bear, Puff,” I snort, thinking my wordplay about his shifter variety was ten times better than his was on mine.

“Like I’ve never been called that before,” Drakko scoffs. Deciding to ignore him, I chance a look around at the others to see how they’re faring.

Being mellow all of a sudden, Pax changes the subject before we keep shooting barbs at each other. “How are we going to know if it works?” Paxton inquires, now sprawled in some branches just above us. Fucking panther is using his partially shifted talons to hold on while the rest of us are still attempting to remain earthbound.

My eyes widen as what I presume are demons begin to shimmer inside of the magical structure. They’re all spitting mad, their lips are moving, but no words are coming out. From outside appearances, none of them are capable of moving, it’s as if an invisible rope has them restrained. Huh. They’re muzzled and bound. Need to see if there’s a way to use that part of the spell without the rest for when the men decide that sending insults at me are the right way to antagonize me.

A shiver of disgust rolls through me when they begin to shapeshift into some pretty ugly entities. Their skin is droopy like melted wax, their teeth are sharp like barbed wire, their claws resemble rusty razors, and their bones are jagged and can be seen through their translucent outer shell. “Damn. That’s fucking—”

“Twisted? Foul? Repellant? Stomach churning?” Drakko asks, giving several optical illusion examples.

“That’s pretty dead on with what I was thinking,” Paxton admits as he gags at the visual before us.

“Let’s add rancid, gnarly, and repulsive,” Maverick adds.

“Do you think they’ll vanish on their own or will we need to add them to the polluted trash that has to be placed in those biohazard bags?” I ask the guys.

“I suspect they’ll disappear back to the pits of Hell from whence they came,” Beast replies, his attention finely attuned to Esmerelda but he’s still part of our conversation which lets me know he’s well-aware of everything within his vicinity. Like me, he tends to watch more than he speaks, which is why his words startle the others; they forgot he was even there.

Slowly, I feel my body being lowered back down and when I land solidly on my two feet, I scan the guys to make sure that they too have been released from the magical hold. We take a second and each one of us releases a relieved breath and nod our heads at one another.

I’m a bear, I’m supposed to have teeth, claws, and paws. I am not now, nor have I ever been a fan of not being in control of my body. Whether that’s my animal form or my person is neither here nor there, I wasn’t born to fly.

End.

Of.

Story.

I was meant to hunt for prey, frolic in the forest, and safeguard others. I need to be on solid ground to be capable of doing those things. I’m no longer envious of my avion shifting friends. They can have the skies.

BALDWIN

We’re still watchingwith a sick fascination as the demons within the protected dome writhe in agony while the witches continue to chant when we see Leigh running toward us as if the hellhounds are nipping at the heels of her feet. “Hurry, come quick! Landry and Connelly have gone into labor! Both of their waters broke at the same exact time!” After making her announcement, she turns and runs back, hopefully to help both women.

I watch as Paxton and Maverick stiffen while their eyes widen almost comically before they swivel on their feet and take off, both transforming into their animal’s mid-run so they can reach their mates quickly.

“Well, guess it’s just us,” I remark to Drakko, whose eyes haven’t left his witchy mate as she works with the others to exorcize the demons from our realm.

“It’s always a good thing when new lives enter the world. Maverick and his mate will welcome another hybrid, while Landry and Paxton will have a black panther cub. All is right,” he muses.

I nod even though I’m unsure if Charisma and I will ever welcome a little one into our home. I don’t know if my vampiress wants to get pregnant and carry a child. The topic hasn’t been thoroughly discussed as of yet. We’ve broached the subject, but nothing conclusive came from it. It’s still up in the air. I’d love a houseful of cubs myself, hybrid or otherwise, but if she’s unwilling to give me one or twelve, we’ll open our doors to those who are less fortunate or who’ve been orphaned.

“Hopefully, this won’t take too much longer because I’m sure the other women would like to be able to assist them as they birth the next generation. I’m positive Mav and Pax will be absolutely useless.” I can picture it now. We’ll walk into the cabin and the two will either be rushing around like chickens with their heads cut off or passed smooth out on the ground as their women birth new lives. I shudder thinking about both women enduring any kind of pain, regardless of the reason behind it. “Sometimes, I think women, regardless of whether they’re shifters or not, are the stronger of the two species between men and women.”

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