Page 59 of Luna Cursed

"I could be persuaded."

Tor paused on the stair. "Can you hear that?"

They all held their breath, and a faint thumping of drums rose up from beneath them.

"Oh yay! I haven't been to a cave rave inyears," Imogen said brightly.

"Just as long as it's not a Balrog," Lachie replied.

Ciara snorted. "You're getting as bad as Layla. If it was a Balrog, it would be warmer for a start."

"Ice Balrog," Lachie replied.

"Focus, children," Arawan chided lightly.

Tor was already heading down the stairs faster than before. "I can smell Linnea."

"Easy, Tor. We don't know what we are about to charge into," Ciara replied, squeezing his hand. His energy was jittery and making her edgy.

"I can feel Fenris. It's…indescribable," Tor said. His eyes had already shifted.

"It feels like something that should be left sleeping," Arawan muttered, stepping in front of Imogen. She didn't argue, which surprised Ciara. Imogen was never one to let someone get in between her and a fight.

The drumming got louder with every step they took, and a chant began to echo to accompany the beat. The magic building in the air set Ciara's teeth on edge.

"I hope this new suit of Charlotte's stops a magical attack," she said. She didn't know how to wield magic against shamans. Bullets and blades would have to do, but she would need to get close enough.

"She said they would shield against almost everything. She went extra hard because she was still embarrassed about the cuffs failing on you," Lachie told her. "Don't worry, I will jump behind you when the magical lightning bolts start getting tossed around."

"Sounds about right, too," Ciara replied.

Tor held out a hand to stop them. "Let me check. Wait here." He went down the last flight of stairs alone, and Ciara fought the urge to go with him. She barely breathed until he appeared again with a face like a thundercloud.

"Varg, two shamans, six warrior guards," he said, eyes glowing. "They have Linnea chained down in a ritual circle. Arawan? Can you deal with the magic? I don't want my sister hurt because the magic backfired on her."

"I'll take care of it. Hunters, you can deal with the warriors," Arawan said.

"Varg is my kill," Tor replied. He cupped Ciara's chin. "I know you want to help, but please stay out of this one?"

Ciara bit down all the objections she had. The scars on her neck said she had a right to vengeance too. She pushed it all aside. "Do it quickly, no dragging it no matter how much he deserves it. I don't want the fucker getting away on us again."

"He's never going to leave this place, that I promise you," Tor replied and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Can I have a kiss for luck too?" Lachie asked hopefully, making Tor chuckle and Ciara glare. As a group, they all entered a chamber filled with light.

Varg and the others stood in a circle. Sigils and intricate spirals filled with runes were sketched around them, and Linnea was chained down in the center of the spell. She was on her knees and looked resigned to her fate. She was staring ahead of her at the shadows.

It wasn't until Ciara was fully inside the cavern that she saw what was in front of Linnea. It wasn't shadows at all. It was the black fur head of the largest fucking wolf she had ever seen.

"Fenris," she murmured, fear icing her over.

"B-Big fucking wolf," Imogen replied, her eyes bugging out of her head. They couldn't see the body, which was probably a good thing. From the size of the head, it had to have been bigger than two semi-trailers.

"Let's stop those assholes waking him up, shall we?" Arawan suggested.

Tor's alpha power rolled out of him, thick and hot. Ciara bit down a gasp as it washed over her. He started to shift, and her breath caught. He didn't turn into a wolf, but a battle berserker form like the wolf man on steroids.

"Holy shit, Tor is letting out the beast," Imogen said and nudged Ciara. "Did you know he could do that?"

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