Page 12 of Sinful Shifters

These blessings will do more than just give her a little of our powers. They'll also let us go with her for a moment, see what she sees, and lend her our strength. They won't make her immortal like us, though—just a more powerful version of herself.

"Thank you," she tells us. Turning to her coven, she adds, "If I burn out, tell my father that I love him. And do whatever you can to save Rina. Please."

Rhea nods; the other witches turn away. Ali raises her chin, determined despite their lack of faith. She walks down the stairs of the Mating Circle and towards the distant battlefield, magic carrying her feet and making her strides long and quick.

As I watch her go, I hope that it's enough. Without Caterina, I have nothing to fight for. But for now, she's alive, and will hopefully be with us soon. So I'll do what it takes to save her pack for her.

Without speaking, we return to the battlefield, determined despite the overwhelming odds.

Chapter9

Rina

He wants me to be Fern. Clearly, if I don't act like her soon, he'll have Teller wipe my entire personality away. So I try to be like Fern as much as possible.

"I can feel her," I tell him, lowering my eyes and looking up from under my lashes. "Fern wants to be with you, Klaus. I—I want to be with you."

Klaus snaps, "You speak too much."

"Sorry." I look down and away, curling in on myself, my perfume wafting anxiously in the air. "I'll speak to you less."

"And you don't look at me enough," he adds in a plaintive tone, his alpha scent making my stomach turn. "You're too coy. Too bashful. It isn't convincing at all."

Well, I'm trying. But for some reason, certain obvious lies will work on him, while others won't at all. I'm convinced that being in the wellspring for so long addled his wits—that, or he was always like this. Eli and the gods don't act so insane, after all, and I've never felt as nuts as he is.

Maybe it's something about not wanting to be in the wellspring. After all, the godschosetheir positions. And while I don't know everything that happened to Eli or Fern, both died to wind up in the wellspring. Their souls were reborn, with brand new memories—so clearly, the process is a little different.

Right now Klaus is proving his madness by muttering to himself. Pacing back and forth, he stares at the bottle in his hand, his tone irritated and confused.

"I should just use it already," he mutters, a scowl on his face. "Just do it. It doesn't matter... will pass... then she'll love me..."

I only catch snatches of his last sentence before he trails off, but I don't like it. Whatever that potion is, he's going to use it to help the process of starting my heat. Which means raping me.

If I had unlimited power, I would blast him to pieces. Maybe stab him again. But if it didn't work the first time, I doubt a second mild stabbing will work. I'll have to be thorough—and once I kill him, I can figure out how to get past Teller's shields.

I don't have unlimited power, though. Which means trying to bargain with him.

"She'll love me." His back is to me, and his voice rises as he continues talking to myself. "She didn'tmeanit. What she said at the end. She'll love me. It's notherI'm raping, it's this little maggot wearing whatshouldbe her new body."

I start to feel sweat bead at the base of my neck.

I wish that I could unlock my memories. If I just knew what he wanted, I would be able to give it to him. But other than some snatches of half-remembered dreams, I have none of Fern inside me. Her wolf seems to be the only gift she's been willing to give to me.

Klaus turns on me, his eyes bright and fevered.

"I should just get it over with," he declares. "You'll berightagain once you go into heat. You'll be mine. My Fern, mine, all mine, this time my brother can't do anything about it. I made sure of that. And you'll love me, no matter what it takes to get there."

I can't help muttering back, "No matter aboutrapingme, you mean."

"Call it what you want." Klaus bares his teeth at me. "It won't matter once I have my knot in you and your body responds to me. You'll be mine, and Fern will come back to me, I just know it."

He approaches me.

My heart drops in my throat, thighs clenching in anticipation of pain.

I look around for the thousandth time for a weapon, desperate to dosomethingto change my situation.

At the last possible moment, someone enters the tent.

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