Page 18 of Sinful Shifters

"It's part of my ancestral magic," Ali says, and relief goes through me. "My ancestors were all part of the Mountain Coven, which as you know is very close to the werewolves. Obviously we haven't had to use the heat spell in a long time, given the lack of omegas, but the knowledge is still common. A similar spell is used in the Mating Ceremony from time to time."

I keep my mouth shut, knowing that Ali doesn't have ancestral magic, since her parents weren't powerful witches. We also don't use any magic in our Mating Ceremonies, other than the pack magic that creates the mate bond. There's no need to make the young would-be mates horny; they get there all on her own.

Teller doesn't know my best friend like me, though, so he buys the explanation. Nodding sharply, he tells her, "Do whatever you have to do. It's in the best interests of your friend, if nothing else."

Turning to Klaus, he scowls at him. "Don't bother me again. I have a battle to wage, and I expected you to have dealt with this by now. Get it done."

He strides out of the tent, leaving us alone.

"Can you really do that?" Klaus demands, turning to Ali with narrowed eyes.

"I can, I just need a few things," Ali says, sounding casual about it all. "A little bit of her hair, a few herbs, and some time."

I pray she's still lying. There has to be another plan. One that doesn't involve me mating with this mad man, one way or another.

Klaus stalks over to me, grabs me by the arms, and rubs against me. I shudder at the feeling of his erection against me, the knot throbbing and more engorged than I've ever felt before.

"Don't worry my darling Fern." He presses his lips to my temple, and I nearly hurl. "I'll make sure your body doesn't go through too much hardship before it's given back to you."

He rips hair from my scalp, making me wince, and hands it to Ali.

"What herbs do I need to get? I'll kill you if you lie to me."

"Henbane, thistle, rosemary and a little bit of blue-eyed ivy."

"Easy enough." He sweeps his gaze to me, narrowing his eyes. "Don't forget about the shields. They'll hurt you if you try to get through them, and while that won't bother me, I'd rather Fern not receive damaged goods."

Then he disappears through the tent flap, focused on his mission.

As soon as he's gone, I try to ask Ali what's going on—but she hushes me with a finger to her mouth.

Leaning close, she tells me, "run when I say run."

I nod, confident in her abilities. She smells like my guys, and something about her feels familiar. Just knowing she's here, and they were involved in the plan, makes me feel safe.

Ali ties my hair in a knot and slips it over her wrist. Then she digs her fingers into the ground, grimaces, and warns me, "this may be more than a little bit chaotic."

Before I can ask what she means, she summons the four elements.

Chapter15

Rina

Vines shoot up around us. Their tendrils tear the tent apart, exposing it to the outside air. Wind whips around our hair and clings to our clothes, making me wobble on my feet.

Ali screams at me, "Run!"

Then she pivots and throws a fireball at the shields around us, her face full of determination, her eyes glowing white with magic.

As the fireball burns a hole in one of the shields, I don't need to be told twice. I run towards it, slipping into wolf form. Heat scorches my fur as I run into the hole the fireball has made, then through them and past them, Ali hot on my heels.

I feel a surge of victory inside me at our escape. She reallydidhave a plan.

My victory is short-lived. Vampires surge around us, attacking quickly. Many of them go straight for Ali, who throws a few more, much smaller fireballs at them.

That isn't going to be enough, but thankfully I'm more than prepared to kill bloodsuckers, especially in my new wolf form. I leap on one going for Ali and tear its throat out, turning it to dust. Another comes, and I rake my claws across its tendons, severing them and leaping over it as it falls.

My blood pumps through my body, the thrill of finally getting toactfilling me with exhilaration. This was what I was meant for—not submitting to my enemies, but killing them.

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