Page 93 of Outshone
“… two, one.” Running to Ezio, I changed my right hand into a cheetah’s paw and used my claw to cut my arm. Before I could get the blood onto his face, he shifted into warrior form and swiped his claws at me.
I danced backwards, using my rabbit-human legs to jump out of the way quickly, but his claws still cut a bit into my cheek.
Ezio was one of the strongest alphas in the werewolf clan. I wasn’t sure I stood a chance against him without the intent to kill him.
“Stop!” Lily screamed, tears flowing down her face.
Ezio leapt towards her and a combination of fear and protective instincts took over.
I changed my right hand back to a human hand, smeared my fingers in the blood dripping down my opposite arm, and leapt onto Ezio’s back. Wrapping my arm around his throat, I wiped the blood over Ezio’s mouth and held on while he tried to throw me off and tried to move forward to attack Lily.
Ezio would never forgive himself it he hurt her.
Branson stepped in front of Lily and shoved Ezio in the chest, making him stumble backwards.
The blood was on his lips, but he had to ingest it for it to cure him.
“Lick your lips!” I shouted into his ear and tightened my hold on his throat, trying to cut off his air supply.
Branson swept his leg out, knocking Ezio off balance and making him open his mouth.
I shoved my still bloodied fingers into his mouth and across his tongue, gasping in relief when I pulled my fingers free before his teeth clamped down.
He stopped attacking and dropped to the ground on his hands and knees.
“Inconceivable!” the male mage yelled.
“I’m okay,” Ezio panted.
“Bran Bran!” Lily yelled.
His body convulsed and he started to turn towards her.
No. No, they were not going to hurt my mate or my daughter!
As I ran by him, I smeared my blood on his mouth, my eyes focused on the mages. I shifted my hands into cheetah’s paws again and swiped at their faces.
Their hoods fell back and I gasped at the faces of my adopted parents.
“How?” I screamed as I continued trying to cut them, my claws tearing their cloaks to shreds. “We killed you!”
“You killed our clones,” my adoptive mother said. She clapped her hands together and a powerful wave of wind knocked me backwards.
“We knew you were unique, but we never imagined you were a hybrid. Had we known, we would have kept you and used your blood. Our research would have been so much better if we’d had your blood this whole time.”
We battled back and forth with magical attacks as well as my physical ones, and I felt my powers weakening. Branson leapt forward and distracted my adoptive father, attacking him while I attacked my adoptive mother. We had to end this soon or my power would be depleted.
The realization hit me and I cursed myself mentally for not realizing it sooner. “You morons!” I hissed. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
“Tell us, brilliant Daughter,” my adoptive father snapped and hit me with a fire spell that burned my face.
“Hybrids are more powerful and my siren blood protects me from your attempts at emotional manipulation. Your curses are emotion-based. You give the cursed person or creature an emotional desire and my siren blood filled with my desire to put them at peace breaks your curse.”
Both of their eyes widened and their momentary hesitation gave me the opportunity to attack my father, my claws burying into his stomach. With a twist, I jerked them out and he dropped to his hands and knees.
My adopted mother screamed, her hands moving in a circular pattern, and a strange purple and cyan blue, almost oil slick type of color grew.
A terrible feeling had me jumping back to try to avoid the magic. I tugged on my connection to Caleb, but wasn’t certain he would arrive in time.