Page 46 of Of Flame and Fury

Shayna edges closer to me, looking in the direction of the dense trees. Our wolves will be here soon, but it’s not soon enough. “Do you think Destiny can beat Johnny, T?”

I huddle closer, seeking her warmth. “I was just wondering that myself. Destiny is stronger than anyone ever gave her credit for. My concern is, she may not be enough. She arrived earlier today. Johnny has had weeks to infiltrate the compound.” I make a face. “He’s dug his magic deep into the ground and polluted the air with it. This place is no longer Genevieve’s. He’s claimed it as his.

Celia and Shayna startle when the wolves’ heavy paws ground to an abrupt halt. The echo of snapping jaws follows several rounds of hissing whimpers.

“What the hell was that?” I ask.

Shayna looks at Celia. “I don’t know. Something with seven, maybe nine dangly boobies.”

Celia holds up her hand, stopping her. “They’re tails, Shayna.”

Shayna makes a face. “You sure, Ceel? They sound all floppy.” She makes a bouncy motion with her hands in front of her chest. “You know, kind of like when you or Taran run really fast and forget to wear bras.”

“I don’t forget to wear a bra,” I say over Celia’s insistence that they’re tails.

Shayna raises her brows and gives me a once-over. I jerk the front of my dress down. “It’s a wrap-around,” I say, pointing.” I tuck my breasts back in the cups and adjust the stupid thing. “It’s not practical given my cup size, but it works with the dress.”

“If you say so, T.”

What sounds like an audible explosion of multiple zits follows. Shayna groans. “It’s like, squirting them with milk.”

I hold out my hands. “I can do without the visual, Shayna.”

Celia is ready to be sick. “They’retails, Shayna.Oh,” she says. She covers her ears at the sound of more squirting. “I think whatever they’re fighting is poisonous. It’s bursting with venom. I can smell it.”

“Are you sure it’s not breast milk?” I ask, shooting Shayna a look.

“T, believe it or not, guessing sounds from this distance with so many superbads isn’t easy,” Shayna replies. “And seeing what we’ve seen in just the past hour, I wouldn’t put it past Johnny to send something with multiple boobs after us.”

I shake a finger at her. “All right. I’ll give you that one.”

“I want to believe Destiny can defeat Johnny,” Emme says.

She rises from where she was touching the ground. Emme can’t sense magic like Celia and I can. Hell, even Shayna’s better at it since Koda gifted her with some of his wolf. But this time, it’s different. The longer we’re exposed to Johnny’s power, the more familiar it becomes.

“I want to believe it too, Em,” I tell her. I motion around us. “Maybe with a little help from her friends, she’ll be able to.”

The abrupt silence announces the creature’s defeat. There’s a temporary pause before the wolves resume their frantic pace toward us.

We remain vigilant for the next few minutes, my heart leaping to my throat when a giant red blur clears the brush and rushes Shayna.

Chapter Sixteen

Shayna drops her sword and wraps her arms around Koda’s massive neck. Blood drenches his fur. Some is his. Some is definitely not.

“We’re all right, Puppy,” Shayna tells him. He growls softly. “No, cutie. Nothing we couldn’t handle.”

Gemini’s twin wolf follows. I all but cry when he barrels toward me. “Hey, bud,” I say. “You had me worried.” I cuddle him close, the terror I pushed down finally releasing.

Aric and Gemini rush through the stand of trees in human form, thewereswith them surround us, forming a blockade. I don’t count them, they’re too fast and too many. Still, there’s far less than when we first began.

I take in the feel of Gemini as he wraps his strong body around me. “You’re alive.” He says it as if he still needs to believe it.

“You are too,” I say, gripping his shoulders. My body shudders. It’s freezing. He rubs my back, trying to warm me.

The past few hours were horrific at best, and the end is nowhere near. If we live through this mess, I’ll sort through the trauma piece by piece like always. For now, I’ll take the momentary reprieve my mate offers.

Celia wipes her eyes, watching Aric as he stands a few feet away taking her in with all the love he feels for her. He seems close to tears, but anger and relief remain the most prevalent in his features.