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“I thank you for throwing the perfect feast for me,” she purred, looking at everyone like she hadn’t eaten in centuries. “All of these delectable wolves in one place. You spoil me.”
Confused yet deeply disturbed by how connected I felt to Keres because of my premonition, I slipped from Rowan’s arms and stepped forward.
“Willow—”
“What do you want?” I called across the clearing, wondering if we did have something binding us or if my feeling of responsibility was the cause of my sudden bravery.
Keres laughed again, sending a spider-crawl of chills down my spine. Appearing even higher in the sky above us, she put her arms out at her side, and the wind began to pick up again.
“If you must know, I’m here to collect.”
My brows furrowed, but Keres’ eyes stayed as black as coal, and she began to chant.
Voice booming and carrying across the area, she recited words I couldn’t understand or place, but I knew nothing good could come of it.
Cries of agony came from several people around me, but not everyone. First, it was Kai as he collapsed to his knees and clenched at his chest. Then Sienna, Zach, River, Finn, and several others followed suit and cried out in pain.
It made my stomach turn, and their injured sounds made me want to vomit.
That threat nearly came into fruition the moment I felt a singe of pain from within our bond, and that same agony came from behind me.
Whirling around, I found him on the ground, clutching at his chest and trembling. He was panicking—thrashing, clawing, and heaving his labored breaths.
“Rowan!” I shouted, racing back to him. I dropped to my knees and tried to reach for him, but the pain was too great for him to notice.
Keres’ chanting continued like it was embedded into the air itself. It made my bones ache, but I could only focus on the roaring pain I felt second-hand from Rowan, fearing what was happening to our bond.
My eyes widened as something manifested above his chest, like fibers tearing away from him.
A grey shadow pulled from him, trembling and flailing in protest. Glancing around, I realized it was happening to all the shifters.
Everyone else panicked, either running away or running to try and aid their loved ones.
All the while, I watched as that shadowy figure was yanked from Rowan’s chest as he screamed his throat raw. With one last pull, it snapped free, and pure horror struck me at once.
Disconnected from his body then, that small form looked exactly like a wolf with its elongated snout, fangs, and large paws embellished with implied claws. They weren’t as detailed as I had expected, but that implied the soul fought and struggled against the current of air.
Terror-stricken, I watched as that manifested wolf moved toward Keres like it was magnetized to her. It snapped and snarled, but ultimately, there was no way for it to become free.
At once, all the shadow wolves rushed to her and seeped into her body. I couldn’t see where they were going, but it almost looked like she was absorbing them. Consuming them.
My hands trembled as I pressed a palm against Rowan’s chest to make sure he was still breathing while I took in the scene around us. He moved with shallow breaths, but he was still alive. I heard and felt his sobs, yet I couldn’t look away from the unfolding nightmare.
Kai seemed to try and fight through the pain as he pulled himself to unsteady feet, gritting his teeth. He braced himself like he was prepared to fight, growling at the demon wreaking havoc on his people.
He looked ready to shift. To do as much damage to her as possible. Except, he didn’t shift. He couldn’t.
There were no fangs, no claws, and no glowing eyes. No wolf.
By the time Keres was done chanting, every shadow wolf was already in her possession, and she laughed menacingly again.
“I cannot take your lives directly, but once you tear yourselves and each other apart, I will return to claim your souls, too.”
The moment Keres flickered out of sight, the whistling wind dropped, and nothing was left to drown out the sound of agony, panic, and pure chaos.
There was movement all around me, but I was incredibly still. Frozen and planted in my place on my knees next to Rowan. What had been a flourishing bond inside my chest was nothing but empty numbness. Like a cold and hollow chamber.
I couldn’t feel it anymore, not after it had been seared apart and left to exist in fragments once again.
