“He has my blood, Raven,” I scream.
We can’t allow another rogue to become gods touched. It will destroy everything. I flick my whip around the wolf’s neck and my magic pulses at full force into the wolf. The sound it makes before going limp and turning back into a naked man is halfway between a keening and a wail. It will haunt me for the rest of my immortal life.
Releasing the dead shifter from my whip, I scramble away. “Stop.”
I back away from the shifters still battling Raven and Greyson, my hands shaking and pain lancing across my back.My magic flares beneath my skin and crackles brighter along my whip and sword.
“Greyson,” I shout through gritted teeth. “You need to end this. I’m gonna lose control.”
“Shit,” Raven says, turning her wide-eyed gaze on me. “Babe, shift and show them what they’re dealing with. We really don’t want Beth losing control and destroying all these shifters.”
Greyson’s gaze lands on me backed against the tree, shaking with the force of my magic crackling on every area of exposed skin before shredding through his clothes and landing on four paws as a snarling, howling wolf taller than me.
The rogues whimper and back away with their tails between their legs as Greyson stalks toward them. All except for one lone wolf who shifts back to human. I avert my gaze as the man ducks behind a tree and pulls something on to cover himself.
“Who are you?” The man points an accusatory finger at Greyson’s wolf.
“Does it matter?” Raven asks. “He’s bigger and stronger than all of you.”
“He said he was the shifter god. How is it possible there are two?” The man shakes his head. “You shouldn’t exist.”
He takes a threatening step toward Greyson and magic lightning shoots from my palm and hits the ground directly in front of his feet. Startled, he jumps back and glares at me.
“What are you people?” he snarls.
“That’s none of your concern. Tell us where this so-called shifter god is hiding. He’s not a fucking god and telling people he is one is a good way to have Artemis cursing his ass.” I raise a hand when he takes another step. “Are you stupid, or do you want to feel the full force of my magic electrocuting you?”
“Artemis? The Greek goddess of the hunt? She’s a myth. She’s not real. You’re insane,” the man growls.
“It’s a good thing for you she’s in the middle of something right now or she would show you how very real she is.” I smirk. “Look, we need to know where your boss is. He was dosed with something dangerous, and he needs to be contained before he hurts anyone else.”
Greyson turns and pads behind a tree and comes back a moment later in his human form, thankfully covered from the waist down. He crosses his arms over his chest and glares at the guy.
“Is your boss bigger than me?” Greyson asks.
“No,” the guy admits. “How are you so powerful?”
“Um, Greyson. I don’t think telling him that is a great idea. It could make things worse.” I step forward, magic still crackling across my palms in case the guy does something stupid.
“Agreed, Beth. I don’t plan to give them any ideas.” Greyson steps between me and the shifter. “Tell me where he is.”
The command in Greyson’s tone even has me flinching. His dominance over the wolves has grown even greater. If we tell this guy how Greyson is so powerful, Derek will go looking for ways to grow even stronger. That puts all of us who have been exposed to it repeatedly in danger. He will want our blood.
“I’m loyal to the true shifter god. I will never tell his secrets.”
“You mean Derek? He wasn’t even chosen to be a beta in his old pack. He had to resort to recruiting rogues just to be an alpha. He’s nothing special. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time and capitalized on the situation.” I ease around Greyson to stare down the shifter.
“You lie,” he says. “How would you know anything about this?”
“Seriously? We were the ones who ordered his capture. What he got into isn’t something anyone should know about and especially not an angry wolf with a chip on his shoulder. It’sdangerous and about to start a war that could out you all to humans and then where will we all be?”
“The war will never reach the humans. He swore that he can keep them from seeing his power. He is a god after all.”
“Wow, he has fully drank the Kool-Aid,” I say with a sigh. “I don’t have time for this. I have my own war to fight. What do you want to do with him, Alpha?”
“He won’t be of any use to us as brainwashed as he is. I have two wolves nearby on patrol to escort him out of my territory. If I ever see you in my state again, rogue, it will be a death sentence. My friends here have an aversion to killing so you get a pass, this time.”
“She didn’t appear to care who she killed when she electrocuted Michael,” the man roars.
