Page 49

The memory of the orange spiking from her aura surfaced. I’d assumed Carmichael had done something to her with that strange black pulse, but it was the other way around. She’d touched all of us at one point or another with her aura, imprinting the memory of our appearance and our magic.

Hazel shrugged, not taking her eyes off the imposter. “That kind of power only comes from earning a ninth tail. She’s positively geriatric.”

“Bitch,” Evil Hazel snarled and lunged.

I slid forward as they met, extending my leg and swiping it beneath Evil Hazel, who fell to the ground with a grunt.

“Nice work,” Daphne said. “Glad to see your training coming in handy.”

Hazel helped me to my feet as Jensen recovered, growing in height and skin bubbling like popcorn in the microwave until a carbon copy of Carmichael stood before us. Him of all people?

“Stop,” she ordered in his voice.

Both Hazel and Daphne froze on the spot, and I understood, remembering the feeling of being immobilized after the baby kraken’s bite.

“Glamour doesn’t work on me,” I informed her. She didn’t need to know that was due to the heart charm beneath my shirt, or that vamp super strength and teeth would work just fine. But she probably already did figure that much.

I would need my allies to get out of this. Julian had been right when he’d told me that accepting help wasn’t a weakness. And even if I could get to the elevator and escape, there was no way I’d leave them helpless with a killer. I wasn’t about to lose another person, let alone a friend.

“Shame Julian got loose and slaughtered the three of you before I could subdue him. He’ll be executed for that.” She grinned, showing off fangs. Carmichael’s lascivious face forced bile into my throat as the memories I’d tried to stuff down threatened to surface.

She reached out to grab my wrist, and a picture of a silver sword severing Julian’s beautiful head sliced through me, snapping me out of it. I yanked my hand back.

Not smart to make me mad, Bitch.

“Why did you kill those women?” I asked, keeping my focus split between the creature before me and my friends as I circled, trying to maneuver between them.

Evil Carmichael—well, that was redundant—stalked toward me slowly, fangs now fully extended. “Chaos is beautiful cover when it comes to getting what you’re really after, my pet.”

“You’re the fox, not me. Not that I’d want one for a pet. I hear they smell bad and have no manners.”

Carmichael hissed and appeared directly in front of me. “They want you alive, but if I had no choice, they’d forgive me. And if it looks like a serial killer, then no one will suspect the truth when you disappear and die.” She stroked my cheek and then dug her fingers in, making me wince.

I focused everything on my friends instead of her. I had no idea if it would work. She’d be ready to fight me, knowing what I was. But was my mind-bending stronger than vamp glamour? I guessed we’d find out shortly.

“Wake up and ignore the glamour.”

Carmichael’s eyes widened as the others came to life beside me. Before I could even move, Daphne grabbed the hand from my face and twisted it behind the fake vamp’s back, wrenching him to his knees.

“Hazel, can you call Karma? Tell him to have Zoe send him through?” I asked.

Her eyes lit up. “Brilliant!”

But the kitsune morphed again, this time growing in bulk until Sam knelt beside Daphne. The change in size pulled the nymph off balance. He whipped her around and onto the floor in front of him then pounced on her, holding her hands above her head and legs beneath his strong thighs. I supposed that would be a welcome situation for people who had a thing for the wolf, but that was not the case here.

Hazel had her eyes closed in concentration when I glanced back, so I figured it was up to me. I jumped on Fake Sam’s back and threw an arm around his neck as he opened his mouth ready to tear into Daphne.

“Get. Off,” Jensen growled in Sam’s voice. If he released his hold on Daphne, she’d have him incapacitated in moments. So, while he floundered, trying to buck me off, I reached for my ear and pressed the silver charm to his face.

“You have their powers, so I’m betting you also have their weaknesses,” I said as Fake Sam fell to the side, rolling off Daphne. I let go and stood, helping Daphne to her feet. I was about to relax when Sam’s body pulsed and morphed once again like an alien was trying to escape her skin. Daphne grabbed me and shoved me behind her when an identical copy of me stood to face us.

I shivered at the wrongness of it. What the fuck good would that do her? I wasn’t strong like a shifter or vamp.

“Sit down,” she ordered, and all three of us dropped to our butts. Fucking hell. She knew how to use my powers better than I did. That irked me.

“Hey foxy,” Hazel shouted, eyes wide open now with a smirk on her face. “What’s a fox’s biggest predator?”

Jensen snorted, sounding just like me. “Too bad for you, it’s nothing on this gods-forsaken island.”