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His lips twisted fiercely. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Blondie. And may Mother Moon have mercy on the souls of our prey once we send them to the afterlife.”
I finished the traditional vow of vengeance with a predatory smile of my own. “Because we will surely show no mercy uponthisside of the Veil.”
Connor and Finn reached our sides, and I motioned all three men to gather closer still. “Are you sure the three of you are comfortable sharing Packleader status?”Not to mention me…
Not all Beacon-Packleader bonds required mating or marriage, but that often naturally resulted from working so close together both magically and politically. I wasn’t sure whether Iwantedeither thing to happen with these three stubborn wolves, one night of fantastic sex notwithstanding, but that was a bridge we’d have to cross at a later time. Now, all that mattered was preventing mindless slaughter and getting to my nieces to protect them.
They didn’t hesitate, responding as if with one voice. “Absolutely sure.”
I nodded, took a deep breath, and reached out to the nearest pool of Radiant energy. Magic leaped at my command, slamming into first my body and then each of the men as I swept it out in a vortex. My teeth chattered as I fought to withstand the chaos. They each placed a hand upon my back or an arm to steady me. Their steadfastness bolstered me in a way I hadn’t expected. This must have been what Kayleigh felt when she bonded Maddox…
That thought brought another surge of white-hot grief, so I shoved it aside and formed the spell’s next layer.
Radiant energy swirled around the four of us before I expanded it to touch the motionless bodies of Maddox and Kayleigh. I split the magic into two channels, one tapping into Maddox’s powers as St. Louis Packleader and the other Kayleigh’s powers as St. Louis Beacon. Then I further split the Packleader magic before weaving it into the magical auras of the three Shadow Wolves at the same time I pulled the Beacon magic directly into my own body. Incandescent light burst all around as my spell solidified our new statuses as Packleaders and Beacon, and then Pack magic collided with Radiant magic, tethering the four of us first to each other and then to every single Shadow Shifter in St. Louis who had formally sworn allegiance to Maddox.
Nothing could have prepared me for the cacophony that erupted when so many magical tethers latched onto my aura. I swayed drunkenly and fought back the waves of nausea sweeping across me. Crushing exhaustion soon followed, no huge surprise given the sheer amount of Radiant energy I’d been forced to command in such a short period of time. Not least of which was the spell tethering me as St. Louis Beacon. Under other circumstances, I wouldn’t have had to cast that spell alone—and my predecessor would havewillinglypassed their status on to me. The same with the Packleader abilities.
Noneof this was how it should have been. Certainly not the brutal murders of my sister and her husband.
Tears welled in my eyes once more, and panic flared as I swayed even more violently. Shea sensed impending doom in time to sweep me into his arms like I was some damsel in distress. And I didn’t have anywhere near the energy required to give him shit over that fact. Instead, I buried my face into his chest and allowed myself to sob out my grief like a child. I felt Finn and Connor caress my hair and back as all three men murmured wordless noises that comforted me like nothing ever before. As screwed-up as the night had been, it somehow feltrightfor the four of us to share that moment of grief in the wake of our shared loss.
A moment that came crashing to an end when a group of furious Shifters who had regained their sanity rushed into the room to find the murdered bodies of their former Packleader and Beacon.
4
AVA
Finn and Connor immediately placed their bodies between the newcomers and Shea holding me. I quickly wiped the tears away and peered around their shoulders, recognizing the first group to burst into the room as Pack guardians who’d been stationed throughout the Manor during the reception. Before tonight, their arrival would have made me feel safer. But then my gaze shot back to the two dead wolves behind me who had betrayed my sister and brother-in-law.
A brutal reminder that trust could all too easily be broken.
Pack hierarchy often appeared militaristic to outsiders, especially among those responsible for protecting its leaders. No, make thatourleaders. I was now a permanent member of this Pack. Something reinforced when the highest-ranking guardian, a Black woman named Sanai, stepped forward to speak.
“Other guardians have secured the perimeter with orders thatno onebe allowed to leave or enter the Manor.” She motioned toward the fallen bodies of Maddox and Kayleigh before gesturing toward the dead Spellbinders everywhere. “Are we to assume the Spellbinder Guild is responsible for this treachery?”
I wiggled impatiently, whispering for Shea to release me. The last thing I wanted to appear in public right now wasweak.Especially not during my first moments as this city’s Beacon.
Shea picked up on my unspoken message and smoothly lowered me to stand beside him. His arm snaked around my shoulders to offer support. Normally, that might have annoyed me, but I had blown past my energy limits with that last burst of magic. I sent a flood of gratitude through our bond, and he squeezed my shoulder gently. We could now sense each other’s emotions. Something that would only strengthen as our bond solidified.
Assuming we survived that long…
I ruthlessly shoved aside every ounce of grief to address Sanai’s question. As Beacon, matters relating to magic casters—including both Radiants and Spellbinders—fell within my area of expertise.
“It’s far too early to say for certainwhois ultimately responsible for murdering my sister and brother-in-law. But wedoknow one thing for sure: These Spellbinders were assisted by at least some Pack members.”
I nudged Shea, who pulled me along as he stepped aside. Finn and Connor followed our lead, moving to each side so that the dead traitors behind us could be clearly seen. Sanai stiffened, because it was obvious from their wounds that the dead Shadow Wolves had been slain by other Shifters.Notby Spellbinder magic. She crouched down next to first the traitors, and then our fallen leaders, her eagle-eyed gaze taking in the evidence presented by bodies and the discharged guns that had fallen to the floor when the murderers had shifted into wolf form.
Her eyes narrowed and fury flashed across her face as she beheld the two traitors who had formerly been trusted allies. A sentiment I could completely understand. Never in a hundred years would I haveeverexpected two such loyal—seeminglyloyal—guardians to have gunned down Maddox and Kayleigh in cold blood. Especially not in such a backhanded manner.
That had me furrowing my brows. Whywouldtwo Shadow Wolves agree to not just betray their oaths to Pack, something that was the ultimate betrayal for Shifters, but to do it in such a contemptible way? Something that would have made them outcasts toallShifters had they survived. It made no sense.
My eyes moved to meet Sanai’s gaze, and her knowing look signaled we were on the same page. Somebody must have threatened something they held even more dear than their ties to Pack. Something—or someone.
Sanai rose fluidly and stepped closer, the quick glance she threw over her shoulder before meeting my gaze a second time making it clear she now also had doubts on who exactly could be trusted. Uncertainty thrummed in my veins. She obviously wanted me to use magic to ensure nobody could overhear her next words, but I was so freaking tapped out.
Shea proved how much more easily our bond allowed him to read me by murmuring, “Don’t forget you can draw strength through both us and the Pack as a whole.”
My nostrils flared as I realized that must have been how Kayleigh had managed to easily defeat a dozen Spellbinders before reinforcements arrived. Having access to a new magical battery source was certainly going to take getting used to.
