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This is Gorgo’s doing,Cadmus projected to her.We have to find a way out of this dimension.
Damon whimpered, his tail drooping.
What’s to stop them from teleporting across the river? she asked him.
Nothing,Cadmus grimly answered.Let’s go before they do.
She swallowed grit and bile, then froze when she felt little legs race across her neck. She quickly shifted with a scream, swatting a spider into the river, but it was too late. Its fangs had already pierced her skin. Falling to her knees, she clasped her aching neck, barely aware of her mates howling and circling her. And then her world turned red, and her mind fogged. Though she fought the change, it was no use. Old memories were replaced with new, and she blinked up at her enemies, two black wolves who shifted into silvery demons with spiked horns, calling out to their dead lover.
“You must die,” she said through a hiss. “You betrayed our massster.”
She was about to launch herself at them when she heard the calling of magic and saw the gleaming gray claw, shining like a diamond among debris. She snatched it up, turning it over in her black pincher. Her master would be pleased if she brought this to him. Then she sneered at the demons as they circled her, calling to their lost lover again.
Sinister, dark laughter erupted from her throat before she launched herself at them, but she was blown back by a strong wind, tumbling, tumbling into the water. She sucked in air as she surfaced, careful not to let go of her prize while taking in several salty gulps of water. She would kill those demons for attacking her! She threw a thread of silk toward the embankment, hanging onto it as the water battered her body. She deftly climbed up the strand until she made it to shore, collapsing with her many legs spread out beneath her, and the claw still safely in her possession. She had no strength to lift her head when she heard the clatter of feet, scented the swarm of spiders beneath her.
Never fear, sweet one,they spoke in unison.We will take you to Master.
We must bring the magic claw to our master, too,she insisted.
We will,they answered.
Heaving a groan of relief, she fell into a deep slumber.
Chapter Twelve
He’d failed her. Hismost important task, to keep their mate safe, and he’d failed her. Cadmus threw back his head and let out a mournful howl as the sea of spiders dispersed, chasing the winding river across the sand. They would reach her before he could, and then what? How could he fight off an army of spiders and his possessed mate who’d also turned into a spider as big as a wagon?
Damon whimpered beside him.What do we do?
He gritted his teeth before shifting back into a wolf.We go after her.
He and his brother raced along the river, following Phoenix’s smell, which had changed from the alluringly fragrant scent of his mate to the coppery tang of blood mixed with something sour and foul.
His only chance at saving her now was to immobilize her, break off a fang, and stab her with it. But first, he’d have to blow away her millions of spider protectors. What if he couldn’t? What if he or Damon were bit before they could save her? Being transformed into a giant, demon-eating spider was no better than living a life as a zombie lecher. But watching his mate turn into Gorgo’s creature was even worse. Cadmus knew if he couldn’t save his mate, he’d find a way to sink into oblivion. He couldn’t face this cruel existence without her.
They followed alongside the river, alarmed that there was no trace of their mate or the spiders. The brothers crossed the river and ran across the desert, following a trail of crushed spider carcasses, dismayed when they saw the blotch of black in the distance had converged into one big moving blob of scurrying legs that carried an even bigger spider on top of it. They were taking her to Gorgo, and Cadmus and Damon weren’t fast enough to stop them.
