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I should be grateful for the extra strength, but I’m not. The wash of magic through the building can mean only one thing — a window has been opened. I’m not afraid of what might come through — I’d fight any number of demons — but I don’t want Juni skipping ahead of me to safety in the foul universe she’s chosen to call home.
“Quick!” I roar, darting ahead of the others, shouldering a door aside, rushing down a corridor, homing in on the scent of Juni Swan.
“Grubbs!” shouts Meera. “Wait. Don’t go in there alone.”
But nothing can stop me. A couple of seconds later, wild at the thought that I might miss my chance for revenge, I break through another doorway and into the room where we discovered Prae Athim bound and gagged.
The window hovers near the back of the room, a jagged red panel of light. I dart towards it, meaning to follow Juni, even though I know it’s suicide. Then a bolt of energy knocks me sideways. Searing pain eats into my flesh, forcing a scream from my lips.
I stagger and realize I’ve been tricked. Juni’s still here. She was standing to the left of the door. Easy to spot if I’d been paying attention, but I lost my wits for a few vital seconds. Now she has the upper hand.
As I lurch towards her, she mutters a spell and the floor at my feet explodes. Splinters shoot into my stomach, chest and face. I instinctively jerk my head back.
Roaring, I raise a hand to protect my eyes. Ignoring the stinging pain of the splinters buried in my flesh, I set my sights on the pustulant, bloodstained, flesh-dripping Juni Swan. She’s smiling insanely. Beyond her, in the doorway, I see Meera and the others, separated from us by an invisible barrier. The werewolves of my retinue are digging at the barrier with their claws, but it will take more than brute force to penetrate Juni’s magic shield.
“Did you think I’d leave without saying goodbye?” Juni giggles.
“I’ll kill you!” I roar. “I’ll rip your head from your neck and —”
“Please don’t finish,” Juni interrupts. “I detest vulgarity.” She waves a hand at me and the splinters expand and burrow deeper into my skin. I gasp and collapse to my knees. Another couple of seconds and they’ll pierce my heart and brain.
If you’ll allow me some leeway… the voice of the Kah-Gash murmurs. The splinters shoot out of my body and rain down on Juni. That catches her by surprise. With a shriek, she covers her eyes, protecting them as I did. For a moment she’s defenseless.
Using the newly developed muscles in my legs, I spring across the room and bowl Juni over. I slam her to the floor and drive a claw into the putrid, oozing flesh of her stomach. She moans, eyes shooting wide, baring her teeth, trembling with agony. I make a fist, grab some of her inner organs
and jerk hard. My hand shlups out, trailing guts. Blood splatters the floor. I gurgle with delight.
Juni screams, then covers the hole in her stomach with a hand. Magic flares and the flesh around the hole heals. I don’t care. While she’s repairing herself, I latch on to her head, jam my fangs into the bone behind her right ear, and start chewing my way through to her brain.
Juni’s fresh screams fill me with delight. I almost pull away to enjoy her expression. But I know how dangerous she is. I can’t give her any freedom. Best to chew quickly and disable her.
Heat flares in my fangs. I try desperately to bite down. I’m almost through the hard covering of the skull. So close to her brain. But the heat’s too much to bear. With a cry of pain and rage, I break free.
Juni’s at my throat with incredible speed. Newly grown fingernails dig into the flesh beneath my chin, while the fingers of her other hand tighten around my neck. I sense the fingers stretching, looping, meeting at the back, and melting into each other, tightening into a noose. I try to roar but my vocal cords are squeezed shut.
I slam an elbow into Juni’s ribs. Several crack. She grunts, but doesn’t release me. She’s cackling. Pokes her face up close to mine. Her left eye was punctured, but it grows back as she taunts me.
“Thought you could kill sweet Juni?” she screeches. “Thought a pup like you could overcome a full-grown mistress of dark magic?” Her fingers tighten another notch. “What do you think now, Grubitsch?”
I wheeze at her, then manage to get hold of the hand around my throat. Filling my fingers with magic, I sever through the flesh and bones of the noose, then yank myself clear. Panting, I make a fist and smash it into her face. Her nose shatters, splattering me with blood, pus, and slimy snot.
“You look like hell,” I snarl.
“You can talk,” she sneers, running a scornful eye over my deformed features.
For a moment we grin at each other and get our breath back.
“It’s not too late,” Juni purrs. “Join us. I sensed you killing those pitiful humans. You’ve found your true self. Come with me. Put the last vestiges of your useless human morals behind you. With us, you can kill forever. There’s a whole world of humans to torment and butcher. You can be a glorious, wolfen god.”
“I bet I could have you too,” I chuckle darkly.
“Maybe.” She smiles. “Lord Loss is my master, but you could be my mate. I can change out of this grotesque form, be any woman you wish. In the new world, anything will be possible.”
“There’s just one problem,” I sigh.
“What?” Juni frowns.
“I hate your guts,” I hiss, and spring on her.
