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Making up my mind, I gave a slow, one-sided shrug. “Then you guys will go without me and hope the stag wants to chat.”
Kit’s slack-jawed stare hinted at how much I’d grown. I would have given myself a pat on the back, but I didn’t want to spoil the moment.
“But first, let’s get everything prepared for Kit’s spell so he has less to argue against,” I added with a wink.
Baby steps.
Ivan grinned. “I like the way you think.”
“I’m surprised you’d let us go on an adventure without you.” Kit had narrowed her eyes, most likely thinking I was up to something sneaky.
If only.
For once, I was doing the right thing.
I heaved a sigh. “Trust me, it’s not easy. But I can’t do that to him again or to any of you.”
Speaking of the handsome devil, Thane appeared in Kit’s living room as if we’d summoned him. His concerned gaze met my surprised one. “Luka called. The Hollow Hounds attacked his pack. Something’s wrong with the rogues, and the pack needs backup.”
I was wondering when the rogue clan would show their faces again. If the Hounds were working with Colin as they had with William, then they were in for a big surprise facing me. I still wasn’t over losing my Mercedes-Maybach thanks to those asshole shifters.
Lena sauntered over to Thane with a sly smile, a blade already swinging in her hand. “About time we got some action around here.” She gave him a lewd look. “The rest of us, anyway.”
I turned to the witches. “We’ll take care of it. You guys work on the other plan.”
Kit shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. “We’re helping.”
“What other plan?” Thane raised an eyebrow as he looked at us.
“Nothing that can’t wait,” I said. “I’ll fill you in after we put down the rogues. Let’s go.”
Our group joined hands, and the colorless void of instant teleportation engulfed us.
A breath later, gravel rolled underfoot as we settled on hard ground, and vicious snarls replaced the silence of the void.
Everywhere I looked, wolves and several shifter species fought around Luka’s tiny house on stilts, sending fur and spit flying to the surrounding treeline. Blood splattered across the patches of grass and rocky driveway that wound through the trees toward the main road, but I didn’t see any wolves down or critically injured yet.
Instantly, I knew we had a problem. In their wolf forms, it was impossible to tell which wolf was which—one of Luka’s or a rogue.
The good news was the rogue clan consisted of more than just wolves. We could focus on those who didn’t howl at the moon and let Luka’s pack pick off the wolves.
After telling the others to focus on non-wolf shifters, we spread out, and I immediately lost sight of Ivan and Thane. I drew two of my hidden knives and unfurled my fiery wings. Fire was an excellent deterrent to most of the Community, and these shifters were no exception.
Some sort of big cat—as a bird shifter, I didn’t really do felines—was getting the upper hand against a smaller wolf. I threw a knife, aiming for the cat’s belly. As much as I despised the rogues for siding with necromancers and destroying my car, I didn’t want to kill anyone unless necessary.
Other than Colin and Jackson, of course. They were walking dead men.
My thrown knife drove deep into the shifter’s side, and the cat let out an anguished yowl. As Lena ran toward it with her sword raised, it backed away from the wolf and ran into the woods.
No one ever accused the rogues of being brave.
The wolf dipped its head to Lena and me before dashing after a fleeing wolf, Lena right behind him with a bloodthirsty grin on her face.
I turned my attention to the next shifter, another big cat. Outside of wolves, feline shifters were among the most common, and just like their domesticated counterparts, they could be such assholes.
This cat had a light tan coat and reminded me of pictures I’d seen of mountain lions. Her icy blue eyes followed my every move, the muscles beneath her skin rippling as she circled me on soft paws.
Too bad for her, I didn’t have the time or patience for this cat-stalking-a-bird bullshit.
