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I was too afraid to scream. This thing had been inside my dad. How long had it been there? Why was it there? What the fuck was it?
“Over here, asshole,” Luke called.
The creature ignored him, taking slow, labored steps toward me. Owen held his ground. “Stay away from her.”
Shit.“I could use some magic here. Jasmine? Zoe? Anyone?” There was no amount of training to fight that could have prepared me to take on a creature like this. I didn’t even know what this thing was.
“You don’t want her, she’s weak. She’s a waste of your time,” Luke yelled.
“Yeah, go after him,” Owen added.
I could feel my wolf clawing to get out as panic welled. Could I get out of this if I shifted?
“Over here!” Luke said again, but this time, his voice was all around us. Coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. The monster turned; I turned.
And my jaw dropped as I watched dark shadows envelop him.
“Luke!” I screamed. Desperate to get to him. To help him. Luke had betrayed me, but I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him. The monster must be doing something, sending those shadows to him. “Leave him alone!”
My wolf wanted to burst into action and I leaned into it, letting her guide me through the shift. It broke me free of the magic binding me to the stage. Owen stumbled out of my way, then leaped off the stage himself. “Run, Morgan! Get out of here!”
I was not going to run. I lunged forward, hell-bent on attacking the monster with everything I had, but Luke charged forward, blocking my progress.
I could feel his wolf. I knew it was him, but it didn’t look like the wolf I was used to. There was a large black wolf, but shadows slithered and caressed him, moving as if part of him.
I backed away as I tried to assess what was happening. Was he being held under the monster’s power? Or was Luke making the shadows himself?
Luke’s wolf charged at the creature, claws flashing, shadows flaring wide, enveloping the monster and pulling him down.
“Morgan,” another voice called. I ignored it, keeping my eyes on the battle in front of me.
The monster screeched, a grating, awful sound as it scratched at Luke’s wolf. He yelped, then rolled to the side before righting himself and going back in for the attack.
“Morgan!” Owen was standing in front of me now, eyes wild. “We have to get out of here. Come on.”
He grabbed for me, but I growled, refusing to go with him. Somehow, I needed to help Luke, but I didn’t see an opening,
Owen grabbed my leg and pulled. I was thrown off balance and fell. Then I snapped at him.Don’t touch me.
“Morgan, you can’t help him,” Owen said, a note of desperation in his tone. “You have to come with me.”
I shook my head, then charged into the fray, determined to help Luke’s wolf.
The creature noticed me and came for me, swinging with his huge arms and long clawed fingers. I jumped and sunk my teeth into his forearm. His other hand scraped along my back, claws digging into me. Then I was thrown, landing hard.
Dazed and hurting everywhere, I got to my feet, shaky and dizzy. Nearby, I noticed that Scarlett and Zoe were still hurling magic toward the creature. I had no idea where Jasmine was, but I hoped it was far from here.
The monster was on the stage, Luke at his heels. The rest of the pack had scattered. Nobody had stayed behind to help other than Owen. I hated Owen, but I didn’t want him hurt, either. Glancing around, I saw that Luke was still attacking the creature and couldn’t find Owen. Figuring he finally fled, I raced up the steps of the stage, ready to help again.
Suddenly, the monster leaped from the stage onto the street below. I jumped down and raced to where the witches were standing, putting myself between the creature and them. But the monster didn’t come for us.
By the time I realized what it was doing, I was too late. Owen’s eyes found mine just as the monster landed on top of him. A cloud of inky blackness burst from the impact. I took a step forward, but Zoe set her hand on my back. “Don’t.”
I forced myself to stay, trusting her instincts.
When the strange black cloud dissipated, Owen stood in the road alone. The monster was gone.
I shifted back. “Owen. Are you okay?”
