Rasp managed to fight off the other wolf, then he half-shifted and dived into battle with the others, pushing the advancing wolf away from me.
Something hot and wet splattered across my face, and I looked down to see another wolf flailing on the floor, bloody stumps where its forelegs used to be. Vincent raised his head, dragon lips bloody, and let out a roar of victory that rattled the glass around us.
A silver arrow flew through the air like a blur. The tip would have slammed into my chest were it not for the magic bound in my leather armor. Instead of piercing my heart, the arrow shattered like glass. Unfortunately, the arrow must have depleted the magic, because the armor now felt empty, like an engine that had run out of gas.
“Imposter!”
Turning, I found a half-shifted wolf stomping toward me, looking as terrifying and menacing as the ones who’d tried to kill me in my apartment. It sounded like it was talking with a mouthful of gravel, its voice warped and twisted by its half-formed mouth and tongue.
I glanced around. Rasp was busy fighting two other shifters, their claws slashing at him, their teeth trying to tear at his arms and legs. Vincent and Aurelius were deep in the battle as well-it looked like more of the house staff had arrived and shifted to join the fight.
“Bitch,” the wolf before me growled again.
I grabbed a chair to my right and swung it at the beast, surprising it with my speed and power. The heavy wooden chair connected with its lower jaw. The bone gave way as it shattered, and the wolf staggered back, clutching his mouth and howling.
Rough hands pawed at me from behind, and I slammed my elbow back. There was a meaty, satisfying crunch as I made contact with a nose, followed by a feminine shriek of agony. Turning, I found Sasha kneeling on the floor, her hands cupped around her mouth, blood flowing freely down her chin.
My terror faded, and shame overtook me at having hurt her. As unpleasant as she had been to me, this woman had been used and twisted by my brother. For all I knew, she was only helping him out of fear.
“Come on,” I said, kneeling to help her up. Perhaps we could both get out of here.
“Don’t touch me,” Sasha hissed and shoved me back.
I crashed to my knees as she leaped to her feet and rejoined the battle. So much for trying to be nice.
I scrambled to my feet, but was struck down almost immediately as four ragged lines of fire traced down my back. I screamed in agony as hot blood soaked my shirt. The pain was so overbearing that I collapsed to my stomach, cursing myself for taking the time to try and help Sasha.
Sensing a large form moving toward me from behind, I rolled to the side just as a heavy boot crashed down where my head had been. Bastien stood above me, his hands twisted into claws. Although he had shifted back into his human form, he still looked like an animal.
“Always a fucking pain in my ass,” he snarled as he lunged for me.
Aurelius’s tail slammed into Bastien’s midsection, sweeping him off his feet and through the air. Bastien landed on a group of fully shifted wolves who’d been trying to bite Octavian’s legs.
Aurelius shifted to his human form and helped me to my feet. A silver arrow whizzed past his head, missing him by inches, but he didn’t even flinch.
“Get out of here,” he shouted, pushing me toward the back. “I saw your sister and aunt run that way. I think there’s an exit. Go.” He gave me another shove.
“Not without you!”
“I said go, Elle! I’m not important.”
Before I could argue further, he shifted again, swatting away a werewolf who had pinned down one of his men. All around me, chaos and ruin flourished like some mad dream. For a moment, I thought I might still be in that strange spirit walk, but no, this was real. This was hell. Blood painted the walls, men and women lay dead and dying on the floor, I’d never experienced anything like this. The dragons were losing. Their number had already been cut in half.
Doing as Aurelius commanded, I sprinted toward the back of the conservatory, away from most of the fighting, willing myself not to slow down. Every roar, howl, and scream sent a shudder of terror through me as I ran.
For a moment, I really thought I would make it. The stairwell some of my family had used to escape was visible, a mere twenty feet ahead. Relief and excitement coursed through me at the possibility of escape, but then three large, slavering wolves leaped in front of me, blocking my path. One half-shifted, two fully shifted. They all looked at me with greedy, hungry eyes.
The half-shifted beast pointed a taloned finger at me. “Skinwalker,” it croaked.
At his word, the two others bounded forward, ready to tear my flesh from my bones. There was no time to run, and no way to fight off three shifters. This was it. Unwilling to die, I clenched my hands into fists and shrieked in defiance, daring them to come. If I died here, I’d make sure they remembered what it was like to do battle with Brielle Laurent.
Choosing the left wolf, I reared back and swung my foot forward, catching it beneath the jaw. Its teeth clacked together with a gunshot snap, and it tumbled aside. Before the other wolf could pounce upon me, though, a massive form slammed into it from the side, sending it tumbling away with a yelp of pain.
“Aurelius?” I gasped the first name that came to my mind.
Instead of the dragon prince, Freddy rose from the pile, shoving the wolf aside, his hair mussed and blood oozing from his bottom lip.
“Run, Elle!” he yelled before shifting and leaping toward the half-formed shifter. The two of them fell into a tumble of claws, fur, and teeth.
Terror and fear for my brother licked at my soul like a finger of flame, but fear for my own safety won out. Inwardly, I cursed myself for cowardice, but Aurelius had ordered me to get away. Besides, no member of the Laurent household would actually harm Freddy.
Leaving my brother to finish the wolf, I bolted for the stairwell. When I got to the exit, I took a moment to catch my breath. The stench of blood, fire, and magic was less strong at the top of the stairs than in the center of the conservatory. I watched in horror as I glanced back to see Aurelius thrash his winged arm at two wolves just as more Laurent men rushed in to join the battle.
A silver arrow tore a ragged hole through one of Octavian’s wings, and he screeched in pain. Rasp and Aurelius moved to guard him from the others.
God, please let them be okay, I prayed, then turned to head down the stairs.
I’d gone less than three steps when something heavy slammed into my back. I stretched my hands out to catch myself, but I wasn’t fast enough. My temple smashed into the edge of one of the steps. White flashes of light burst across my vision. The world spun, and sharp pain shot through my skull. I would have passed out, if not for the incessant tugging on my booted foot. When I twisted around, I discovered a wolf had its teeth clamped into the leather of my boot and was yanking me back to the conservatory.
“No!” I cried. The room tilted slightly as my vision blurred. I tried to kick at the beast, but I missed.
Its haunches bunched and flexed as it hauled me up another step and pulled my leg back into the room. My body was too weak. There was no adrenaline left to pump into my system. I was drained and unable to fight back like I wanted. All I could do was reach up and take hold of the handrail.
“Stop,” I hissed and kicked at it again with my free foot.
I didn’t make contact, but the wolf let go anyway, opening its mouth and widening its eyes in a comic expression of wolfish surprise. An instant later, Vincent’s dragon reared up, holding the wolf by its back leg. The wolf thrashed and clawed at him, but it was no use. The dragon shifter had him dead to rights.
With a remarkably graceful movement, Vince flicked his head up and released the wolf. As the beast turned in mid-air, Vincent snapped his jaws forward, and bit the wolf’s head clean off.
“Holy shit,” I yelped, watching as the wolf’s headless body slammed into the ground.
Vincent turned his head toward me and scooped me up.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply