Blue Violet - By Abigail Owen Page 0,38

hanging out.

No!

Dread rushed through her as she arrowed her trajectory toward the movement. As she drew closer, Ellie made out the shape of a large wolf.

And then she noticed another wolf.

And another.

Vyusher. Ellie’s worst fears were confirmed.

Doing a swift about face, Ellie flew as fast as she could toward Adelaide, Lila, and Nate. There were about half a dozen wolves headed straight toward them. Wolves just like the ones that had attacked Ellie’s clan.

Doing some quick mental arithmetic, Ellie worked through three important things as she flew. The first thought was Griffin was too far away for her to be able to tap into his powers. The second was that the rest of the family was too far away for her to get help before the wolves reached them. And the third was that between Nate, Adelaide, and Lila, only Nate had a remotely active and defensive power. From what Ellie could tell, Lila’s and Adelaide’s powers would not be useful in this fight.

She ran through her options in rapid succession. I can’t do this without Griffin! The realization sank in and settled like a rock in the pit of her stomach.

As she neared the trio, she angled herself in a dive meant more for speed than prudence. She couldn’t hear Griffin but prayed he’d be able to hear her. She gave a piercing falcon’s cry, and her friends jerked their attention to her descent. Pulling up sharply as she reached them, she morphed into her human form.

“Ellie?” Adelaide gasped. The shock in her face turned to understanding faster than Ellie would’ve expected. “Well that explains a lot.”

“I don’t have time to go into details right now. There’s a pack of wolves headed this way, and they’re coming to kill you!”

“What’re you talking about?” Nate demanded, his face still showing signs of shock at Ellie’s dramatic entrance.

“You need to run as fast as you can to the closest house.” She pointed in the opposite direction from the wolves. “Once you get there, tell the rest of your family. Together, there are enough of you to defend against them.”

“What about you?” Adelaide asked urgently.

“I’m going to hold them off as long as I can. Nate, if they get past me before you get to the house, use your strength. You might be able to give Adelaide and Lila a chance. You’ll have to snap their necks. It’ll be the only way you can stop them.”

Nate nodded his understanding and grabbed Adelaide’s hand, already pulling her in the direction Ellie had indicated.

“Go,” Ellie urged them as Lila grabbed Adelaide’s other hand.

“Ellie, will you be okay?” Adelaide asked, straining against Lila and Nate as they both tugged her in the direction of the home. They were all clearly frightened, but Adelaide’s tender heart wouldn’t let her go without her friend.

“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. Go.”

Chapter 20

Ellie turned her attention to the woods, as the other three took off at a sprint in the opposite direction. She hoped she could buy them enough time, and she had to wait for them to be farther away before she took the next step in her plan. She didn’t want to frighten them more than they already were, and she definitely did not want them to turn around to try to help her.

When she was sure they wouldn’t hear her, she screamed, “Griffin! I need you!” Her cries were mental and physical, and she prayed her brother could get to her in time.

Ellie prepared to face her worst fears. She only had to wait a few minutes before she heard the wolves approaching. They’d heard both her falcon’s cry and her scream for Griffin, and were no longer attempting to be silent.

Without access to Griffin’s other power, his physical force-field which was his best weapon in a fight, Ellie quickly ran through her options. She had to keep the Vyusher occupied long enough to give her three friends time to get to the house. She’d have to actually fight the wolves to do that. Without hesitation, her body shimmered and quivered. Suddenly, a massive, ebony jaguar sleek as the night stood where a moment before had been a girl.

Ellie tried to form a plan. As a jaguar she had the advantage of size, strength, and weight over the wolves. She was outnumbered, however, which put her at a distinct disadvantage. She was going to need to use her brain and possibly her other powers. Knowing that the wolves were unaware they’d be