Blue Violet - By Abigail Owen Page 0,40

of the field behind the house. The same field Alex had seen her in only the night before.

Using her keen jaguar hearing, she could tell that her three friends still needed more time to get to the house. They were just far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to outrun the wolves in time.

Pushing to her feet, she faced the wolf and crouched into a defensive position with her ears laid flat back and her teeth bared. The wolf snarled in response, slowly stalking toward her, his ears pinned, hair raised on his broad back.

As she slowly maneuvered into the tall grass, keeping the wolf in her sight at all times, the other wolves emerged from the darkness, eyes gleaming, one of them limping.

Ellie kept her body between the wolves and their intended prey. She backed up, doing her best not to visibly hobble so as not to show sign of weakness. The wolves would coordinate and attack as a pack now. She knew what was coming… it was just a matter of how long. She’d fared better than she’d expected to so far, but much of that had been luck and the element of surprise. She had a sinking feeling that both of those things were no longer in her favor. The worst was coming any second.

Chapter 21

Griffin sped his motorcycle as fast as it would go as he mentally followed the insane fight his twin was engaged in.

Who the HELL takes on a pack of wolves single-handedly?

He shook his head, terrified he was too far away to be able to do anything about it, and squeezed the gas even harder. He’d been at home sleeping when he’d heard her scream. Ellie never called him like that. It could only mean that she’d run into serious trouble.

He was still too far away for them to be able to share their powers or for him to project his defensive shield around her. Cranking up the engine, he pushed the bike past its limits, and possibly past his ability. He didn’t know if he was going to be able to get to her in time. Just a few more minutes, and he’d be close enough.

“Hold on, Ellie, I’m coming,” he tried projecting to her, hoping that she’d hear him somehow.

As he hit the invisible boundary of distance needed in order to be able to access each other’s powers, he leapt from the seat of the motorcycle and into the air. Now a falcon, Griffin quickly gained the height he needed and focused in on where the fight was taking place.

*****

Alex heard the cacophony of a terrible struggle outside. As he headed downstairs to investigate, the girls and Nate burst through the back door.

“They’re killing her!” yelled Lila. She was white with fear and panting heavily. “She’s keeping them away from us and they’re killing her!”

“Who’s killing whom?” her father, Hugh, demanded. He dropped his book and jumped from his chair.

“Ellie!” Adelaide answered, her eyes seeking Alex’s as she said the name. She doubled over, panting hard. “There’s a pack of wolves…” She pointed to where they’d just come in.

When Alex realized who she meant, his heart stopped beating and bile rose in his throat. Without a second thought, he was out the back door and running toward the fray. As he sprinted across the clearing, all he could see was a furry blur and teeth. “I can’t see her!” he cried to Nate, who had followed him.

“She’s the black jaguar in the middle of it all!” Nate shouted.

Alex gave a brief nod, immediately accepting the bizarre explanation. He didn’t have time to devote thought to all of the implications, although a small part of his brain was thinking, What the hell?! He knew he’d have to deal with it later. Right now he just had to get her out of there.

Realizing that Dexter and Ramsey had followed them as well, he rapped out instructions. “I’m going to freeze them!” he yelled. “Once they’re still, get in there and get her clear. Then I’ll take care of her and release them for you to hit ‘em hard.”

Alex didn’t bother to see if the others had even heard him, let alone agreed. As soon as he got close enough, he stopped running, took a deep breath, and focused all his power. Instantly, the five wolves froze in mid-motion. Holding them there, he watched as Nate, Dexter, and Ramsey moved in. Nate, being the strongest, pulled the massive onyx cat out from under