smacking into some guards last time. I don’t even want to imagine what the Warden will do to me if he finds out I was part of a prison break, regardless of how involuntary that involvement is.
“We don’t fuckin’ like liars,” Greasy Hair says as he closes in on me.
“Let’s teach her a lesson,” Three adds, his ears clapping at the thought as his fangs start to drip with saliva.
Fuck that.
In a blink, I shift my fingers into my beast’s talons and swipe at Beard. He lets go of my shirt, and we both stumble back away from each other. His eyes widen as he takes in the red slash across the back of his hand. “You bitch!”
With the scent of blood in the air, the sigbins all begin to snarl, and fear dive bombs into my belly as aggression crawls up to roost in my chest. My beast starts to respond.
They snarl at me, and I flinch back, arms raised in front of me in anticipation of a full-blown attack that I’ll be forced to let my cockatrice deal with, but then Zen is suddenly between us, lotus flower glimmering bright. “Now, now, boys. Let’s stay...calm.”
Zen’s voice rings out like a ripple. It hits me at the base of the skull and reverberates up, up, up, until it feels like my soul is being cradled in a goddamn lullaby.
Everyone, me included, lets out a deep breath of relief. The sigbins stop in their tracks, the tenseness of their bodies draining out from fangs to feet. Slumping over slightly, their ears clap sluggishly, and they get a dazed look in their eyes, mouths agape.
Zen shakes her head at them. “Fucking sigbins,” she says under her breath with distaste before looking over her shoulder at me. She smirks when she sees my expression. “Sorry, Sinclair. I couldn’t hit them without hitting you too.”
I nod my head, trying to shake off the effects of her power. It packs a fucking punch. “Damn,” I say, licking my lazy lips. “You could make a fortune mellowing out college students during finals.”
She chuckles, and I walk up beside her, still feeling drunk, but not nearly as bad off as the sigbins. “Your power is fucking intense,” I tell her. “What else can you do?”
She lifts her shoulder into a shrug. “I can bring out any emotion, but I’m strongest with calming. And no one can do shit when they’re too calm to care,” she says with a smirk. “These bozos will be good for at least a few hours.”
“Impressive.”
She nods and looks over to the small opening in the dormer. “Well, I guess this is my exit,” she says. “You sure you don’t want to come?”
I shake my head. “It’s tempting, but I need to figure some stuff out before I go out there.” I’m under no illusions that I can evade Alpha Bowen on the outside.
“Okay then. I guess this is goodbye,” Zen says, holding out her hand. “Thanks for the escape, Sinclair Denali.”
I shake her hand with a pump. “You’re not, like...an ax murderess that I’m releasing out into the public, right?” I ask before dropping her hand. I’m only half-kidding.
Zen laughs. “Nope. Don’t you know? I’m innocent,” she says with a wink before turning to the sigbins. “Alright, boys. Lead the way out. But we’re going to do something fun and not meet up with the Alpha, okay?” she says, nudging Greasy Hair’s boot with her foot.
At her direction, they all turn, glassy-eyed, and start trudging toward the doorway.
Before she leaves, I quickly run up and squeeze Zen in a hug. “Thank you,” I breathe into her ear. She pats me awkwardly on the back, and I pull away. “Not a hugger?”
She snorts. “No.”
“I am,” I reply unashamedly.
She gives me a wry smile. “I know. I’ve heard your vagina has been hugging PG Rook’s cock.”
I shake my head. Of course she knows. “What can I say? When it’s good, it’s good,” I state with a shrug.
“From the sound of things, it must be very good,” she teases.
“Wait. You’re telling me you have super hearing too?” I demand.
She laughs and shakes her head. “Emotions, remember? I can get just about anyone to tell me everything. Every. Single. Detail,” she says pointedly.
I swallow down my embarrassment at the thought of her getting all the dirty specifics. “Okay. Noted for future reference. In case I ever see you again.”
“You won’t,” she says, shaking her head. “Not if everything goes right, anyway. I’m getting out of