Heir of the Dog Black Dog - Hailey Edwards Page 0,62
ways outside the den.” He flicked his ears. “If I had not known you were Macsen’s daughter, I would have when his doors opened for you. They answer to no one else. When the hounds breached the den, I led Rook out another exit near Winter. I trusted you would find your own way out. I see my faith was not misplaced. Macsen would be proud.”
I shrugged off his compliment, even as it warmed me. “How did you find me?”
“I heard your call.” He sniffed. “Did I not say I would always come when summoned?”
“Not a sentiment I would expect to hear from a cat,” I teased.
“Hmph.” He swished his tail. “Perhaps your father rubbed off on me after all.”
The shock of seeing Diode must have faded. The prince snarled at the defectors, snapping at the nearest dog and biting off his ear. The others whined softly and backed away from him, toward us. Once out of range of the prince’s jaws, their nails dug into the shredded ground. Their mouths fell open on deep barks the others were quick to encourage.
“I will handle the whelps.” Diode revved up his purring. “You take down the prince.”
Claws raked across stone when the cat leapt over my head and hit the grass running. He collided with the first hound, knocking it backward with a yelp while ripping out the other’s throat. He turned to his second kill, and I stepped away from the safety of the boulder, raised my left hand and waved.
“Let’s end this,” I called to the prince.
His paw stomped, and another set of hounds charged.
Diode intercepted, gutting them with a swipe of his claws.
“We can do this all day.” I gestured toward the cat. “He hasn’t broken a sweat.”
Shrinking against the prince, the remaining hounds whined. He snapped at them and shoved them out of his way with his shoulders. A steady grumble poured out his throat as he left the safety of the pack. He cut his eyes toward Diode, the question in them clear.
“He won’t fight this battle for me.” I lifted the Unseelie prince’s pelt. “He doesn’t have to.”
The Seelie prince’s eyes lit on that swath of fur then flicked to me. I guess he wasn’t impressed. Instead of meeting me halfway, he threw back his head and howled until the hounds behind him stopped trembling and meekly came to his sides.
Back to square one. They far outnumbered us. Even Diode couldn’t tackle all of them at once, and I couldn’t focus on the prince while the others gnawed on me.
This time four hounds loped forward, hesitant but determined.
“Shift,” a bold voice commanded. “The others won’t kill one of their own.”
Rook.
He was here.
Gripping the skin tighter, I pulled it over my head and looked at the world through a dog’s eyes.
Change came faster this time, fueled by fear and adrenaline. As magic shrank me to fit the container I had chosen, I managed two wobbling steps. Before the first hounds reached me, they pulled up short. Two ventured hesitant wags of their tails. They chuffed, sounds the skin knew how to mimic, then snuffled me from nose to ass.
Mostly my ass. Seriously. Cold wet nose pressed to my... Never mind. Moving on.
Swishing my tail, I hoped to send a hi guys message while I swatted them away from my rear.
When the press of bodies cleared, I noticed the prince stood where I saw him last.
Coward. I let anger rumble up the back of my throat.
The dogs beside me stiffened and jerked their heads toward him. They glanced between us, and for a heartbeat I thought they might turn on me. Instead, they slicked their ears back and trotted out in front. Thank you, Rook. Between the pelt and the Unseelie prince’s essence still tingling under my skin, I must have passed the test. Packs followed the dominant hunter, and it looked like I was it.
The princes may have oozed entitlement, but I was Black Dog’s daughter. In a way, I was pack. He had been plucked from the Huntsman’s favorites. Technically, some of these dogs might be aunts or uncles of mine. I crushed that thought before it made me sentimental. I couldn’t afford a soft spot. Not while the bloodthirsty beasts at my sides waited for me to call the shots. To end yet another life.
Relying on the skin’s memory to form the right vocals, I ordered the pack to circle wide and pin the prince in case he bolted. I was done playing nice.