cuts off my air. But even under duress, somehow I'm able to maintain my form, going as far as to shapeshift back into a vampire and use my superior strength to wrest its grip from my neck. Shade's instructions echo in my mind as I strike the giant lizard with my elbow before digging my knee into its side. Harder, harder, hard enough to crush a normal human…
And that's enough to do the trick. With a roar of pain, it writhes away, shrinking back as it shifts into the form of a human woman with dark eyes and equally dark hair. So that's why the siren song didn't work. There's something familiar about her, but I can't put my finger on it, instead, leaning forward to look her in the eyes and ask again: "Why are you doing this?"
The woman spits out a mouthful of blood. "Go to hell," she hisses.
I pull my arm back, caught up in the heat of the moment and ready to hit her again, when Silas's voice pierces through my fury. "Millie, stop!" He sounds both confused and in shock, and the sudden pain in his voice is enough to do what none of the other shifters could do: make me return to my human form.
Silas's hand touches my arm, and when I look at him I realise that he's shaking. All around us are the remains of the fight, which we appear to have won: a handful of unconscious enemy shifters, as well as the one Landon has bewitched. Miraculously, nothing caught fire, although the room is a disaster, and I feel a pang of regret for Josie's sake.
Shaking from the adrenaline and exertion, I look from Silas to the woman, who is still staring up at us with hatred in her eyes. "What?" I ask.
Silas's eyes are wide as he stares down at the woman disbelievingly. "It can't…" he murmurs. "It's not possible."
"What isn't, Silas?" I ask.
He points at the woman, not even sounding like he believes himself as he replies, "That's my mom."
Epilogue
Somewhere in the Scottish Isles, on an island away from the prying eyes of both humanity and the shifter community at large, there sits a small medical facility nestled in a tree-lined valley. There are many such labs scattered around the world, ostensibly for researching shapeshifting powers, but Hawthorne knows better.
He walks with purpose as he strides out of his office—more like a broom closet than something worthy of the Academy president, but such is the reality. The school board doesn't know that he and a contingent of his scientists are here, and that's fine by him; after so many years of doing what he does, the red tape has only continued to build up. The school board dragging its feet is a problem, yes, but it's no longer his problem. He has always put the greater good above bureaucracy, and he's certain that they will see things his way sooner or later. Sometimes it just takes a bit of a push.
The testing room is already prepared for him, cleaned up after the mess the shifters made last time, and the tables and machinery beckon him like an old friend. His scientist is setting something up when he enters, and as the door closes he turns around. In his hand is a beaker containing some kind of viscous liquid—shimmery, with a reddish tinge to it.
His future.
"Is that…?" Hawthorne asks, nodding at the beaker.
"Yes, sir,” says his assistant. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"
Hawthorne smiles at the naivety of the question. He was born ready. "Yes," he replies coolly. "Let's not waste any more time. I have a score to settle."
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About G. Bailey
G. Bailey is a USA Today and International Bestselling Author of fantasy and paranormal romance.
She lives in England with her cheeky children, her gorgeous (and slightly mad) golden retrievers and her teenage sweetheart turned husband.
She loves cups of tea.
Chocolate and Harry Potter marathons are her jam and she owns way too many notebooks and random pens.
About Regan Rosewood
Regan Rosewood is a new author from England, where she lives just down the road from G. Bailey.
She has a cute cat and an addiction to reading.
Description…
When Winter started university with her best friend Alex, she didn’t expect to find herself in the middle of a supernatural war. Who knew saving a stray wolf could earn you the alliance of the pack.
To make things more complicated, the broody and