Demonic Vampires (Supernatural Shifter Academy #3) - G. Bailey Page 0,14
going to need backup!”
“Like hell,” mutters Landon, who is already transforming, and one look around at the group shows me he’s not alone; the others are all shapeshifting already, even Hunter, who seems to be having a slower go of it.
Shade is on the other wolf in an instant, the two beasts colliding in a growling mess of fur, claws and teeth. The dragon shifter is sprouting wings before our eyes, swiping out at Hunter with claws as sharp as daggers. The vampire shifter lunges out of the way, his superior speed saving him from being eviscerated, and Hazel opens her mouth to use her siren song, but Xander beats her to it, putting himself in front of her and lunging for the throat of the dragon shifter who has now fully transformed. The skirmish is sudden and intense, and it takes me a moment to remember what I’m supposed to be doing; heart racing, I struggle to picture London again, willing my magic to get us there, but it still isn’t working, and I almost cry out in frustration.
It can’t have been more than a minute since we were first spotted, but already I can see the other Academy cronies approaching us fast; within seconds, we’ll be surrounded. “Boots-” says Shade, struggling to fend off the other wolf.
“I need time!” I protest. “We have to move, now!”
To their credit, the others don’t need to be told twice, and we pull back from the enemies as quickly as we engaged with them, whirling around and making a beeline in the opposite direction. A blast of fire sails over the top of my head, singing a few of the hairs there and making me wince. Silas, who still hasn’t let go of my hand, whirls around and unleashes a fireball of his own, this one considerably smaller than the other dragon shifter's, and I hear him swear under his breath.
More fire rains down on us, and I hardly dare to look to see whether the others are okay. Just have to find somewhere to work, I think, just need to buy a little time --
But as if on cue, other magic joins with the enemy fire, and I realise with a sinking feeling that they have us outnumbered. “Where do we go?” yells Ruby, ducking to avoid a blast of telekinetic energy from one of the others.
“I don’t--” I begin, but then my eyes go wide as I remember that we took the ferry to get here; we’re essentially trapped on this side of the city, like sitting ducks. In the distance, I can make out a couple of overpasses leading back in the direction we came from, but they’re covered, and clearly not meant for pedestrians; letting out a cry of frustration, I turn around and hurl a bolt of my own witch magic back at the closest pursuer, the wolf. It pushes him backward, and he stumbles, and we don’t waste any of the precious few seconds it buys us, tearing up to the edge of the water like our lives depend on it.
“Shit,” Hazel exclaims, staring down at the churning waves below us. In the distance, I can see the ferry, but it’s stopped on the other side of the water, no doubt waiting to bring another batch of passengers over; no help to be found there. “What do we do?!”
“Jump?” suggests Landon. We all stare at him for a moment and then back down at the murky water. It’s not the worst idea and considering our options…
I give him a firm nod, and without hesitation I leap into the water. Hazel yells out at me, but as soon as I hit the water and start paddling like my life depends on it, the others quickly realise I’m not drowning and follow me in. A few more blasts strike the surface of the water, sending up spouts of spray and steam, but our attackers’ accuracy is limited from up above, and we swim like we’ve never swum before, bolting to the left to put some distance between ourselves and the airport. I bob under the water, already digging for my magic, and when I come up I yell for Shade and Hunter to give me their hands. They oblige, linking up with the others so that we form a circle. “Any minute now, Boots!” says Shade.
I’m tempted to snark something back at him, but instead focus on concentrating; we’re not out of the woods yet. The water is