atop of. My hit is precise, my anger is palpable, and the force behind my being is enough to uproot the tree itself. As it begins to fall, Alec jumps from the limb and he lands on the one next to it. I back up as a roar shakes the ground beneath me. A second later, it hits me that the heart-wrenching sound was from me. The closer he gets to where my family is safely stationed, the more vexed I become.
I hear companioning roars and caws around me as Dooly and Caspen come up beside me. Caspen and I dig our claws into the dirt as Dooly soars around us, the three of us pausing long enough to glance at one another. As if we can read each other’s minds and thoughts, we become one cohesive unit. The three of us charge together, and like dominoes which were once neatly stacked, the trees begin to fall as one lands on the one next to it. Dooly may only be an eagle, a flight shifter, but he’s stout and packs one helluva punch.
Vaughn
Ariella begins furiously knocking on the door. “Ladies, I need you to let me in so I can protect the children!” she hollers through the slab of wood. I hear roars outside and know that my mate and the others are out there fighting for us and our lives.
I grab a hold of Emmaline and pull her securely into my chest. Safe, Momma, I hear my girl whisper in my mind. When I look down at her questioningly, she throws a picture of Ariella in my mind. I’ve only met this woman once, but I trust the instincts of Emmaline. She’s never, not once, been wrong.
“Are you sure, sweet girl?” I ask, not sure or confident of who we can and who we can’t trust.
Yes is whispered back, the confidence in that one word alone has me shuffling to the door. Before I reach out and open it, I feel a mild zap—not one to injure me, one to remind me that the door is enchanted.
“Ariella? I can’t open the door. Glorianna put a spell on the house and she’s uh… a tad busy at the moment,” I enlighten her. My eyes move to Glorianna and she gives a slight nod, one that tells me without any words being shared, that she’s acutely aware of everything happening around her. The door swells slightly before it opens on its own accord. “Wow,” comes out of my mouth as I watch Ariella walk through then say her own spell as the door quickly closes. I feel like I’m on an episode of Bewitched.
“Get ready, ladies, you may need to shift at a moment’s notice. Glorianna and I will do everything we can to ensure that this doesn’t happen, but you may need to defend the homestead. Alec, our shadow walker is only a distraction for the men,” she concludes as she walks to the front window and begins to chant. You can feel her magic and Glorianna’s combine. It’s strong, but is it powerful enough to keep our enemies at bay?
Shyla and I place the babies together in the playpen and my eyes widen as I see a protective bubble pop up, surrounding them both in a sort of security barrier. I got this, Momma.
“Holy shit, did you…” Shyla stops dead as she points to the playpen where a spark of energy surrounds the cubs.
“Um...yeah, that’d be Emmaline,” I explain as I turn around and give Shyla a ‘don’t ask’ look.
“Well, okay.” She simply nods as the words are expressed. Just then, the house begins to rattle, pulling forth my leopard. Before I know it, I’m protectively crouched down on four paws, yowling and hissing. I feel the spark of magic as Shyla too shifts and takes sentry next to me.
Protect.
Maim.
Kill… my cat hisses as she prowls inside of my mind. I couldn’t agree more.
Trigger
I feel a rush of energy as it pours over my animal’s soul. In my mind I hear Glorianna speaking, You are now mentally connected to one another as a pack would be and your animals can communicate with one another. Your secrets will be kept excluded from any enemy. This eases my mind and makes things easier when it comes to plotting and planning as we go.
Caspen? I call out his name, testing it out.
I can hear you loud and clear, Trigger, he communicates back.
We need to get Alec out of the protection of the