A Hippogriff for Christmas - Zoe Chant Page 0,62

see Scott from the corner of his eye as he lunged forward, making a grab for the guard.

He can’t possibly think he can take him down, Beau thought in the split second before he realized that that wasn’t what Scott was intending to do.

Instead of taking on the security guard himself, Scott was making a grab for –

His gun, Beau realized in a horrified rush.

“Scott, stop right now –” he shouted, but Scott paid him absolutely no attention at all.

He yanked the guard’s gun from its holster while his attention was on Beau, pointing it first at the guard, before turning his head madly to look at Rosalind.

“The shoe’s on the other foot now, isn’t it?” Scott yelled, waving the gun wildly from one guard to the next. “You think you can do this to me? Humiliate me and push me around the way you have?”

You… absolute idiot, Beau thought, which was fairly mild compared to the words he could have thought.

“Scott, don’t be so stupid,” he said, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. For someone who’d appeared to have a healthy fear of Rosalind before, Scott didn’t seem to have a clear idea of just how precarious of a situation he was in.

Even with a gun – and even with a gun with dragonsbane-tipped bullets – there was no way he could hope for this situation to turn out well for him. There were too many security guards, each with their own gun, too many shifters, and, most importantly, Rosalind herself, whom Beau hadn’t been able to figure out at all yet.

Far from listening to his advice not to be stupid, however, Scott seemed to take it as his cue to be even more stupid.

Beau saw Annie’s pale, frightened face as Scott dashed past her, shoving her aside and sending her tumbling to the ground.

“Beau –!” she cried out, as Beau tried to race to her side, fighting off the security guard’s iron grip on his arm.

He wished he could reassure her. But Scott had done exactly what Beau had feared he might, and made a beeline for Rosalind, grabbing her around the shoulders and holding the gun to her head.

“Don’t do anything stupid!” Scott yelled, his voice trembling almost as much as the gun in his hands. “I’ve got your boss here, and I won’t hesitate to shoot if you try to stop me!”

Beau stared. Far from seeming frightened, Rosalind merely looked amused – and impatient. The security guards around them were exchanging glances, clearly uncertain, but Rosalind herself didn’t appear to be the slightest bit fazed.

Beau drew in a deep breath, clenching his fists. He knew he had to get Annie out of danger. With Scott having decided to pull this stunt, he could see the situation could get out of hand in a moment.

I’ll need to shift and scoop her up, Beau thought. I’ll get her out of here and then signal the team to move in. That’s the best I can do right now. The only thing that matters is Annie’s safety.

He drew up his energy, preparing to shift –

“You are a fool, aren’t you?” Rosalind’s voice rang out, clear and cold.

Beau had seen she wasn’t concerned by Scott’s ridiculous threat – but still, a dragonsbane-tipped bullet could do damage to even the most powerful of shifters.

But she’s not worried at all.

“Scott, don’t do this!” Annie’s voice came next, as she pulled herself back to her feet. “Think about your father – he loves you, Scott. Please.”

“Shut up!” Scott cried, his voice rising several octaves and shaking with fear. “Shut up, all of you! I’m leaving here, and none of you are going to try to stop me, got it?!”

Again, Rosalind laughed. “Stupid. Very stupid.”

What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion.

As Beau watched, an orange glow seemed to suddenly light up Rosalind’s chest from within. Rays of light spread out from her body – rays that quickly became tongues of flame, completely engulfing her.

What the – what the hell –

He’d never seen a shifter like this before. He stared, unable to drag his eyes away, as Rosalind became a column of flame, standing there in the middle of the floor.

Scott yelped, lifting his arm to cover his eyes, trying to escape the burning fire that Rosalind had become.

And then, in a flash, she transformed: massive wings made entirely of fire spread out from her body, and her head became that of a crested bird, while a long tail trailed out behind her.

No.