with my mind.
Done, his voice came back.
That had worked, too. The pleasure of the hunt raced through me. The pleasure of all of this raced through me. Finally, I was a wolf.
It felt so right. So amazing.
Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Lachlan rampaging through the guards, taking them out one at a time. He gave me space to work on my own goal.
The Maker.
I was stronger than he’d expected.
I prowled in his direction, blood lust rising in me. He stalked toward me, determined to make me submit to him as the Alpha.
I would take him down.
We collided in a crash. I snapped at his neck, but my teeth went right through him. The bastard was corporeal enough to hold on to me, but he managed to make part of himself disappear before I could land my blow.
Asshole.
I tried again, managing to bite part of his shoulder before it disappeared. His blood tasted tainted and dark, and I nearly gagged.
“You’re coming with me,” he growled. As the words left his lips, I felt the ether pulling at me.
No!
How was he doing this? He hadn’t used a transport charm.
He must have the power himself, I realized. I fought him, trying to push away. I couldn’t let him take me. Frantic, I snapped at him, trying to get ahold of him and deliver a killing blow, but he was too fast and too powerful.
The ether kept pulling, and I fought it, yanking away from him, trying to stay grounded.
Eve! I heard Lachlan’s voice in my head.
He’s trying to take me!
Desperate, I snapped and struggled, using all my power to stay where I was and resist the pull of his teleportation.
When I felt strong arms around my middle, I knew it was Lachlan, trying to yank me away from the Maker.
Frustration flared in the eyes of my enemy, and defeat followed. He knew he couldn’t fight us both.
And then, to my surprise, I felt the slice of pain at my shoulder.
He’d cut me.
Out of the corner of my vision, I saw him press a glass vial to the wound, collecting a sample of blood. It all happened so quickly.
“I’ve got what I need,” he hissed. With a great yank, he pulled away and released me, then disappeared.
Lachlan and I tumbled backward, landing in a pile on the ground. I scrambled upright, still in wolf form, and looked around.
The Maker was gone. The guards were all dead, their bodies scattered in puddles of blood. I turned back to Lachlan, who stared at me with awe on his face. “You’re magnificent.”
I looked down at myself, able to catch glimpses of white fur.
I was big.
Really big.
He knelt at my side, inspecting the wound at my shoulder. “You’re hurt.”
Why the hell had the Maker wanted my blood? Same reason he’d wanted me, probably. And we had no idea what that was.
I needed to be able to speak.
Shifting back to human form was as natural as breathing. One moment I was a wolf, the next, I was human. The flash of magic that accompanied the change was like quicksilver.
Panting, I knelt in front of Lachlan. He gripped me by the waist, helping me stay upright, and inspected my shoulder. “You’ve healed.”
He was right—I could no longer feel the pain—and I met his gaze. “Are you all right?”
He nodded. “More importantly, are you?”
“I think so.” I staggered to my feet. “Let’s go check on the others.”
He rose, wrapping an arm around my waist and helping me walk. All of my wounds had healed in the transition, but I was so exhausted that I could barely stand. As quickly as I could, I gathered up the Moon Stones and stored them in the bag I kept in the ether.
We exited the chambered tomb, which looked like a massive, grassy hill from the outside. In front of us, my friends walked through the woods. There were no more enemies, and I was able to account for everyone, thank fates.
Lachlan
* * *
A day later, after everyone had healed, I visited the Shadow Guild tower. Everyone in my pack had survived, though there had been some gruesome injuries. Even Garreth had made it back, thank fates.
Unfortunately, his eyes had gone entirely black after the battle, his mind escaping him. However he’d managed to hold off the curse, he was no longer able to. It was almost as if he’d found the strength to help us, and then given up.
In a brief moment of clarity, he’d tried to get me to