Maybe the man who sold it to Stella had been telling the truth. That the journal chose who possessed it. Maybe that’s why it had knocked me on my ass. It hadn’t chosen me. Didn’t want me.
But looking at Lu, it was clear—very clear—that it had chosen her. She was vengeance. She was a queen carved of wildfire and moonlight, the universe in her fist.
That book held more magic than I’d seen in a long, long time. It glowed brighter and brighter in her grip.
Then she threw the book. Right at the hunter’s gun hand.
Stella was screaming and screaming. Words now: “bastard,” and “kill you,” and “my sister,” over and over.
A lot of things happened at once.
Lorde barked, deep and vicious, and jagged away from Lu’s side, fast, faster, angling at Hatcher from almost behind him instead of head-on.
The book slammed into Hatcher’s hand, knocking it down and wide, the gun somehow still in it. Then his hand was up, quick, as he tracked Lorde, trying to get a shot off.
Stella launched at him, hands curved into claws, aiming for his eyes, screaming, screaming.
He grunted and scrambled back, his free hand coming up to ward off the ghost whose madness and lust to make this man pay was enough to break through.
I pulled at the energy inside of me. The anger, the fear, the sheer violent boilingneedto break this world into chunks, grind it to dust in my hands, to shatter it until only Lu and I were left standing. Until it there was nothing holding Lu and I apart. Until we were all there was.
“Lu?” Dot said, her voice high with worry and fear. “What is going on?”
Stella stopped hard. Like a light switch popping, she flickered, fingers scrabbling at the hunter one moment,pop pop pop, then suddenly beside her sister.
“Dot, oh, Dot,” she heaved, tears so close on the heels of terror and relief. “I thought… I thought…”
Stella had moved fast, but so had Lu.
Hatcher wasn’t looking at my wife, his eyes tracking the dog who was on him, jumping, jaws open, sharp teeth snapping, blood-curdling snarls ofdeathandbloodandpainfilling the air.
“No!” I yelled.
Just as Dot screamed.
Hatcher fired. Steady hand. Straight shot. True and terrible.
Lorde barked, a harsh pain-filled yelp. She stumbled as her front leg refused to carry her. Blood bloomed, dark in her dark fur, her shoulder going wet with it, far too quickly.
Lu didn’t make a sound. She was flash-lightning, a slice of fire-tipped steel, her body a blade, a weapon, an end. She devoured the distance between them and threw a punch with her entire body and the speed of her run packed behind it.
He knocked back, flat on his back, but rolled quick, that damn gun still in his hand. When he came up in a crouch, far enough out of reach that Lu couldn’t instantly hit him, that gun was aimed at Dot.
“I will shoot her.”
Lu stilled, her muscles pulling painfully tight in her battle not to hit him again. She had knives on her, and one of them was in her hand, gleaming wickedly bright. There was magic in that knife, magic that did unholy damage to creatures and maybe even gods.
In the right hands, that knife could do unholy damage to anyone.
Lu was the right hands.
Lorde still growled, a high whine behind each exhale. She limped to stand next to Lu, her ears back, her teeth bared. But she was not using her front leg, and the bleeding had not slowed.
I stood in front of Lu, facing the asshole down, just angry enough to do something stupid. Something that would lay me out for months. Something that would take me away from Lu for all that time. Something that would get Lorde killed. She was bleeding hard.
Time was running out. Lorde needed a vet. Now.
“The book,” Hatcher said.
