A neon arrow flickered in a window, pointing east. I was already going that way, so I didn’t take it as a sign. But when four more neon arrows led me past three more bars and down a side street, I was beginning to think it was divine intervention. I almost laughed when I saw a flashing eye inside a pyramid, the symbol for all-seeing in the large shop window. Under that, in blue, red, and yellow neon were the words Tarot, Crystals, and Readings.
I didn’t need a fortune teller to know I was screwed as Cordell came out of nowhere and plowed into me.
We hit the window hard, glass shattering under the impact before we tumbled through into the shop. Luckily, I was wearing jeans and a faux leather jacket. The clothing saved me from getting cut up, but the impact had knocked the breath from my lungs. Cordell wasn’t as fortunate. A shard, at least two inches wide, stuck out of the side of his neck. Blood ran down his chest, coating his shirt like a scarlet scarf.
He yanked the glass out and held it like a weapon. His skin sprouted with fur. A partial transformation wouldn’t heal him, but it would stop the damage from getting worse.
“Don’t make this hard, Etta.” His voice had taken on the growly reverberation that occurred when we became “other.” He’s given you four years of freedom. It’s time to come home now.”
“William never gave me shit, and that’s not my home,” I restated while grabbing the nearest object handy—a large round stone. “Tell him I’m never coming back. I’d rather die first.”
His yellow eyes glowed, and I resisted the urge to transform with him. Therianthropes and lycanthropes were trained to be careful about exposing our true natures to humans, and Cordell was breaking all kinds of rules. “He can find you anywhere, Etta. You’re his wolf, his blood, and a part of his tribe. He can track you by your essence.”
Crap. Was this true? If it was, how did I not know that? Maybe because William was a power-hungry dick, who kept his secrets close to the vest.
I raised the heavy sphere, ready to chuck it at Cordell’s head, but a hand on my arm stopped me. I whipped around to see a woman with dark skin and eyes that shined like black pearls standing behind me. Her lips moved, but my ears felt as if they were stuffed with cotton, and I could barely hear the unintelligible muffled words she spoke, let alone understand them. Whatever they were, they froze me in place. I couldn’t turn my head to see if Cordell had been affected, but he wasn’t grabbing me, so I assumed it was so.
Crap, crap, crap. I had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. This lady wasn’t some con-job psychic. She was a full-on witch or sorcerer, and she’d caught me in a snare.
The woman held up her hand and made a slicing motion in the air. There was a sickening sucking sound behind me, followed by a thud.
“There,” she cooed, her dark eyes swirling with silvery light. “You’re next, little wolf.”
Fear and adrenaline forced my mouth to move. “Wa-wa-wait,” I grunted out.
She gave me an appraising look. “You shouldn’t be able to speak, young one.” She cocked her head side-to-side as she studied my face. “You’re quite strong. Maybe there is more to you than meets the eye.” She snapped her fingers, and my head and throat unfroze. “Speak.”
I looked back and saw Cordell on the ground, looking human again. He wasn’t breathing. “You killed him.”
“The glass from my window that you both so rudely smashed through killed him.” Her tone was nonchalant. “All I did was remove his wolf with an extraction spell. Nature did the rest.”
Lycanthropes had long lives, and we were hard to kill, but it wasn’t impossible. Still, a stab wound shouldn’t have been fatal for Cordell, even in his human form. “What do you mean you removed his wolf?”
“He was two-natured, like you, and I made him one. The one that was less dangerous.” She shrugged, then narrowed her gaze at me again. “Or at least I thought like you. I am called Aurora. What is your name?”
“Etta,” I told her.
The woman nodded her approval. “Warrior, blessing, fortune…ruler. Yes, it’s a powerful name.” Aurora narrowed her gaze at me. “Someone named you wisely.” She cupped my chin and examined my face.
Her fingers were icy cold, but I could feel a ripple of energy from her that scared the shit out of me. “Please,” I pleaded softly. “Please just let me go.”
“The police will be here soon. I called them as soon as you both tumbled in.” Her demeanor was so calm, it unnerved me. She shrugged. “I will allow them to take care of you.”
I shook my head, my tone pleading. “He was after me,” I told her, hoping my circumstance would garner me some sympathy. I didn’t want to get caught up in a criminal investigation. “He was trying to kidnap me.”
She eyed me warily. “You can tell the officers all about it.”
“Please, please, let me go.” My flight or fight response was strong, and I found that I could wiggle my toes again. I forced my leg to move and took a step back. “Please.”
My movement surprised Aurora. She frowned at me. “You’re even more powerful than I thought. There is more than just the wolf and the human I see in your eyes. Interesting.” Her dark eyes glowed again, shining like moonlight, and this time, I could feel her drawing my wolf to the surface.
“Stop,” I said sharply as I staggered back another foot. If she was trying the same hokum on me that she’d done to Cordell, I wanted no part of it. Now wasn’t the time to worry about exposure to humans. I needed to get away, and my wolf might be the only thing that could save me now.
I called on my inner beast, using Aurora’s tug, to bring her to the surface and transform. I could feel her presence under my skin. And yet, nothing happened. My pulse leaped in my throat. Shifting into my animal form was like breathing, and it felt as if the wolf inside me was suffocating.
“Stop,” I pleaded. “Whatever you’re doing, just stop.”
“What are you?” the woman asked curiously.
