“It’s on my desk back at the office. You’ll be so proud. It’s giving me the biggest ‘fuck you’ you’ve ever seen.” Kylo only had humor—it wasn’t like his apologies were going to change anything. Pete was a good worker, even if he didn’t do well being out in the field. “I’ll take a picture of it when we get back, and I promise I’ll get it framed, and hang it right there on my office wall, as a constant reminder to treat my staff well. Pete, you have to hold yourself together. I have to go back in there.”
They both watched as another wall of the death house came tumbling down along with half of the roof.
“There’s going to be nothing left in the next five minutes.” Pete’s eyes were wide, and his shoulders were shaking. “You can’t go in there. You’ll get killed.”
Kylo knew that was a solid possibility. “My mate’s in there, fighting for his life. Fighting that bitch Selina, so we can all be safe. I have to go.”
“I hate being in the dark on my own.” The whispered admission tore at Kylo’s heart.
“You can take the jeep,” Kylo decided suddenly. “I know, it’s a manual, but I’ll put it in second gear for you, and then jump out. Keep the speed slow and make your way back to my house. You can steer one-handed if you take it slow. Come on. You can do this.”
“I’m not leaving you with no way back.” Pete folded his arms across his chest and then winced as he noticed his stump again. “You owe me a new hand. One of those fancy bionic ones.”
“Pete. I’m ordering you to go.” Kylo glimpsed as something that looked like a movie monster, raised his head above the shattered roof of the house and roared. “If Selina wins…” Kylo didn’t want to even think about the possibility, but it had to be said. “If she wins, you’re next in the firing line. I need you to go. Leave now.”
“Fuck you.” Pete pursed his lips. “I’m not going. You can’t make me. And you need the jeep to get you and your mate back to town when this is done.”
“Pete…” Kylo tugged his hair in frustration.
“No. I’m not going. Besides, the man with the feather coat will keep me company.”
“The what…?” As Kylo turned his head and looked through the windscreen of the jeep, sure enough, the same man who’d warded their house was standing there, illuminated by the magic going on behind him. When he realized Kylo had seen him, the man walked around and opened the back door of the jeep, climbing inside. Flicking his fingers in Kylo’s direction, clearly telling him to get out, the man then rested his hand on Pete’s shoulder.
“See, we’ll be fine,” Pete said firmly. “Now go be the hero, and make sure you mention my name in the report you’ll be writing about this mess.”
“Thank you. Both of you, thank you.” Pressing his hands together, Kylo bowed his head at the silent magic man, and then reached for the door handle of the jeep.
Stepping outside, Kyly expected to have to brace himself against the strength of Selina’s wards, but Conrad had been right. She was focusing all of her magic on fighting him, which made things a lot easier for him. Ducking into what was left of the door frame, it didn’t take long for Kylo to see the action—there were barely any walls left to hide anything.
For a moment, he was stunned, unsure what he was seeing. The animal… beast…thingthat Conrad had become didn’t have a name—not one that readily came to mind. It wasn’t just the lack of definition that stopped Kylo in his tracks, it was the speed at which Conrad was shifting. Arms grew one minute, and shrank the next. Extra legs, extra teeth, an elongated jaw, and what looked like a rhino horn. Freaky. Frightening to watch. Awe-inspiring. And if Kylo had been watching a movie, he would’ve given it ten stars.
The stench of burned skin and blood was a reality check, not that Kylo needed one. He could see the blackened skin of his mate’s arm—appendage—and his cat roared in response.Our mate is hurt.
Kylo knew that on a soul level. He could see it with his own eyes. Selina was shifting just as fast, but it was as if…
She’s still in human form!
Kylo had to watch for a moment longer—making sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. But no. Conrad had a hold on Selina’s human arm. Her magic was burning his skin, her animal claws and teeth, snapping and lashing out at him. Her animal forms flickered and didn’t have the same solidity as Conrad’s mass. She was doing damage, but it was magic based, not physical.
Don’t get between us.Conrad had made Kylo promise. As he crept around the edges of the remains of the room—the marble floor still visible in some places among the debris—Kylo reached into his pocket. He was looking for anything that he could use as a weapon. All he had was the piece of rag he’d stuffed in there that morning.
A magic user can only have one focus.The words rang through Kylo’s mind as clearly as if he had spoken them aloud. Conrad’s plan had been a good one, but he was tiring, too. Shifting took huge amounts of energy, and Conrad had been going for what probably felt like hours, although it was likely only a matter of minutes.
Selina screamed as Conrad swiped at her. Her voice was a weapon on its own. There was a flare of green and blue that shot from her hands, searing into Conrad’s chest, and he stumbled.
No, no, no!Kylo surged forward, his fingers becoming claws as Selina went in for the kill. Her hair flew, her face twisted into a menacing grimace, covered in blood, her eyes bright red. In that one moment, she was fully human, and Kylo leaped onto her back.
He didn’t think; he didn’t second guess his decision. He just plunged his claws into Selina’s neck and ripped, silencing the screams as her head tumbled from her body. Blood sprayed everywhere, but it was done.
Silence. Blessed silence. Except for Kylo’s harsh panting, and Conrad’s.Fuck. Conrad.Picking himself up off Selina’s body, Kylo met the eyes of Conrad’s beast. There was an intelligence there, although Kylo would never call it human.
Do you know me?Kylo’s cat seemed to think that the creature did. “You saved us,” he said, keeping his voice as calm as he could. Not a simple thing to do when his heart and lungs were working overtime. “You saved us, and I will be forever thankful. It’s time to rest now. Let Conrad come back to me.”
“You see me?”
Kylo realized it was a question, even though it was difficult to tell when the creature’s voice was so deep and guttural. He made sure he kept eye contact as he said firmly, “I see you, my mate. I see who you are, and I’m thankful for you in my life.”
“My mate.” The creature started to morph into individual forms—so many animals that flickered and receded as Conrad’s body twitched. The last one, the lion, stood for a long minute as he roared, and then he let go, and Conrad’s naked body was left on the marble.
