They were the second cavalry Jason had been talking about, and I decided to follow them to make sure I got to the battle as fast as possible. I could have gone through the broken window Jason had come out of, but that didn’t exactly seem like a safe course of action. And considering I still didn’t know if I would be able to use my plant abilities or not, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Granted, if I really wanted to be safe, I shouldn’t be going into the thick of it, but if I was honest with myself, it had always been rather inevitable. Hopefully, Leo would understand.
My lungs burned as I ran, quickly falling behind the second wave as they sped across the grounds on four feet. I kept a sharp eye out and threw smoke bombs in case they needed cover. I didn’t want to fall too far behind because that would definitely make me easier to pick off. I wanted to be toward the middle of the rush if I could.
Keyword,if.
When I made it into the manor behind a pair of coyote shifters, I expected to find all hell breaking loose. Instead, the foyer looked as neat as one could expect, as if it was ready for a magazine photoshoot or Harper’s Bazaar. For a moment, I was so perplexed I wondered if I had been transported to some other giant mansion, but then I heard a howl from far away and what sounded like a wall splintering apart.
I was definitely in the right area.
Off I went, following the scratch marks on the floor and the doors knocked off their hinges. A very small part of me felt a bit sad for all the damage we were doing to such a historical landmark, but most of me couldn’t be fucked to care. Really, the house was a testament to the insanity of wealth. It had been passed from generation to generation, and while multiple owners had added multimillion-dollar additions to the building, it was still as gauche as ever.
Although, I certainly wouldn’t mind having all that land for chickens, miniature goats, and gardens, as well as the giant glass conservatory I’d spotted on the maps. However, no amount of growing space was worth it if it meant a single shifter had to become a mindless slave.
The sounds of battle grew louder and louder, and a strange energy shimmered under my skin. For a moment, I thought I was about to experience the same wave of power I had at the auction, but as I sprinted, I realized it wasn’tmy power I was feeling, but someone else’s entirely. I didn’t have to guess who that was. That had to be the brother who had sworn fealty to Bacchus.
When I’d first heard that, I was confused, as I had assumed Bacchus was the god of wine and partying. Apparently, though, he also had domains over agriculture and fertility. Also, it was the very fact that he was an actual spirit that magic users could get in touch with. It definitely made me wonder how many myths could be real—yet another thing I could tackle once the brothers were gone and Leo’s pack was safe.
Safewas about the last thing we were at the moment.
I rushed through the door where I heard all the fighting. Holy crap, it was massive. I had expected it to be large, but not two floors large, with stairs on both sides going to a sizeable landing. Man, some people really had too much money.
I couldn’t really focus on the abject capitalism because it truly was a cacophony around me, like the gala but five times over, with plants covering almost every surface as well as a miniature tornado whipping around the center. Lightning struck down from the crystal chandelier above.
Had we somehow left the most powerful brothers for last? It made sense they would have survived the longest, but man, we were a lot less lucky than I thought.
I took one last moment to observe before I searched for Leo. It was nearly impossible to find him in the throng, and I feared the worst. A truly inhuman bellow drew my attention to a giant, horse-like creature standing on his hind legs. A second later, his full weight cracked down on the chest of a man on the floor.
Wait, it wasn’t a horse. It was a moose.Chiga. I had known he was a massive creature, but it was entirely different seeing it in person.
I knew from my various animal shenanigans throughout my life that moose were giant creatures, often standing anywhere from five to seven feet at their shoulders, but Chiga was at least nine feet tallwithouttaking into account the huge antlers atop his head. Leo wasn’t kidding about him being a force to reckon with.
Finally, I saw a flash of that familiar coat behind the gargantuan moose. Leo was lunging for one of the brothers, but the warlock had summoned a hazy shield around himself. If there was one trick I really hated from those guys, it was that.
Thankfully, my love was holding his own, so I switched my focus and looked for anyone needing my help. Unfortunately, quite a few people were in grievous states.
Time to see if my support skills could hold up in much closer quarters.
I ran to the closest shifter—a coyote I was pretty sure would come up to my waist. I’d gotten used to the fact that all shifterswere larger versions of their wild animal counterparts, but it still threw me for a loop. However, even at their greater size, I was still able to grab his legs and haul him over to the door, swinging it partially closed to use as cover.
My mind crept into that almost meditative state as I did what I could to stabilize the coyote so his body could begin the healing process. I hoped most of them would have the good sense to retreat rather than push their injured bodies and end up dying, but I also recognized that if one of them wanted to fight, it would be a waste of time trying to stop them. We all had our choices to make, and in the end, I needed to respect theirs.
A gust of wind blew the both of us forward. I grabbed the edge of the door to stay in place, but the coyote slid several yards down the hall. Before either of us could react to the sudden movement, the air reversed directions and I was being suckedintothe battle.
It was a strange sensation whirling through the air like that. My back hit the solid couch, my breath rushing out of my lungs from the impact. I sat there, more than a little stunned at the sudden game of tug-of-war over my body, but then a perfect replica of a miniature tornado skipped up on an ottoman that looked like it cost more than my entire cabin. I blinked in surprise as it launched itself right out the already broken window.
Fighting warlocks was absolutely wild.
Not wanting to encounter more shrunken versions of terrible weather phenomena, I scrambled to my feet, hoping to spot the closest fighter who needed my help. The coyote was too far away now, so all I could do was hope they would be okay while I helped someone else. Now that I was pretty much in the heart of the battle, I could see nearly a dozen or so of our people strewn across the floor or pinned in very uncomfortable positions. Whatwould they have done if the second cavalry hadn’t arrived when they had?
I didn’t like that thought, so instead of entertaining it, I rushed to the injured wolf nearest me. I figured since he was still in his animal form, he couldn’t be too hurt. When shifters were low on energy or too injured, they reverted back to their human forms.
I fell into a rhythm: triage, treat, and get them mobile enough so they could get themselves out of direct danger. The outer courtyard wasn’t exactly the safest place for the injured, but it was way better than the middle of a battleground with two extremely pissed-off warlocks.
Things grew a little blurry after that. I was so intensely focused on whoever I was helping, I didn’t realize how completely drained I was until I stood up from helping an eagle shifter and nearly fell on my face. Why was I sweating so much? Why did it feel like I had just run a marathon?
It wasn’t all that different from the way I’d felt after I killed Alric. Except I wasn’t using my plant powers, and that might have been a one-time thing, anyway. So, what the hell was going on? It was almost like healing people had been steadily sapping my energy.
