From inside the house, barking erupts. Somebuddy and Nobuddy are losing their tiny chihuahua minds, their high-pitched yaps barely muffled by the walls.
The front door bangs open a moment later.
"What the hell?" Asher's voice carries across the lawn.
Footsteps pound down the porch steps. Strong hands grab at my shoulders and haul me backward. I catch a glimpse of dark hair—Wylder.
Orion has Amber, his silver-blue eyes flashing with vertical pupils as he lifts her bodily off the ground.
"Let go of me!" Amber thrashes, but Orion holds firm.
"Poppy, are you okay?" Wylder turns me to face him, his hands gentle despite the worry etched across his features.
"I'm fine." I wipe dirt from my mouth. "She jumped me."
"You're spreading lies!" Amber shouts from Orion's grip. "Poisoning people against my family!"
"I haven't said a thing against your family, you psycho bitch! I'm trying to find out what Laurel did with your cousin and my sisters!"
She jerks free from Orion, and he shoves her toward the street to force some distance between us. "This isn't over."
"Actually, it is." Orion's voice carries a predatory edge. "Next time you come at Poppy, I won't be gentle."
Amber shoots him a venomous look, then turns and stalks into the darkness. A moment later, a car engine roars to life and tires squeal.
Asher appears at my other side, Somebuddy tucked under one arm and Nobuddy under the other. Both dogs are still yapping their fury at the departed threat.
"So," Asher looks me up and down, "good meeting?"
A laugh bubbles up, surprising me. "Actually? Yeah."
"You're bleeding." Wylder touches my chin, tilting my face toward the porch light. The burning along my jaw means there's probably one helluva scrape there. My shoulder and the back of my thigh burn worse.
"How bad is it?"
"Bad enough."
Thankfully, adrenaline is still singing through my system. "Okay, you can patch me up inside. But first, I have news—big news. The Order of the Arcane recognized the Life and Death Brigade as an independent guild."
Wylder freezes mid-step and stares at me. "Theywhat?"
I grin and waggle my brows. “You heard me. The Life and Death Brigade has been accepted into the big leagues. We’re official. It’s on.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
The black wolf calls to me in the depth of night, its voice a seductive melody threaded through darkness. I follow its silent form deeper into the trees, my bare feet barely registering the chill of morning dew, or my pajama pants flapping in the November wind.
That’s it. Come closer.
The ebony beast is majestic, and the trees recognize it, bending to part and allow him passage. Something waits beyond the frame of my vision… something ancient and powerful.
"Poppy."
My name slithers through the air and echoes in my ears as if distorted somehow on the encroaching winter breeze. It sounds odd as it vibrates in my mind, like too many syllables are stretching into the distance like taffy.
"Poppy, please stop."
But I can’t stop. I won’t.
