Chapter Four
Enzo
I slammed into the scorched earth like a meteor, the impact driving every molecule of air from my tiny lungs. The sickening crack of bones snapping echoed through my skull—ribs, maybe my wing—as agony exploded through my bat form in white-hot waves.
I tumbled across the ash-covered ground, my broken body rolling helplessly until I crashed into the massive trunk of a burned cypress. The charred bark scraped against my fur, leaving me sprawled in a pitiful heap among the smoldering debris.
Anguish was a fucking understatement.
Each breath was like swallowing glass. I tried desperately to shift back to human form, reaching for that familiar pull of transformation, but it was as if someone had drained every drop of power from my veins. The magic that should have coursed through me felt like a dried riverbed—empty, lifeless.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Panic clawed at what was left of my consciousness as footsteps approached through the ash. Heavy boots crunched on debris, growing closer. Marsha’s men. They’d find me broken and helpless, finish what the fall had started.
“Enzo?”
That voice—sharp, commanding, unmistakable. Relief and dread warred in my chest.
I forced my head up, every movement sending fresh spikes of agony through my shattered form, and stared into Angelo’s eyes. They were wide with concern, searching my face like he was trying to assess just how bad it was.
Raindrops beaded on his eyelashes. The rain pelted his hair to his cheeks and dripped off his nose. We’d been like brothers for over two centuries. He knew exactly what I looked like in this form, had seen me shift during countless business dealings and territorial disputes.
Maybe—just maybe—not all of my luck had run out.
“Who did this to you?” Angelo crouched down, studying my broken form as anger flashed into his eyes. He scooped me up and held me gently next to his chest. I squeaked as pain ravaged my body.
The world blurred into a kaleidoscope of rain and shadow as Angelo’s powerful strides carried us deeper into the devastated bayou. Each jarring step sent fresh waves of agony through my broken bones, but I bit back any sounds of pain. Angelo was risking his own safety to save me.
His feet made wet, sucking sounds as they sank into the waterlogged earth with every stride.Squish. Squish. Squish.The rhythm became hypnotic, almost comforting, as rain continued to pelt down on us in relentless sheets. I could feel the water soaking through Angelo’s shirt where he held me against his chest, turning the fabric cold and clingy.
The acrid smell of smoke still hung in the air despite the downpour, mixing with the rich, earthy scent of wet soil and rotting vegetation. Occasionally Angelo would leap over a fallen, charred log or splash through a puddle, and I’d catch glimpses of the fire’s aftermath—blackened tree trunks reaching toward the gray sky like skeletal fingers, steam rising from smoldering debris.
My vision kept sliding in and out of focus. One moment I could see the burned cypress branches whipping past us, the next everything would fade to black as unconsciousness tried to claim me. Angelo’s steady heartbeat against my tiny body became an anchor, the only constant in a world that kept tilting sideways.
Stay awake, I told myself desperately. Stay conscious. But my eyelids were like lead weights, and the combination of pain, exhaustion, and blood loss was winning the battle.
The last thing I registered before darkness took me was Angelo’s voice, low and fierce. “Hold on, brother. We’re almost there.”
Someone’s fingers moved through the delicate fur along my head with infinite tenderness, each stroke sending waves of comfort through my body. “Enzo, can you shift?” The voice was soft as silk, familiar as my own heartbeat.
God, where was I?
My consciousness floated back like a tide returning to shore. I was lying on something soft—high-quality sheets, the kind I was accustomed to sleeping on. The scents that surrounded me were familiar: leather, polished mahogany, and the faint trace of Serenity’s signature perfume—lavender and vanilla.
I forced my eyes open and found myself staring into Serenity’s concerned blue eyes. Her perfectly manicured fingers dabbed at my forehead with a cool cloth, gentle and careful. The crushing agony from my fall—the broken bones, the searing pain—it was all gone.
How? My last clear memory was crashing into that burned cypress, every bone in my body shattered. Now I was… whole. But I was still trapped in this small, vulnerable bat form.
Then I remembered.
Shit.Joy. She needed me.
Panic surged through me as I immediately forced the shift, my bones stretching and expanding until I was human again. I found myself sprawled across silk sheets on a king-sized bed, my ruined suit hanging off me in tatters. The entire room swayed in a gentle, rhythmic motion that made my head spin.
Where the hell am I?
My vision was still hazy, unfocused, as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. Rich mahogany gleamed in the soft light, and crystal glinted from somewhere across the room. The swaying motion was familiar, soothing in a way that tugged at my memory, but my thoughts were as thick as molasses.
