Haru and Reo’s eyes widened as they drew closer to their girl, desperate for a way to assist and ease her struggle. But damn if Molly didn’t have this all on her own.
She snarled and growled and grunted … until every speck of nasty-ass fog had emerged from within her to hover just above her body.
When she collapsed against the floor in exhaustion, Haru and Reo swept forward to ease her into their arms, as Johnny, Tianna, Willemena, and Cho extended their arms above their heads. Cho began calling out some more rapid-fire Japanese. The power building in the room crackled across my skin. When Cho clapped her hands together, I jumped and squealed.
Damn, Cho was one badass witch. Gone was the pleasant, kind-looking Japanese caretaker. She looked like she could take on the entire underworld right now, her nostrils flaring, her jaw clenched with power.
Johnny, Willemena, and Tianna clapped their hands together immediately after Cho, and magic swept around them in a whoosh, creating a square of vibrating white light that pulsated between the four of them. The fog that had left Molly rushed toward the square of power they’d formed, apparently compelled by Cho’s spell. The fog whipped into the center of their power square, bouncing around like a ball trying to escape a pinball machine.
But there was no escape.
“We expel you from this earthly plane!” Johnny called out.
“We nullify your power. You can do no more harm,” Willemena said.
“We banish you from this world and transmute your essence to the white light of the universe,” Tianna added.
“With our combined power, you cease to exist. Now!” Cho roared.
In precise synch, Cho, Tianna, Willemena, and Johnny clapped their hands once more … and the dark fog vanished as if it had never been there at all.
Not a single trace of the demon fog remained as I trudged with heavy legs to an open chair and sank into it. That tiny little speck of fog demon had just taken four powerful witches to eliminate it. The monsters from the underworld were no joke.
Holy shit. We did it. And we’d all survived.
I slouched into the dining room chair. Molly was looking better already, all evidence of her struggle to shift and banish the demon fog gone. In its place was a wolfish grin.
My supe-groupie girl was now a supe herself. And she looked damn pleased about it.
Brock approached Molly and knelt before her, reaching out slowly. She lowered her head to her new alpha as he stroked her back. I could see in the way they were looking at each other that they were speaking mentally. Finally, Brock stood and addressed the room.
“If you’ll excuse us, my new pup would like to go for a run. It will be easier for her to remain a wolf for the next day or so before turning back. Shifting expends a lot of energy, and I need to work on helping her control her wolf.”
We were all grinning like mad. Molly and Brock running as wolves together? I wanted to pull out my camera and take a video because it was fucking perfect.
“Have fun,” I told my man. “We’ll get something for dinner and meet you back here.”
Brock led Molly out the front door, and the moment he pulled it closed behind them, everyone collapsed onto the couch.
My cousin was the first to rub his belly. “Did you say dinner?”
I grinned. “I’ll order pizza.”
When I pulled out my phone, I realized I’d left it on silent since my nap and had about fifty missed calls from two different people: Croft and Detective Swanson.
Oh God. A stone sank in my stomach. Why would these two people be trying like mad to get a hold of me?
“Actually, Cass, you order the pizza,” I said. “I’m gonna step outside and make a few calls.”
My bestie nodded, though he cocked his brow at me because I usually put pizza first. I’d fill him in later. Right now I didn’t know what was going on.
I walked pretty far out onto the front driveway so I could have privacy, and decided to call Detective Swanson back first. None of my callers had left a voicemail, which was definitely weird.
Detective Swanson picked up immediately. “Evie?”
“Hey. Sorry, my phone was off. Please tell me we don’t have another fog demon trapped in town.”
“No. It’s worse.”
