My head throbs. The mist closes in from all sides. Gods, what I would give to have Sienna here. “We need to work together,” I remind them, rolling my shoulders back as I prepare for a full shift. Doing so while surrounded is dangerous, but if I’m fast, I can take out the shifterandwhoever is creating the mist before they realize I’m coming for them.
Another arrow—no, feather—hits the vampire, this time directly between her eyes. She screams as she rips it free, her eyes flashing vibrant red as she leaps into the air. There’s a violentcrack, then a disgusting wet sound. The scent of blood fills the air before any of us see it falling like rain, turning the mist at our feet bright crimson and making Marick pass the fuck out. Ironically, the mist surrounding him turns to snow, and he plummets face-first into the powder.
Then the harpy falls in a heap of blood and bone at the base of a nearby tree.
Someone vomits to my left, and I reach into the shadows and pluck a living, breathing,gaggingcreature from within. My lip curls as I scent them—not just the piss trailing down their leg,but the fragility of their sub-species. “Owl shifter,” I murmur, sniffing again. “You’ve been tracking us in the dark.”
“And someone is shielding them,” vamp girl sighs, suddenly appearing at my side and wiping her mouth with the tips of her fingers. “Come out, kin, before I finish your teammate for dinner.”
“They can’t follow or they’d leave their teammate behind.” I squeeze the owl shifter’s upper arm tight enough that it bruises. He gawks, looking just as owlish as his animal half. He won’t hurt us. “Let’s go,” I order, releasing them. I bend to pick up Marick—poor fucking Marick, his own worst enemy—and tuck him under my arm. He’s still ungodly cold, but at least he’s quiet now.
I may not care about my teammates, but Idocare about Sienna. If she finds out that I abandoned them, would she be unhappy with me? Or is she dealing with her own pathetic band of misfits, too?
For her sake, I hope she’s been paired with someone competent—someone competitive—someone like?—
A growl rumbles past my lips as I scent Callum Navarro’s vampy staleness and Sienna’s distinct perfume intermingling on the path ahead. My teammates flinch at the sound, and if it’s possible, Marick’s temperature drops.
So long as Callum keeps his hands to himself, I’ll be fine. But in the event that he doesn’t...I’ll have to abandon our current objective for a much more satisfying one:
Beating the ever-loving shit out of that undying asshole.
Chapter 31
Sienna
My scalp pricklesas three sets of eyes stare at me, two of whom are glaring while the third set wears a self-satisfied smirk he can’t seem to mask. I purse my lips and avoid glaring back.
After all, we’re ateam.
“Right. You guys clearly know who I am.” I sweep my hand down my body in a dramatic gesture. “But I’d like to know your names and a little about your powers. I’m a wolf shifter. Name’s Sienna.” I nod toward the vampire who’s become a near-constant companion of mine. “This is Callum. He’s a vampire. Creates illusions.”
The other shifter in our group, a feline if I had to guess by her cat-like irises, shuffles further away from Callum. “Hate illusions,” she mutters, now wary of both of us.
When she doesn’t offer any other information about herself, I sigh. “Look, we need to work as a team to pass tonight’s challenge. Iwillpass, with or without your help.”
“Teammates can’t leave each other behind,” the unidentified male scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Leave it to the wild bitch to go rogue as soon as the challenge starts.”
“I’m not going rogue,” I hiss, teeth clenched. “And I already said that my name is Sienna, asshole. What’s yours?”
His eyes flash bright yellow and fangs descend past his bottom lip as he partially shifts. “I’m not giving you my fucking name.” Grabbing the girl shifter’s wrist, he pulls her into his side. She begins to purr as she curls up to him and nuzzles his shoulder.
Huh. They must be a couple.
He shakes his head, and she composes herself but doesn’t let go of his arm. “We’re both shifters. That’s all you need to know.”
I sniff the air and wrinkle my nose. He’s masking all over her—or trying to. I can’t get a clear scent on her because his is so strong.
“Bear shifter,” I guess, pinching the bridge of my nose. “You don’t happen to be in the same pack as—” His claws protrude from his fingertips, darker and thicker and curvier than mine. Sighing, I don’t bother finishing my question. He’s clearly got an axe to grind against me. Moving on to the female, I assess her as best I can without scenting her. “Shouldn’t you be clinging to another big cat? Jaguar? Panther? Don’t we have a few at the academy?”
She turns her nose up at me, her dirty blonde bangs swiping across her eyes. “Not all shifters are as close-minded as wolves. I can mate whomever I want.” As if to prove her point, she clutches the bear’s arm harder, like I’m going to take him from her.
I roll my eyes. “Nothing is ever that easy.”
“Not foryou,” she sneers. “I don’t need to pass this class, so by all means, leave me behind. I’d love to see Professor Aesir’s review ofyourperformance once he realizes how useless you are in a pack.”
“I’ve been in a pack,” I growl, flexing my fingers to keep from shifting. I shouldn’t let her barbs get under my skin, but damn, is she annoying. “I was born into one, just like you.”
“You arenothinglike me.”
