Atlas’s eyes narrowed briefly. “The process of changing back is nearly the same as before. You need to envision your human form, remove all other distractions from your thoughts, and demand the energy to do as you command.”That seemed easy enough.I did as he said, but nothing happened. My Bear Howl, and I growled quietly. This was not like before.The Bear magic I could sense along my skin before I’d shifted wasn’t there any longer. The crackling power had guided me the first time, and no matter how deep I searched for it again, I came up empty.Atlas walked slowly toward me, holding his hand out, palm up. “May I?”His question shocked me, but I managed to nod my Bear head.My eyes watched his every movement, questioning his motives but also desperately wishing for his touch.He kneeled before me, putting his eyes level with mine. Without realizing what I was doing, my head nudged against his and a rumble vibrated from deep within me.“I’m not going to hurt you,” Atlas whispered. “N
Amy’s singing from the other room woke me while it was still dark out. Not because she sounded offkey, but because she was so damn good.I tried to enjoy the softly sung words that were sending shivers down my spine, but then my skin began to itch and the need to move overwhelmed me.I was out of bed in the next second and opening my bedroom door without really thinking things through. Moving down the hallway, I found Amy in the living room. She was already dressed in leather pants that melded to her skin but looked soft and pliable. She had on a white tank top, and her midnight hair was pulled back into a ponytail.Basically, she looked like a badass biker chick. I was in awe.She turned her smile on me, acting friendlier than she had the day before. “How’d you sleep?”“Not as well as usual, but good enough for the few hours I got,” I answered, scratching at my skin.Her eyes watched my movements. “Shifter jitters. I forgot about those. They’ll go away eventually.”Right, I thought.
My skin began to crawl, and not in the itchy way it had been before, but in the “my stomach was churning and something wasn’t right” way.“Pull over,” I told Atlas when we’d already passed the vehicle.“No,” he retorted.Fine. I didn’t need his permission before when I’d jumped out the window, and I didn’t need it now.Though I hadn’t considered that last time the jeep had been stopped before I’d leapt onto the road…I heard Amy’s shocked gasp and Atlas snarl my name, but there was nothing I could do once I’d committed to exiting the jeep one way or another.To my surprise, I didn’t fall into a heap of arms and legs, knocking the shit out of my body like I’d expected. I somehow managed to land gracefully on my feet, then kneeled quietly in the tall grass at the side of the road.Atlas hit the brakes, but I wasn’t paying attention to the jeep. No, my sights were set on the van still on the side of the road. I could faintly hear a child crying and two men arguing.“You fucking moron!” o
“What do we do with him now?” Amy asked, looking between me and Atlas.Since I wasn’t the professional kidnapper or killer here, I let him answer.“If he doesn’t know anything, we have to kill him,” he muttered with annoyance.Boris wailed beneath us. “Please, don’t. I swear I won’t tell anyone what happened here today. I’ll say I gave Mario the kid and went on my way.”With how easily Atlas had killed the other dude, I wasn’t sure he was in the “letting kidnappers go” kind of mood, but I previously hadn’t expected him to kiss me and stick his hand down my pants, either. Crazier things had happened in the last few days.Atlas picked the guy up from the ground and held him in the air with one hand. “You’re coming with us.”Boris’s muddy eyes widened. “Why? Just kill me now if you’re not going to let me go.”I scoffed. This asshole wanted mercy after he’d stolen a kid? Not fucking likely, but cool of him to think it was possible.“You’re going with us to Fire and Fluorite,” Atlas said.
I could see the boy giggling in Elena’s arms as she seemed to keep talking to him until he pointed up ahead.Amy turned down a street and he pointed again.Houses began popping up, and I saw a few curtains flutter, but nobody came out to see who was creeping through their neighborhood. Interesting.Thanks to not having a top on the jeep, I caught Silas frown at Elena, then shake his head. He must have gotten lost. Not surprising, considering he was maybe six years old.Elena looked back at me, and I could see the frustration in her eyes, but when she turned back to Sammy, she was smiling again as if everything was okay.How could anyone have thought this woman would pass for a murdering witch? That had been Jacob’s first mistake. His second had been trying to trick me into doing his dirty work.I glanced back at the guy I had tied to the metal floor of the van. “Where did you take the kid from?”“I’ll tell you if you promise to kill me quickly,” he pleaded, snot and tears covering his
She didn’t answer right away, a crease deepening between her brows. “I don’t know.”I didn’t continue with any other questions.Jack’s men didn’t need to know anything more about us than they had to. All that mattered was that they were offering us refuge in a House that was as volatile as a homemade bomb.For now, that was good enough.ElenaWe were taken to a small house with dark-green siding and cream trim. There was a small porch out front that looked like a nice place to relax until I noticed the scorch marks and bullet holes in the chairs that were sitting next to the door.Right. We were in somewhat of a warzone. Just because we’d made it inside Fire and Fluorite safely didn’t mean that we would stay that way.More importantly, something within me was off. I was freaking out at first, but the longer we were within the House, the more the stirring inside me seemed familiar.I had no idea why since I’d been trapped at my coven for nearly three decades, never even venturing throug
I choked on a laugh. “If you’ve done something? I thought I’d done something. You weren’t around much yesterday when I expected you to be, and I don’t know. I just… Well, I’ve never had a friend, so I don’t know. Just ignore me. It’s dumb.”Her bright eyes stared directly into mine, and she glared. “Elena. Don’t you ever say your feelings are dumb. I won’t tolerate that kind of bullshit. Not in our friendship. Even if you’re not seeing the situation fully, what you feel matters. You matter. Never be afraid to speak your piece. That’s the only way to build a true friendship. Something I hope you and I will have one day.”Emotions burned at the back of my throat. “Seriously? I thought you were only here because you felt like you had to be and that you’d probably be gone just as soon as your obligations from the visions were met.”She waved a flippant hand. “Hell no. Not unless I need to be for reasons beyond my control. I haven’t had a vision in years. Learning about you in the weird wa
“If the horrible moment is something you need me to help you get revenge for, just know, I have no boundaries when it comes to giving people their comeuppance.”The laugh that bubbled out of me felt so freeing. Like shedding a layer of my prior life and finding something new and exciting that offered a bright spot in my future.It was…unexpected, yet something I wouldn’t soon forget.“Thank you,” I said. “I don’t think that will be necessary, but I’ll keep your offer in mind.”She closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch. Her eyelids fluttered, and she took several breaths, then sat straight up. “I need to go.”“What? Why?” Panic rose as I glanced back at the door.Sure, I could kick some serious ass in hand-to-hand combat, but being alone in a house owned by a bunch of wolf shifters who looked like they murdered people for breakfast didn’t seem all that appealing.“Atlas is almost back,” Amy answered as she got up and tightened her ponytail. “I promise, you’ll be okay. I wou