Page 125 of The Queen's Blade

You are reading on AllFreeNovel.com
Font Size:

Page 125 of The Queen's Blade

Her breathing had steadied, and she’d relaxed against him enough that he was holding her up. For a moment, Brody thought this might be another failed attempt, but a rippling of her skin suddenly brought out her fur. She writhed out of his hands and curled her arms and legs inward as pain moved through her body, but he knew this was a different type of pain than she’d been feeling.

“That’s it,” he coaxed as a new fear took over her eyes. “Good job, Robin. Just keep going. You’re almost there.”

Her head rolled on her shoulders, and a moan escaped her lips. Her body distorted and changed. The marks on her skin left by the ropes were quickly covered in fur. She stretched and shrunk, and then she was the breathtaking wolf he’d seen before.

Brody quickly made the change himself. He instantly felt Robin’s presence in his mind, which comforted him deeply. He thought he sensed something else along with it for a moment, a glimmer of hope.Good. I knew you could do it. Now let’s get you out of here.

No.Robin turned away from him and toward the fight.I can’t just leave. It’s all my fault that this has happened.

It’s not.Brody circled around Robin to stand between her and the battle.You can’t take responsibility for this, Robin. It’s just something that happened, and you got caught up in it.

And me turning into a shifter was also just something that happened, something that wasn’t your fault,she was quick to point out, taking a step back so she could look him directly in the eyes.You didn’t have to take as much responsibility for it as you did, but you wanted to make sure you did everything you could to make it right. Are you really going to tell me I can’t do the same thing?

He saw the challenge in her eyes just before they ducked to the side to avoid a brilliant fireball. Brody scrambled back to his feet. One of the fireballs had reached the curtains over the window, and the flames were quickly licking up the dense fabric. The old, dry wood of the house was the perfect fodder for the fire. Some of the candles on the floor had fallen over, their red wax pooling on the old wood. Smoke accumulated near the tall ceiling. It was only a matter of time before they wouldn’t be able to see what they were doing. Brody knew they couldn’t stand around arguing about this.Fine. Let’s get all of us out of here, then.

They joined the fray. Joan was whipping brilliant blue orbs as fast as she could, sending them like pulsing laser blasts at Edith. Sweat was beaded on her brow, and her shoulders were beginning to hunch. She was getting tired.

Dawn had stepped up beside her mother to assist. With her wrists together and her palms spread wide, she sent a blast of energy toward Edith. It was one that couldn’t be seen, a hidden pulse that rippled through the air and couldn’t be detected by the enemy until it was felt. Edith, however, had seen it coming. With a flick of her fingers, she sent it flying back. Dawn reeled over backward, hitting the floor with a thump.

“What the hell is happening?” Watson screamed as he took another swat with the curtain rod, which sent Rex staggering back for a moment.

“You were dumb enough to bring a shifter in here!” Edith replied as more lightning flashed from her fingers. She was trying to fight off Lori, who’d lept at her from in between Joan and Dawn and had gone for her throat. “We had only gone for humans for a reason!”

“As if I knew shifters were a thing!” Pure terror contorted Watson’s face as he fought against Rex’s next advance. He glanced to the side and saw that his path to the door was clear while everyone was so busy fighting. He darted for it. “I’m getting the fuck out of here!”

“The hell you are!” Edith swung around toward him, her eyes ablaze and her dark hair sticking to her forehead as she sent Watson tumbling to the ground. One more yank of her arm, and he was dragged backward across the floor, returning to the same corner where he’d started.

Brody could feel the anger and fear brewing in Robin’s blood. He was shocked to see her race forward, leaping aside to avoid a candle as she barreled toward Watson. Her teeth gnashed the air, ready to get to him before he recovered his defenses.

Watson seemed to be running on panic and adrenaline. He recovered the curtain rod he’d used before and held it in front of him as Robin launched her first attack. It slammed her across the chest, but she stayed on her feet.

Brody was on her tail, not about to let her battle her first fight alone. There was little room for them to work and still avoid the flames and spells flying through the air. He felt the heat singeing the tips of his fur as he stepped up to fight at her side.

The two of them only had one training session together, yet it was clear that she’d retained everything he’d taught her. They darted in and back in unison, barely needing to communicate. If Watson went for one of them, the other attacked when he was occupied. Robin kept herself steady, prioritizing her balance and safety over her attacks. She was sure not to turn her back to Watson or give him any chance at her most vulnerable places.

Pride swelled through Brody’s chest. If they didn’t make it out of this alive, at least he’d know they died fighting together. The pull he’d felt for her had started when they’d first met, and it had only grown. Now, with both of them in their wolves and fighting for not just their own lives but those of their pack, he had no doubt the universe had put them together for a reason. She was his mate. He’d do whatever she needed so they could live that way at some point. If she wanted space and time to think, if she refused the mark, whatever. He’d spent too much time mulling over stupid things like that instead of just being with her. He could only hope that she felt the same intensity that rolled through him right now as his claws scraped the floor and he dove in for another strike.

Watson turned to defend himself from Brody. He still had the curtain rod in both hands, holding it out straight in front of him instead of swinging it around wildly. His movements were surprisingly quick as he warded off Brody’s attacks. Brody moved to his left to try from there, and when Watson turned toward him and away from Robin, it gave him an idea. Though he knew he couldn’t get through the man’s defenses this way, Brody took another step to the left and tried again. Then again.

Robin saw the opening before Brody could even send her his thoughts. With Watson turned away from her, he’d done exactly what she’d been trained not to do and left his side unguarded. With all of Watson’s attention on Brody, he didn’t see Robin as she lunged. Her teeth flashed in the bright light of the glowing fire just before they sank into his neck.

His soft skin made a slight pop as it was punctured. Watson dropped the rod. It thudded to the floor and rolled away as he careened to the side. His hand pushed and punched at Robin, but they were no match for her. Blood sprayed out over her fur. Her muzzle wrinkled as she bit down harder, clamping her jaws as Watson swung back and forth. His screams only came out as gurgles, choked with the blood that flooded his throat. His eyes widened and then dimmed before he slumped to the floor. Robin stepped back, blood dripping from her teeth.

There was no time to give her the accolades she deserved. Fire was consuming the room, and he felt his chest burning with every effort. Brody turned to the other half of the fight, looking for the right moment to dive in. Edith was strong, and she was determined. She screamed obscenities as she flung her powers left and right, sending blasts of energy bashing into the wolves that skirted her as Joan and Dawn continued their efforts. Brody could see their energy was fading, but he also saw the resolve on their faces.

Dawn dropped one hand, and for a moment, Brody thought she was about to give up. Instead, she rested it on her mother’s shoulder. He understood then, and so did Joan. As the wolves gathered around the witch to keep her attacks coming at them, Dawn and Joan pressed their hands together. Energy crackled through the air, and Brody’s fur stood on end as the power built. Their hands slowly separated, leaving an orb floating in the air between them. Fantastical colors swirled inside it, and it grew in size as their hands continued to separate. When it was ready, they flung it forward.

Edith turned just in time to see it coming at her, but it was too late. The orb crashed into her. She stumbled back, and the flame from a candle licked up the leg of her pants. She looked down and screamed. Another orb from Dawn and Joan sent her tumbling to the floor.

The flames crackled loudly, urging the Glenwoods to get out while they could, but they waited. Edith had been strong, and they couldn’t risk her coming after any of them again. Brody stepped closer, ready to jump in with the first bite as soon as she so much as twitched. Instead, he watched as her lips puckered and dried. Her cheeks sank in, and a wash of gray, then white, moved through her dark hair. The firm muscles of her body turned to drooping flesh. Brody would’ve guessed her to be in her thirties, but in a matter of seconds, she rapidly moved through decades of aging. The wolves hung back as she shriveled into little more than a skeleton covered in skin, and the light in her eyes dulled. Her remaining flesh peeled back and disappeared, leaving nothing more than bones. Her frame crackled and fell, merely dust as it hit the floor.

Rex’s thoughts reached out to the pack.I think it’s safe to say she won’t be coming back for a rematch. Let’s go.

With Joan and Dawn now in their wolf forms, the Glenwood pack flooded out into the hallways and down the stairs. The fire had spread and filled the house with smoke. Brody hadn’t noticed the heat during the fight, but it pressed on him now. They broke out into the fresh night air and off across the overgrown lawn.

When they reached the edge of the woods, Robin stopped and looked back. Brody paused alongside her. He, too, turned to see the thick column of blackness rising into the night sky. He could swear that smoke was far darker than it should’ve been. The fire reflected in her eyes as he turned back to her.Are you okay?

Her inner voice was calmer than he expected.I think I am. I didn’t know I was capable of that. He told me that they’d killed the other women, the ones found in the woods. I was still kind of scared and confused when he was telling me about it, but I think he’d been doing it for a long time.


Articles you may like