AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Finn grinned. “He’s delightfully growly, Catalina. Not your usual cup of tea.”
“He’s not my cup of anything, Finn. Now, can you help us or not? Keep in mind that if you lie to me, my sisters and I will make patrolling The Thorny Rose a particularly expensive proposition for you.”
“All right, all right. I’ve heard whispers, mostly. There’s been talk of a powerful shapeshifter climbing the ranks. It’s playing both sides—human and fae. Whoever it is, it’s been careful. No one knows its true identity, but it’s been making deals, stirring up trouble. Word is, it’s working for something… bigger.”
Riker narrowed his eyes. “Bigger? What does that mean?”
O’Riley shrugged again, though there was a tightness in his jaw that hadn’t been there before. “Your guess is as good as mine. But whatever’s happening, it’s not just some small-time power grab. There’s more at stake.”
Before Riker could press further, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped, and a sharp gust of wind blew through the club, scattering papers and rattling glasses. The lights flickered, and Riker’s hand instinctively went to his gun. He turned, scanning the room for the source of the disturbance.
A moment later, the front doors burst open, and a group of cloaked figures stormed inside, their hands crackling with dark energy. Riker cursed under his breath, drawing his weapon as the first blast of magic shot across the room, shattering the bar behind O’Riley.
“Get down!” Catalina shouted, her wings unfurling as she threw up a shield of shimmering violet light, deflecting another blast of magic aimed at the patrons.
The club erupted into chaos. Chairs and tables were overturned as people scrambled for cover, and the cloaked figures continued to hurl dark magic, their attacks aimed not just at the building, but at everyone inside.
Riker fired off a shot, but the bullet ricocheted off one of the magical barriers the attackers had thrown up. He ducked behind a table, swearing under his breath. Bullets weren’t going to cut it against magic this strong.
“Detective, we need to get these people out of here!” Catalina called; her hands glowing as she sent a bolt of lightning streaking toward one of the attackers. The blast hit its mark, sending the cloaked figure flying into a wall, but more kept coming.
Riker gritted his teeth and nodded. He didn’t like relying on magic, but right now, it was the only thing keeping them alive. He shifted into his bear form, the transformation fast and brutal as a dark, swirling mist shrouded his body as it reshaped and expanded into the massive form of a prehistoric, short-faced bear.
In his bear form, Riker charged through the chaos, his hulking frame knocking over tables and scattering the cloaked attackers as he made his way to a group of civilians huddled near the back of the club.
His roar echoed through the room as he swiped at one of the attackers, knocking them to the ground with a single blow. The civilians scrambled to their feet, and Riker herded them toward the nearest exit, making sure they stayed low as they fled the building.
Another blast of dark energy shot toward him, but before it could connect, Catalina appeared at his side, her hands glowingwith lightning. She threw out another shield, deflecting the magic just in time.
“I’ve got your back!” she shouted, her wings flaring as she sent another surge of electricity toward the attackers.
Riker didn’t have time to respond. He could feel the weight of her magic in the air, crackling with power, but he was focused on getting the civilians out. Together, they fought their way through the club, Catalina’s magic and Riker’s brute strength creating an effective combination that tore through the attackers.
He barreled through the room, swiping at another cloaked figure before catching sight of one of the patrons cowering beneath a table. Riker roared again, once more surrounded by the mist that concealed his transformation as he shifted back to a human, shifting just long enough to pull the man out from under the debris.
“Get moving!” he growled, shoving the man toward the exit.
By the time the last of the civilians had escaped, the remaining attackers were either down or retreating, their dark magic flickering out as they fled into the daylight. The air in the club was thick with the smell of burnt wood and magic, and the once-vibrant interior was now a mess of overturned furniture and shattered glass.
Catalina lowered her hands, her breathing heavy but steady. “That was… unexpected,” she said, her voice edged with both adrenaline and relief.
Riker stood in the middle of the wreckage, his body aching from the fight. He was alive. They both were, but he was naked.
Catalina muttered a quick spell and restored his clothes.
Riker nodded. “You might be handy to keep around,” he said, admiring the leather jacket she’d conjured for him. “I’ll grant you, you saved lives, and you had my back. That’s something.
“You’re welcome,” Catalina laughed, giving him a sideways glance, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. “And you’re not so bad yourself, Detective—not to mention lovely eye candy.”
She wasn’t absolutely sure, with the permanent three-day stubble and ruddy complexion, but it almost looked like Riker blushed. He didn’t say anything, just nodded. For the first time since they’d started working together, she felt as though he might have a sliver of respect for her. She wasn’t sure she liked how that made her feel. Maybe he didn’t trust magic, but she’d proved herself in the fight. And in a city where magic and danger lurked around every corner, he might be coming around to the idea that he couldn’t do this alone. And for what it was worth, she was beginning to believe the same.
“We’re not done,” Riker said, his voice firm. “This shapeshifter is still out there, and the demons are still pulling the strings.”
Catalina nodded; her expression serious. “I know. And we’re going to stop them.”
As they stood there, side by side in the wreckage of the Thorny Rose, Riker couldn’t shake the feeling that they were standing on a precipice of something new. The city was on the brink, and if they didn’t find a way to stop the rising tide of dark magic, everything they knew could be destroyed.
But for now, they had survived. And that, at least, was something.
