Page 121 of Shifter Situations

Sunday, June 7th

Morning

Sloane had been gone for all of thirty minutes when she called us outside. Her mental voice was somehow urgent and filled with humor, and that worried me.

Vaughn and I lurched off the bed, bolting for the bedroom door. Novak rushed into the hallway at the same time, his hair a wet mess atop his head as he straightened his shirt.

Palmer followed behind Briggs and Stone, the three of them already through the front door by the time we made it out of the hallway.

Outside was just... bedlam.

There was no other word for the scene that greeted us.

The biggest panther I’d ever seen prowled in front of my mate and Hyland. The little succubus slung her arms in the air, careless to the potential danger. My stomach bottomed out as it bared its teeth.

Blaire was sitting on the steps of her cabin’s porch, observing the chaos without a care in the world. Baylor and Grim sat beside her with Jack standing a few feet away. He was near hysterics as he bit at his fisted hand.

One man stood across the yard, his eyes wide as he tracked the panther. Three more shadowed figures moved within the trees, their footsteps echoing around us.

Sloane massaged her temples with both hands.

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then the panther loosed a violent purr, whipping its head from the three approaching figures to Briggs. He cautiously stepped forward, drawing the shifter’s attention to him.

“Ripley?”

He motioned for the panther to come to him. She huffed, still standing too close to our mate.

Vaughn pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing as he asked, “What the fuck is happening out here?”

Sloane snorted as Dolyn Drake came into view. The incubus was flanked by the men we met yesterday. The skinwalker, Ozlo, and the djinn, Tiago. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the man across the yard was the necromancer, Arwen.

Dolyn opened his mouth to speak, and Sloane raised her hand.

“No. Do not start. Wait your turn. Stay the fuck over there.”

“Gods, Lo. We came to apolo—”

“No,” she repeated, cutting him off as she turned to Palmer. “Mute him, please.”

Jack cackled as she returned her fingertips to her temples, and she mumbled, “Mute that asshole too. He’s not going to be any help.”

“Don’t you—” Dolyn started, his mouth moving but no more sound coming out.

Palmer shrugged, chuckling as they fumed at him.

“This is childish, Hyland,” Arwen commented. “We could have talked about this like adults.”

I couldn’t recall a time when I’d seen Hyde as angry as she currently was.

She lunged at the male, and I cringed at the amount of the damage she could do to him. Her succubus powers were impressive, but from what I’d heard, her basilisk was mean.

Novak flashed forward to catch her, wrapping his arm around her waist. She screamed and thrashed, fighting against the vampire’s hold as she attempted to pry his hand away from her midsection. Hyde’s head bounced when he readjusted his grip.

“Palmer?” Sloane prompted, grimacing with her request. “Would you mute them all, please?”

Silence descended upon the yard, several glares cast in Palmer’s direction. He pointed to our mate, a smirk firmly in place on his face.

The mage gave zero fucks about pissing them off, though.