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Finally the tiger growled and started toward me.
Bad choice, old chap, I thought.I have no choice now but to finish you.That didn't necessarily mean killing him, but it also might. I was open to whatever put him out of the game right now.
I stood my ground, hackles up, and growled a last warning.
Come on, bro, I will end you, I thought.
He growled in return. Apparently he had the same thought about me.
Only one of us can be right, and it's going to be me.
I waited until he was close enough, then leapt.
Mid-leap, something grabbed me out of the air.
Only then did I see another guard. She stood back in the shadows, in person form. Her hand was raised in front of her.
Hemitheos.
I knew there was a possibility one was present, but I assumed they'd all chosen to shift.
Fuck.
She raised her hand higher and I flew backward, into the cell we'd just escaped from. I hit the wall so hard it knocked the air and the wolf right out of me. I shifted back to person form and lay on the floor, my head spinning.
I staggered to my feet just as Kerina lifted up off the ground. She too was flung backward. I threw out my arm and managed to stop her from crunching hard against the wall. The impact knocked us both back.
I hit the wall again and cried out in pain as my bare skin was grazed on the uneven stone.
"Fuck," I gasped.
Devlin and Dex were next, one after the other. Instead of throwing them, the hemitheos slid them across the floor like they were on ice.
Dex, four legs spread out for balance, growled, but no matter how he fought, he was moved about like a chess piece.
Devlin threw back his head and howled so loud I clapped my hands over my ears.
The ground seemed to shake under my feet, but that might have been me trembling with anger.
In a matter of moments, one hemitheos had tossed us around like rag dolls, and we, who should be the power in the Vault, were powerless.
I didn't handle humiliation well, and this was a resounding defeat. In that moment, I understood why the Covener wanted Viva gone from the Witches' Council. Why the witches exiled her and people like her. This power was—dangerous. Unrivalled. She could kill us all and not raise a sweat. Not even blink.
For the first time in my life, I felt something I've never felt before.
True, genuine fear.
21
Viva
I pretended notto listen as Seth and Gwendolyn spoke to their co-conspirators.
Most of what they discussed was as boring as fuck. The logistics of bringing in food if suppliers were loyal to the Alpha.
Honestly, I doubted farmers would care who paid them, as long as they were paid. Apparently access to the Vault's coffers was an issue, but one of Seth's advisors had a plan.
I admit I hadn't given coups much thought, much less the governance of the place afterward. Evidently Seth had. And Gwendolyn had experience from the sidelines. She mentioned giving Seth access to funds, but seemed reluctant to do so.
