AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He gave me an appraising look before erupting into a giant wolf with griffin wings. His eyes burned with malice as he faced his opponent.
I quickly backed away.
Monster Kane loomed over the wolf. With a few ferocious snarls and gnashing of teeth, Invidia gave it her best effort, but she was no match for this frightening version of the prince of hell. His massive maw opened, and he roared directly in her face, shutting down any thoughts of a she-wolf win.
Her jaws snapped shut. Lowering her head, she started to inch backward where I was ready and waiting for her. I touched her lower back and inundated her mind with red light. The wolf’s body relaxed.
Kane gazed at the wolf in awe. “What did you do to her?” he asked in a slightly raspy voice. His monster voice lacked the polish of his usual one.
“I showed her red light, which increases the production of melatonin to help her sleep. She’s probably been stressed and unable to rest.” I looked at him. “Now you know who to call the next time you can’t sleep.”
“If you showed up at my bedside, I don’t think either of us would get any sleep.”
More mixed signals. Terrific. Life was challenging enough; I didn’t need the confusion.
“Take her to my house,” I said, feeling a strong need to distance myself from him. “I’ll keep tracking the others.”
Monster Kane slung the wolf over his shoulder and carried her away.
I stepped gingerly through the forest, searching for more tracks and trying very hard not to think about a certain demon whose title rhymed with ‘mince of smell.’
I was never so grateful to hear a lion’s roar.
I followed the sound, running deeper into the woods to find that Gun and his group had the lion surrounded on a boulder.
“No wonder he sounds unhappy,” I said. “Good work, team.”
Gun held up a finger. “Nobody feel proud about our accomplishment. I don’t want to hunt for pieces of you in the snow.” He observed the nature mage. “What’s your plan, Peter Pan?”
Brody pulled a vine from a nearby tree and fashioned a whip. He snapped it against the boulder.
Gun stared at the whip. “Did you just make that with your hands?”
“Indeed, I did.” Brody lashed the whip at the lion, who roared in defiance.
Gun’s eyes widened. “We have a guild you might be interested in, good sir.”
“Membership is capped,” Cam reminded him.
“If I’ve learned anything as a very attractive mage with excellent fashion sense and a jawline that could cut glass, there are exceptions to every rule.”
“Can we focus on the task at hand?” I said, waving a hand at the lion.
“Not to worry,” Brody said. He lashed the whip again, cutting short the lion’s roar. “I’ve got everything undercontrol.” Slowly he approached the lion, speaking softly to the animal.
The lion seemed to respond to the nature mage. He dropped to his stomach and yawned.
“I’m feeling woefully inadequate right now, and that doesn’t happen often,” Gun said.
“Can you transport the lion to my house?” I asked. “Kane is there with the wolf.”
“We’ll do it,” Bert said. “Then I can cross ‘carried a lion’ off my bucket list.”
“You should have a magic user with you,” I said.
Camryn raised her hand. “I’ll go. My feet are numb.”
Gun glanced at her shoes. “Because you wore riding boots. I mean, they look fabulous, but they aren’t very practical in the snow.”
