Page 121 of Dream Weaver

The ax inched back, away from me. Then, with a mental shove, I sent it flying backward. The man toppled back, releasing it, and it clanged to the floor.

Liselle screamed. Jay yelled. Cooper roared. Ax man grimaced, pulled out a gun, and aimed it at me.

I scuttled backward, but there was nowhere to go.

Bang!He shot. Once. Twice.

I threw out my hands, terrified. But bullets didn’t pierce my body, and no blood flowed.

Ping! Ping! Ping!

The gunman ducked as bullets ricocheted off the cement floors. One of the cougars fell away from Cooper with a yelp. A dark stain spread across the floor. Blood?

A moment later, Cooper heaved the second cougar across the room. It struck an anvil and crumpled to the floor.

Outside, the fire diminished, along with Liselle’s anguished cries. Inside, the roar of metal calmed to a hum. The magic was ebbing away, seeping back into the earth.

But the gunman facing me didn’t need to know that. I walked toward him, looking as menacing as I could.

“Drop the gun and get out of here before I put a chisel through your heart,” I snarled.

It was a bluff, of course. I might be able to deflect metal with a magical force field pulsing all around me, but I sure wasn’t going to try to maneuver pieces through the air like a ghost.

“I said, drop it!”

The gun clattered to the floor, and the guy ran for the door.

I hurried over to grab the gun, but I wasn’t the only one. I lunged, grabbing the weapon first, then whirled around.

“Don’t shoot!” Jay raised his arms in surrender.

My hands shook. If Jay had gotten the gun before me, would he have pulled the trigger?

Yes, I decided. If not at me, then at Cooper.

A car roared away from the street side of the shop, and I bid the hammer-thrower goodbye. Then I narrowed an eye over the gun barrel, aiming at Jay.

He backed up, hands up, eyes wide.

“Don’t shoot,” Jay begged. “And don’t — er, bite.”

Cooper lumbered up beside me with a long, low snarl.

I pointed Jay to the cougar stirring weakly on the floor — the one who’d been hit by the stray bullet.

“Get him, and get out of here.”

Jay frowned. Clearly, the second part of my order was fine with him. But why bother with the first part?

“I said, get him.”

Jay dragged the cougar outside by one paw. At a roar from Cooper, the remaining cougar dragged himself groggily in the same direction. Together, they stepped past the brazier, where a small fire burned.

“Flip it over.” I motioned with the gun. “Put out the fire.”

“Hell no. I’m not touching that!” Jay grunted.

I braced my feet and steadied the gun with both hands.

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