Page 2 of Cursed Magic

I ran into a muscled body that felt male. Its scent didn’t get stronger—it smelled faintly of shifter, and there was nothing else mixed in with the musk, which made it being one of our own the only option.

So why cloak its smell at all?

As I rammed the shadow into the wall, sharp claws dug into my back.

“I’ve got a hold of him, and he’s right against the wall,” I rasped, hoping that Gage could assist me.

The nails dug in deeper, and my back throbbed, but I didn’t let go.

Snarls came from behind me, and Ryker yelled, “Movenow.” Alpha will radiated from him in waves, and a few taps of Gage’s paws scratched the floor.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Gage hunker down to attack and Ryker run past Kendric and Xander.

That was enough distraction for the shadow to best me. As Gage leaped toward us, it kicked me in the stomach then elbowed me in the back. I dropped onto all fours just as Gage reached it.

“Watch—” I started to yell when the shadow grabbedGage by the throat and lifted him so that his paws dangled in midair.

Gage’s blue eyes bulged, and he swiped his front paws at the shadow.

Ryker shuffled forward, the knife still protruding from his side, and Xander rushed toward Gage.

The shadow moved, dragging Gage’s body as if they were dancing despite the gasping wolf trying to catch his breath. It used Gage as a shield while Xander tried to figure out where the shadow was actually located.

Ryker reached me, Kendric glued to his side. Ryker kneeled and touched my injured back. His palm eased some of my agony. “We’ve got to get you and Briar out of here.”

I shook my head, trying to ignore my throbbing back as I climbed to my feet. “You and Briar need to leave.” I understood that he wanted to protect me, but I had the urge to knock him unconscious and drag his ass out of here.

Ryker reached for my arm, but his injury and blood loss impacted his speed, so I was able to dodge and kick at the shadow’s legs once again. This time, it twisted so that I kicked Gage in the side, and his body swung, putting more pressure on his neck.

The shadow was anticipating my moves. I had to change my strategy.

I pretended to kick again, and the shadow moved so Gage was between us once more. Tapping into my speed, I rushed around Gage and punched the shadow in the side of its head.

My fist connected with bone, and the shadow’s head snapped to the side, allowing me to drop my arm and break its grip on Gage.

Gage crashed to the floor, chest heaving and tongue lolling out, trying to catchhis breath.

The shadow turned, and I assumed it was looking at me. It lunged within a second and whipped its hand toward my neck. I jumped back, my foot catching Ryker’s leg, causing me to stumble.

“Fucking Fate, Ember,” Ryker snarled, but I managed to catch my balance and surge toward the door of the cabin.

If I could lead it outside, then maybe the others would be safe. They might be able to get away like Briar and I had managed last time. Kendric, Gage, and Xander would be more willing to leave me behind to protect their alpha, especially since Ryker’s power was draining with the loss of blood, and I could alpha-will Briar to leave me.

I didn’t have a chance to feel sick about considering that because the shadow charged right at me, hand lifted, making its intentions known—it wanted to slash my throat.

It had an affinity for using its claws like I did for kicking during a fight, something we seemed to pick up about each other. Whoever I was fighting was smart—they must be from a strong pack.

I gritted my teeth, waiting till the last millisecond to make my move. Briar let out a bloodcurdling scream at the exact moment that I dropped to my knees. The shadow hadn’t anticipated that, probably because it wasn’t used to being even semi-visible to anyone, and its body slammed into mine.

I took the impact, doing a backward roll and landing on my feet. When they touched the floor, I raised my hands and stood straight up, throwing the shadow’s body off me. It flew over my head and into the wall behind me, next to the door.

A loud whistle pierced my ears, and I clapped my hands over them. It didn’t do much to drown out the noise.

The shadow stood and quickly moved to the door.

No. I couldn’t let it escape. This person had to die. It had hurt my pack, my friends, and Ryker. I wasdonenot fighting back.

Gritting my teeth, I snagged what felt like its shirt. I took a deep breath, realizing that this person had to have mastered the art of shifting better than anyone in my pack ever had, managing using only its claws while still dressed and in human form.

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