Page 49 of Shifting Fate
I snorted out a laugh. “When did you get so cocky?”
Rhine cleared his throat from behind us. “I think you owe us an explanation, now, don’t you?”
Shit. I grimaced. “Okay, so, we were at the club—”
Rhine’s lip twitched, a glimmer of a smile. “I wasn’t talking to you, Dallon.”
“Oh, thank god.” I leaned against Gage with a groan. To my surprise, he didn’t move to uncoil his arms from around me or try to push me off his lap. He was deadly quiet, and I realized that he was intent on the witch who’d just saved my life.
The man offered a small bow of his head. “I apologize,” he began. “But it truly was a matter of life and death. I’ll explain everything. You have my word.”
“Um, guys?” Remy popped his head out the door, sounding downright worried. “You might wanna come see this.” Waving for us to follow, he hurried back down the hall, leaving the door standing wide open. Rhine stalked after him, with Rory hot on his heels.
Gage grunted and hoisted me to my feet. “Alright?” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t you go dying on me, man. C’mon.” He paused to level the witch with a look, his bushy brows knitted together. “You too. I have the bad feeling you two’re involved in whatever’s got Remy so upset.”
The silver-haired witch and I exchanged a glance.
We followed them into the pack-house to find everyone gathered around the kitchen table. The television was on, the volume turned up as frantic reporters—humanreporters—began describing what had just happened back in Northpoint.
My stomach dropped to the very depths of my gut as a video of me and Arias fighting the Dreadwolf was played live, for the entire world to see…as well as the moment where I’d shifted back to human.
Fuck me.
The camera panned to a puffy-eyed young woman in a red dress. Her dark hair was tangled around her face and her eyes darted from side to side nervously. The reporter leaned in with the microphone, offering her a sympathetic smile.
“Miss? Can you tell us what you saw?”
“I… Um, sorry. I-I’m still pretty shaken up,” she admitted.
“Just start from the beginning, sweetie. It’s okay.”
She took a deep breath. “I was dancing at the club with some friends. Girls night out, right?” Her laugh was nearly hysterical. “I came out to get some fresh air, light up a smoke, you know? There were a couple’a guys in the car beside mine, making out, but I wasn’t paying them no attention. All of a sudden, I hear screaming and people are running and I was like, what the hell? And then this beast…”
She swallowed. “It came out of nowhere and it was, it washuge, like, huge-huge and I could tell it wanted to eat me. I screamed and tripped and I thought, ‘This is it, this is how I die,’ and then, all of a sudden, this wolf comes running across the lot and flat-out attacks the monster and it was just… I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I feel like that wolf was trying to save me? I don’t even know.”
“Did you see it shape-shift?” the reported asked, more insistent now.
“What?” Her eyes about bugged out of her head. “It shape-shifted? I-I don’t think I saw that. I just wanted to get out of there. Jesus.”
The reporter thanked her and she shuffled away, kind of zombie-like. I couldn’t say that I blamed her. If I was a human and so painfully unaware of the paranormal, a giant mutant wolf would probably make me shit my damn pants. Followed by some hard liquor so I could pass out and pretend it wasn’t real.
But itwasreal, and once the news spread? Shit. I hissed under my breath when Rhine turned around to stare at us expectantly. I really didn’t need a lecture right now. I felt shitty enough as it was. I could’ve died tonight. Arias almost did.
I held up my hand. “I know, I know. I fucked up. I get it.”
“There was nothing they could’ve done to avoid the situation,” the witch said. “I’ve been tracking that particular…troupe, if you will, the Dreadwolf and its handlers, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that beast attacked those humans on purpose.”
He scowled and scratched at his chin, which looked like it hadn’t seen a razor in a couple of weeks. Now that my life wasn’t on the line, I could study the man who’d saved our bacon.
He was tall, but slim and leggy, though I couldn’t quite pin down his age. Mid-forties? He didn’t look like he had much muscle on him, but he didn’t really need it with powers like that. His silver-blond hair was worn short and I got the distinct feeling that he was usually a little more clean-cut than this.
“How long have you been following them?” Sawyer asked, his eyes narrowing sharply on the witch. “Or rather, why?”
“Shouldn’t we at least ask his name, first?” Remy touched his mate’s shoulder, but Sawyer jerked out of his reach. I saw the hurt cross my friend’s face right before Sawyer strode over to us.
“Answer my question, witchblood.”
The witch met Sawyer’s gaze unflinchingly. A smile tilted up the very corners of his lips, but it was tired. “Long enough to know that they were following orders,” he said, matter-of-fact. “Which proves my theory correct. Liora Fleur’s magic has gone awry. It’s been twisted, somehow, corrupted and blackened with hatred and fear, but I can still feel her light in my heart. It calls to me, even now. ”
