Page 107 of Ruthless Alpha Beast
“I see a large flower,” Danielle says. “But it’s not white.”
Jasper thinks about it.
“We don’t want to go around destroying every flower in sight. Can you each cast a spell to detect for magical qualities?”
The witches communicate through subtle whispers and nods around us, before Danielle agrees.
“Yes, we can. But if we detecttheflower, we’ll have to work quick. It’ll see us coming.”
“Sounds good,” Jasper agrees.
As we move forward, the witches carry a purple glow between each of their palms. The orbs are like the ones they carried at night, except that beneath the sunlight, these ones glitter and sparkle.
Every time we pass a flower, big or small, they’ll point the glow at it, momentarily covering it with a purple haze.
I’m not sure what they’re looking for, but after a few seconds, they shake their heads and move on.
“How are you feeling?” Jasper asks me.
“Fine,” I smile, looking around. “It’s such a beautiful day.”
The forest leaves swing back and forth, rustling with the wind. The light is shimmering yellow, tinging the forest with a majestic wonderland feel.
He laughs.
“What’s so funny?”
“You look like you’re on a tour or something. You’re the only one who seems to be so happy.”
I turn back and realize he’s right. No one else is smiling; they’re frowning. Concentrated.
“I’m just happy that we’re moving forward,” I admit. “But I can tone down the smiles if you want.”
He brushes my waist.
“I didn’t say all that.”
“I think I’ve found something!” One of the witches from the back of the group calls.
We turn, the air shifting, and notice that a flower hanging from a nearby branch is swirling in a purple glow.
“The glow is staying,” she says. “That means there’ssomethinghere.”
“Jade, look out!”
The skies open to reveal a familiar rippling darkness—smoky and heavy. That scream.
I know what it is, but I barely have time to register the shadow monster before it comes swooping down on top of Jade, and the group breaks out into a flurry of magic and chaos.
The witches stagger back as the purple glow begins to explode in their hands.
The flower is no longer purple.
Jasper puts a protective arm in front of me and orders two shifters to guard me.
Then two more shadow monsters peel out of the tree line, long and twisting, their red eyes honing in on our group.
“Stay steady!” Jasper commands, his voice hard and sharp.
