Page 83 of Howling
It’s all I can do not to tackle the cunt to the ground…you know, if I could move fucking faster than a damn snail! The other guys appear to be in a similar situation, fury and menace darkening their expressions.
Almost as fast as the magic rose, it falls. Any resistance in the air vanishes. The momentum sends us shooting forward like we’re being launched out of a cannon. Even as I scramble to slow my mad dash, it’s too late, and I plow into both women.
I instinctively wrap my arms around Frankie, catching her close to my chest and sweeping her off her feet. I almost regain my balance…until the other three idiots slam into me from behind.
The witch is knocked aside, but none of us spare her a glance, each of us focused on protecting Frankie. Garth does a hero move and wraps himself around us both as we tumble to the ground. We barely crash to the floor before Dante does his best to catch himself on his arms above us in a plank move, which somehow trips Bellamy, and we all let out a grunt as we land in a pile of arms and legs. I’m breathing hard, my face inches away from Frankie’s, and I survey her expression for any sign of distress.
She appears a little befuddled, blinking at me owlishly, like she’s not sure how we became the middle of a human sandwich. While I know I should release her, that we aren’t safe, nothing else matters now that she’s in my arms.
The guys grunt and curse as they untangle themselves, but none of us move far, unwilling to release her now that we have our hands on her. Her soft skin is distracting, and I cringe when I realize that I’m basically petting her, but I can’t seem to stop.
With each stroke, the hairs on the back of my arms lift from the residual static.
Garth remains on the ground, the fucker looping his arms around Frankie until she’s sitting in his lap. Since her legs rest across my thighs, I don’t complain. Dante is on his knees and somehow captured her hand, while Bellamy is half crouched on one knee behind her.
A furrow appears between his brows, then he leans forward and sniffs her hair.
I doubt he’s even aware that he’s doing it.
It’s the look on his face afterward that speaks to my soul—confusion…then complete and utter fascination, like he didn’t know such a creature existed or what to do with her.
I would almost feel sorry for the sap if I weren’t in the same boat.
She’s like some exotic species that should be worshipped, but she also feels like she’s a bomb seconds away from detonating. You don’t know if you should hug her tight or run for your life.
I fucking love the unpredictability of it.
I’m distracted when shadows move in the darkness. Every muscle in my body stiffens, preparing for an attack. The witch emerges with a limp, but her appearance does nothing to ease the tension threading through my body. The rest of the guys growl in warning, and we all press closer to Frankie, prepared to leap at the bitch and rip her apart if she so much as blinks wrong.
The only thing stopping us from massacring her is Frankie’s touch.
The witch is smart. She immediately halts in her tracks, eyeing us warily, and doesn’t attempt to approach. “Are you okay?”
Frankie slowly relaxes into us and releases a deep sigh. “Yeah. I feel…” She rolls her shoulders, wiggles her arms, but none of us assholes budge, content when she doesn’t try to crawl from the confines of our little circle, where she is fucking safe.
“Good,” she finally finishes, seeming surprised by her own answer.
Good is…good.
My fox eases back only a fraction, still not liking the witch so close.
My beast is frustrated that we can’t just kill her. Restraint is not in his vocabulary. The only thing holding him back is worry about how Frankie would react. I should be shocked, but my beast will do nothing that might scare her away.
“The magic wreaking havoc inside me is gone.” Frankie tilts her head to the side like she’s listening to something.
I narrow my gaze on the witch as I watch her bruises slowly fade, her injuries heal, and her body fills out slightly. It’s like watching a time-lapse video.
“You drained her magic to heal yourself,” I accuse, my fox bristling with the thought of her taking anything from Frankie.
“Of course.” The witch doesn’t even bother to deny it. What’s worse, she doesn’t look guilty. “Do you know what happens to raw magic if it’s released without a spell to contain it?”
I didn’t fucking care.
She. Took. Frankie’s. Magic.
I don’t need further confirmation.
Just as I tense to launch myself at the bitch, Frankie reaches forward and catches my wrist. It might as well be a shackle. I freeze, unable to break away.
