Page 33 of Alice and Her Shifters (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 2)

“You’re quite limber for a man of your size and age,” I said. “What’s your secret?”

“Humor isn’t going to save you from your fate,” he snapped.

“Blah, blah, blah…” I said and shot out three balls this time. Though the man managed to escape the blast from the first two, the third landed square in his chest, sending him through the air. He crashed against a tree and fell to the ground with a grunt. The tree groaned and skirted a few feet away from him.

He stood from the ground and leveled his raging gaze on me. “You’re going to regret that.”

Before I could come up with a clever quip, he started to… change… in front of me. His skin stretched and tore, revealing black fur. His arms and legs bent at an unnatural angle as he fell onto all fours. His groans turned into growls, and I took a cautious step back as I watched the man turn from a human into a large black wolf.

Once his change was complete, he shook his body, fluffing out his fur. He snapped at me, and saliva dripped from his sharp fangs.

I sucked in a terrifying gasp as he launched forward, heading straight for me. I dodged out of the way and launched another fireball where I had stood seconds before. I missed. Aggravatingly.

“Oh, come on!” I shouted.

The black wolf howled. The eerie sound forced tiny bumps to prickle all over my skin. My heart hammered in my chest. My breaths quickened.

If I somehow made it through this, I was going to have a serious talk about shifters and how to kill them.

Growls erupted from all around me. I worried the general had just called for backup and it had somehow arrived instantly. I strained my eyes, staring into the shadows of the trees, searching for any sign of more creatures coming after me. I slowly stood from the ground as Aidan, Calvin, and Milo emerged from within the trees. They formed a barrier between me and the black wolf who was now massively outnumbered.

The general growled at the men and snapped at the air in a warning. If he was worried, he didn’t show an ounce of it. My men launched for the general. I watched in awe and concern as the four beasts battled it out in front of me. I worried the men were going to get hurt.

I wasn’t sure I could handle watching them kill themselves in order to protect me, but I also couldn’t bear to pull my eyes from the scene either. It was devastating, chaotic, and deadly.

Though I didn’t believe the men belonged to me, I still felt concerned for their safety. The general was clearly stronger than he seemed, and I worried it would take more than the three men who I’ve come to adore to take down the general.

I had to help. I needed to end the fight before one of the men got hurt. I held up my hand, ready to blast the black wolf into oblivion, but the fight was too all over the place. I didn’t want to risk hitting Aidan, Calvin, or Milo.

With no other choice, I had to stand back and wait for them to take care of the general. Or die trying, which was what the fight seemed like it was heading to. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat that the thought caused and was struck by how so much had changed so quickly.

I couldn’t let the men die. Not for me.

I stepped forward with a fireball ready to throw at the black wolf. Once I was close enough, I launched the flames into the creature’s body. The smell of burnt hair filled my nostrils as the wolf switched his attention to me. He lashed out at me with his snout, catching my arm. I collapsed on the ground, clutching the gashes, blinded by the pain that ricocheted through me.

A yelp echoed through the air just before silence fell. Arms surrounded me and lifted me up. I was wrapped in warmth. Unconsciousness floated over me.

14

CALVIN

I held her as close to me as I could. Close enough, I could feel her breathing. And so long as she was breathing, she was okay. At least, she was going to be okay.

“How bad is she?” Milo asked.

“Hard to tell,” I said, “but the wound smells horrible.”

“Bad enough we need to find a place to camp for the night?” Milo asked.

“Risky,” Aidan said.

I clenched my jaws as I searched the woods around us for signs of more trouble. The fact that the general came on his own was nerve-racking enough. There could be any number of possible traps waiting for us within the shadows. Waiting to finish Allison off. But we had no choice, with the way the wound stank, Allison was in for a world of hurt. If we didn’t take her somewhere soon so I could clean the wound, she might be lost to us.

I nodded and met Aidan’s gaze. “Yes, but if we don’t address her wounds now, she might die. The risk to her health is too great. We can’t lose her now.”

“You’re right,” Milo said. “Let’s find a place to camp.”

I nodded. “Lead the way.”

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