Page 39 of Hunted By Her Demon Wolves

She jumped back when the smallest of the three swiped at her. He was missing his nose and his lip was torn in half.

“Damon, stop!” she commanded, her voice pinging across the desert. Her heart ached at the thought of her gamma trying to harm her. Gammas were always the sweetest of the shifters, and here was hers trying to make her his next meal.

Damon stopped his advance and let out a whimper. Did this mean he recognized her? That she could find a way to get through to them?

“What are you doing, you fool?” Tigress hissed at her back.

“Helius, Drakkon, Damon,” she called to her mates, ignoring the she-cat. “Stop this.” She slapped her chest, tears stinging her eyes. “I’m your mate! Your mate!” she screamed shrilly when they circled her like hyenas on a fresh kill.

How was she supposed to fight them, knowing she could easily maim them or worse? Though they were monsters, they were still her mates.

They paused, their eyes shifting from red to black, their brows wrinkled in confusion. But then the wind shifted, and their smell of decay hit her hard. Their eyes turned red again, and they threw back their heads, howling before leaping toward her. She screamed, just as a strong wind blew them back. They hit the ground yelping, their bones cracking as they rolled across the sand like tumbleweeds.

“Cadmus,” she breathed as her mate came bounding toward her.

He jerked her against him. “Bennu, don’t you ever do that again!”

She gave her beta a challenging glare. “It’s Phoenix.” She held out a hand behind her, praying Tigress took it. “Hurry!”

When she felt the she-cat’s talons dig into her palm, she teleported them to the top of the ridge. If she could, she would’ve brought them someplace further away, but she could only teleport to places she’d been to before. Her teleporting powers only extended a few miles, or else she would’ve tried to bring them to another dimension.

Cadmus hoisted her into his arms, Amarok’s claw poking out from one of his fists, and used his wind to push them forward. She looked over his shoulder at Tigress, who chased after them on all fours despite her back paw, which twisted at an odd angle.

“I need to heal her,” she said to Cadmus, but he grunted and refused to answer.

Sweat clung to his skin and dripped into his eyes, but he didn’t blink as he stared straight ahead, his eyes as hard as steel.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, placing a hand on his chest.

He grunted in response. Though he showed no emotion, she could feel the rapid beating of his heart. She rested her head on his shoulder, her hair blowing behind them as the wind carried them further and further away from her other fated mates—zombie wolves trapped by a curse that shattered their bones and pulverized her heart.

* * *

CADMUS CARRIED PHOENIXfor hours through the endless sea of sand. She clutched Amarok’s claw that Cadmus had returned to her, remembering the gray smoke while whispering “celari.” She prayed the masking spell worked, though she wasn’t sure who to pray to. The smell of mint filled her nostrils every time she murmured the spell, so she suspected it was working.

She was too worried, though, to care. Even if the spell protected them, even if they were able to save and find her mates, what then? She only had half of the crystal. The other half was either lost in the desert or with Gorgo. The only way to get it from the mage would be to go up against him. And if by some miracle they won, what then? Would they be able to fix the crystal?

So many questions with no answers, and yet she still didn’t regret defying Hecate. Her mates had been living miserable lives as lechers, their fate even worse than she could’ve imagined. The thought of them spending almost three thousand years this way twisted a blade in her chest. And if her plan to save them failed and they had to spend another three thousand years down here, at least they would spend it together.

They finally emerged at the base of an outcropping of white, jagged rocks that looked like broken crystal shards from a distance. Up close, though, the strong smell of brine permeated the air. Salt?

After Cadmus set her down and wiped sweat from his brow, he stared up at the rock face, letting out a low whistle.

She awkwardly stood behind him, wiping grime and sweat off her face as the uncomfortably warm wind whipped her hair into her mouth. She wasn’t sure what to do with her hands as she admired his toned, tattooed back with sweat dripping between his shoulder blades, beading in a sheen across his tight ass. He acted so casual while naked, as if clothes had never been invented. Even Daeva’s mates wore clothes, usually loose-fitting robes or pants, but still they acknowledged the need for them. Cadmus didn’t ask to borrow any of her clothes. She had shorts under her jeans that she’d gladly let him use, or he could’ve made use of the jacket she’d left behind.

She wasn’t sure if he was still angry with her for saving Tigress. He’d been too quiet while they traveled, though betas were usually the most reticent of the pack, always scenting the air and watching for threats. Whether or not he was still angry, at least he’d been considerate enough to carry her across the hot sand. He could’ve insisted they shift and run as wolves, though the thought of racing across Satan’s sweaty armpit with all that fur was less than appealing.

She cleared her throat, and he gave her a sideways glance. “Do you know where we’re going?”

“No,” he answered curtly before looking away.

Yeah, he was still mad. “What if it’s the wrong way?”

His laughter sounded forced. “Is there a right way?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

He leered at her as if she was a stranger. Then again, she was. “I’m letting instinct guide me. I suggest you do the same.”

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