“Are you talking about the twenty-eight guys who were surrounding the house?” I answer helpfully. “Yeah, they are not coming.” I shrug, twirling my sword. “I dealt with them ages ago. Not bad for the Faes’ token shifter,” I say snidely. “You’ve got no backup. Do yourself a favour and get on your fucking knees and put your hands behind your head.” The remaining four shifters look at each other, then completely ignore me. They start pulling out weapons.
Hello, flaming sword here! I huff. Sometimes I wish I looked scarier. Aragon clears the wall and joins me—oh hello, handsome. He is partly shifted, with his wings, fifteen-inch silver claws, and an impressive set of chompers on full display.
“I am getting impatient!” Aragon warns with a low growl. Smoke escapes his mouth in an intimidating fashion. The four remaining shifters immediately drop to their knees and prostrate themselves in submission.
I growl and raise an eyebrow at my dragon. Aragon shrugs and gives me a wink.
I hit them all with potion balls. I keep a careful eye on Jason, who’s still standing—if you can call leaning against one of the cars and shaking like a leaf “standing.” His wide eyes are fixed on Aragon. Owen and Daniel are still fighting, but Owen looks like he has the upper hand and he’s just playing with Daniel.
Jason, seeing an opportunity, charges at me with desperation, a silver knife clutched in his hand. Aragon steps in front of me. His claws pierce Jason’s chest.
I peek around Aragon’s bulk and watch as the light leaves Jason’s eyes. “Rot in hell, you evil bastard.” I can’t help the smile of satisfaction. God, I’m getting to be a bad person. “I had him, Aragon,” I whine. “I could have done that myself.” Aragon shifts back to fully human and leans down and kisses me gently on my lips.
“Nutty, I didn’t want you to have to kill your old pack,” Aragon says earnestly.
Jason was never my pack. He was just the guard to my cell. Jason had it coming, and it was only a matter of time before I hunted him down. I wasn’t going to leave him alive after what he did to me. He would have always been a threat.
The black wolf that is Owen is standing over a prone wolf-Daniel. He has his jaws wrapped around Daniel’s throat. Daniel whimpers his surrender. Owen backs away and shifts. Daniel also shifts back into his naked human form. He stands, glaring at Owen. There’s a click of a car door opening, and Liz steps out of the car. Tears are running down her face.
She holds something in her right hand, cradling it between her breasts. Daniel has his back to her. Liz moves the object, and with a war cry, thrusts it into Daniel’s back.
I realise too late that it’s a silver blade. Liz has done what she does best: she has stabbed her supposed mate in the back. Liz pulls out the knife. Daniel makes a choking sound, and he turns to face Liz, a look of incredulity on his face.
“You can’t sell me if you’re dead, you bastard. I could have mated anybody, anybody! Yet I chose you. You with your deformed face! You lost power, money! Yet I stood by you. You couldn’t help yourself from going after that whore, and for what? The possibility of a daughter? You are an idiot!” She ends her rant with a scream. The knife that is still in her hand goes back into Daniel, into his chest. She impales him another three times, following him down as he falls to the ground. Daniel’s blood splatters across her face and neck.
The words poetic justice come to mind as I stand with my lips parted as Liz goes all-out slasher. Liz is also a victim of Daniel’s. No, not a victim—I shake my head at that thought—a survivor.
Owen and Mac wrestle with her, trying to get the knife from her hand without hurting her. I give Mac a wave. I didn’t know he’d arrived.
Madán strolls up, late to the party. Casually looking around, he raises an eyebrow at the manic woman. He gives me a smile and Aragon a nod.
“Status report, any casualties?” Madán asks.
“No casualties on our side, sir,” Owen replies, having won and gained control of the blood-covered Liz. “But three fatalities—” he glances at Daniel—“four fatalities, thirty-six captured, plus this lady.” Owen points his thumb at Liz.
“Good job. I will get them collected and handed over to the Hunters Guild for processing,” Madán says with a nod. “Oh, Forrest, I have had a transfer request—a shifter called Owen? He named you as a reference? I guess that will be you…” Madán says, lifting an eyebrow at Owen. I beam a smile at him and Owen. Nanny Hound!
“Oh my God, yes, he’s my friend! You’d be nuts not to take him. Please say you will? I am so excit—” I squeak in fright. Aragon picks me up and moves me away from a bloody hand that is stretching out towards me. Fuck me, that is some creepy shit. Daniel has managed to pull himself across the floor towards us, towards me.
A trail of blood follows behind him on the floor.
“You will always be mine. I’ve owned you since you were a child. I am your destiny, I made you.” Daniel holds out his hand, and on what must be his last breath, he says, “Little wolf…”
His hand drops.
We all gawk at the now-dead Daniel on the ground—although I am kind of waiting for that classic final horror moment where he jumps up and tries to kill me. I shiver. Aragon pulls me tighter to him.
I can hear Liz telling Owen and Mac, “I’m not a bad person. You do realise this is all due to pregnancy hormones. I had no idea what that man was up to. So that you know, I’ve got two young babies at home to look after—they need me. Plus one on the way. I am heavily pregnant, don’t you know.” I can’t help feeling sorry for her and I’m worried about her kids. What’s going to happen to her children?
“Why does that dog get away scot-free?” she whines. Honestly, she just can’t help herself.
“‘Dog’? If you are talking about Warrior Hesketh, the warrior is doing her job, protecting the innocent. Now shut up.” Mac growls, “The Hunters Guild will want to speak to you.”
Liz shrugs at the news. “I’m a pureblood shifter. The only place I will be going is to the next male. There’s a new law that will protect me. ‘Forrest’s law’…” I can’t help my rueful grin. The new law protects shifter women impartially, even if the woman is a horrible person. I have a feeling Liz is going to okay. I watch as Liz is bundled into the back of a car. Mac slaps an anti-magic band onto her wrist.
I really hope I don’t see her again.
Harry is crouching over Jason. Harry reaches down, and using two fingers, closes Jason’s eyes. He stands and makes his way towards us. He holds his hand out to Aragon to shake, and after a pause, Harry drops his hand. Aragon grunts. I don’t think Aragon likes Harry.
“May I?” Aragon narrows his eyes, then grudgingly nods. Harry pulls me into a hug. “Thank you for saving my life.” I huff. Harry runs his hand through his blond hair. I glance up at Aragon, and he is glaring at Harry as if he is contemplating ripping his head off.
“Harry, Harry, I need you!” wails Liz from inside the car, tapping the window with her nails. Harry gives me a small smile and scurries away. Bye then.
I take a moment to think, and I feel…lighter. Vindicated. Many of the imaginary boxes in my mind have disintegrated, the memories losing the power to hurt me.
Aragon leans down and kisses me on the top of the head.
Everybody clears out. Owen goes inside to get changed. Madán gives us a nod. “Statement tomorrow, Warrior Hesketh. I will sort out the paperwork for your friend. The sleeping and dead bodies scattered around will be dealt with,” he says as he leaves. Yay!
“Is it over?” I ask, leaning into Aragon’s warmth.
“Yes, Nutty, it is over.” He kisses my cheek.
“Can we go back to the glass house?” I like this little cottage, but I miss my first real home. I will also feel safer behind Aragon’s ward. I miss our runs, plus Owen needs somewhere to live, and he’ll love living in this cottage.
“Anything that you want, Nutty.”
“Oh, can we get cake?”
“We will always get cake,” Aragon answers.<
br />
THE END
Dear Reader,
First of all, I’d like to thank you for taking a chance on my book.
My very first book! I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, and if you have time, I would be very grateful if you could write a review.
Every review makes a huge difference to an author—especially me as a brand-new shiny one—and your review might help other readers discover my book. I would appreciate it so much, and it might help me keep writing.
Thanks a million!
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Love,
Brogan x
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brogan lives in Ireland with her husband and their eleven furry children: five furry minions of darkness (aka the cats), four hellhounds (the dogs), and two traditional unicorns (fat, hairy Irish cobs).
In 2019 she decided to embrace her craziness by writing about the imaginary people that live in her head. Her first love is her husband number-one favourite furry child Bob the cob, then reading. When not reading or writing, she can be found knee-deep in horse poo and fur while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.
www.broganthomas.com
Cursed Wolf: Urban Fantasy Shifter Stand-Alone (Creatures of the otherworld Book 1) Page 27
