She shredded its throat, her head shaking rapidly to pull chunks of desiccated flesh from its bones. She sank her claws into its chest, digging through until she hit bone. She wrenched her head up, pulling out a huge chunk of larynx and esophagus.
The wither wheezed but continued to fight, sliding its claws vertically to slash along her midsection. Holding back her cries, she dug in once more. Perhaps if she completely removed the head, the wither would fucking die, and this would end.
Blood poured from her onto the wither, making her dizzy. The wither practically writhed in ecstasy as her anima bled from her with her bodily fluids, feeding it in more ways than one. Damn it! If the fucking thing healed, she’d be dead, and so would Ian and Jonah.
Jonah. His power still was in her, but she couldn’t use it the way he could.
But she could use it the way she could.
Carol used Jonah’s gift to sharpen her teeth and claws and enhance her strength. With her newfound muscle, she snapped the wither’s rib cage, giving her access to a strangely beating heart.
“Rip out the heart!”
Without hesitation, Carol obeyed Jonah’s order. She released its neck and ignored the renewed struggle the wither gave her, snapping her jaws shut on the wither’s heart. She pulled it out, its arteries and veins snapping like old rubber bands.
The wither collapsed, a marionette with its strings broken. It’s body slowly dissipated, disappearing into a noxious mist.
It had been banished, hopefully for a good long while. Withers might not die on Terra Mundus, but they could be grievously injured. It would take some time for it to heal.
Carol jogged over to Jonah, her tail wagging a mile a minute. She was still in pain, still bleeding, but so proud of herself she wanted to show off before she passed out.
Jonah smiled weakly. “Good girl. Now see if you can help Ian.”
She turned to find Ian being strangled by an enraged Dean Anthony. The man was roaring words that made no sense to her but must have for Jonah, because he widened his eyes in fear.
That was enough for her. She crouched low before springing, biting Dean Anthony right through the meaty part of his ass. With her sharpened teeth, she almost took the whole cheek off.
Dean Anthony screamed, releasing Ian to bat fruitlessly at her. Ian, coughing furiously, bent over, picking up his gun. He leveled it shakily at the dean. “You’re under arrest, asshole.”
Carol growled around the piece of meat in her mouth. If either Jonah or Ian made cracks about rump roast, she was gonna skin them.
Cops flooded the room, their guns drawn, all of them pointing directly at Dean Anthony. Fucking cavalry had finally arrived.
“Jesus, what took you guys so long?” Ian huffed, lowering his hand and leaning back against the wall.
“Um, could you get your dog to let the bad guy go?” One of the uniforms gestured toward Carol.
Carol snarled. She wasn’t so sure she wanted to let go. The man needed to die.
“Carol.” Jonah’s voice, weak but steady, tore her thoughts away from biting the other cheek. “Let him go, sweetheart.”
The uniforms looked at her strangely when she huffed but released Dean Anthony. He collapsed, sobbing, onto the floor. He was handcuffed and dragged from the room, the uniforms in lock-step to make sure that he couldn’t move. A gag was put around his mouth to prevent him from spellcasting. SOP, but still funny for Carol to see for the first time.
She turned to Jonah and doggy grinned.
He shook his head, obviously amused at her antics. “Ian, I need you to call the chief. Anthony put some sort of spell on me. I can barely see, and I can’t move more than my pinky.”
“That’s not your pinky, bruh.” Ian gagged. “And I do not like you that way, so stop staring at my amazing beauty.”
Jonah sighed. “Ass.”
Carol crawled over to Jonah and put her head on his groin, shielding his nether regions from further inspection by a grinning Ian. Those were her goodies. Ian wasn’t allowed to make fun of them.
“If you lick him there, I’m leaving.” Ian shook his head, his phone to his ear. “That’s just sick.”
Carol rolled her eyes and ignored him. Releasing the extra energy Jonah had given her was harder than she thought it would be. The pain of her wounds brightened, the pulse a torture she didn’t want but was forced to take.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” A warm hand descended on her head. Jonah’s. His scent was all around her, calming her despite the pain. “I could have dealt for a little longer.” She snorted, making him laugh. “That tickles.”
“And I’m gone,” Ian muttered, leaving the room. Carol could hear him talking on the phone, calling for a mage to come and help Jonah.
“We did it.” Jonah stroked her head, calming her even further. Much more, and she’d fall asleep. Now that the danger was past, that was all she wanted to do. Sleep, heal, and go home with her mate. Not necessarily in that order.
A sharp tug on her ear snapped her awake. “Don’t you dare. Shift. I want to see your wounds without the fur covering them.” His voice was stronger, and she could feel him moving restlessly under her.
Carol obeyed, crying out as skin and bone moved with her transformation. “Owie.” At least the wounds weren’t quite as bad as they’d been thanks to the shift, but they were still not good. She sat up, pushing her hair out of her eyes.
At least she had her clothes on, unlike her mate.
Jonah smiled wearily. “You saved me.”
Carol returned his smile, folding his hands over his privates. “It’s your turn next time.”
He winked. “I’ll remember that.”
Epilogue
“Anything I can help with, Tanya?” Carol poked her head into the kitchen of her future mother-in-law. Jonah had proposed a week after Dean Anthony had been arrested, and Carol had said yes. It was fast, but their bond was so strong she couldn’t imagine living her life with anyone else.
Not to mention, the sex was out of this world.
“Nope, I’ve got this. Go rescue Ian from Rose.” Tanya winked. “I think she wants to eat him.”
“Hopefully in a good way,” Carol muttered.
“I heard that, young lady.” Tanya paused. “Wait! What happened to those two detectives who gave you and Jonah grief?”
Carol grimaced. “Suspended. With pay. They’re undergoing an IA investigation.” She doubted they’d lose their jobs, but they could be sanctioned for their actions. Hopefully, they’d receive more than slaps on the wrist, but she wasn’t counting on it. Speciesism was alive and well, no matter how hard they fought against it.
“Good. I’ll tell Ben to keep an eye out for any cases involving them.” Tanya grinned lasciviously. “Now, hurry up before Ian winds up as Rose’s appetizer.”
Carol laughed and left the kitchen, heading for the family room. Sure enough, Rose had pinned Ian down, questioning him about his work with Jonah and Carol. She was leaning forward, practically sitting in the man’s lap. Her hungry gaze rested on him like a wolf sighting a particularly tasty deer. Lessa was watching with an amused gaze, sipping quietly at her wine. Benjamin was nowhere to be found, but his scent was strong. He must be sneaking up on Tanya.
A second later, Tanya squeaked, then laughed. The pair of them gave her hope for her own life with Jonah.
“Penny for your thoughts.” Jonah’s breath tickled her ear as his arms wrapped around her. Through their bond, his contentment hummed.
“Your dad is feeling up your mom.”
Jonah shuddered. “Ugh. Never mind, you can keep them.”
Carol leaned back in his embrace and yawned. “That new case the boss lady threw at us is killing me.”
“Another day, another murder.” Jonah rested his chin on her head. “At least we’ve been finding more of Anthony’s kills. We should be able to wrap that case up soon.”
Carol resisted the urge to rub the burn scar that case had left on her right arm. Luckily, sh
e hadn’t been hit with any of the runes, or she might have needed magical assistance with it. “Hallelujah. Chief Rivers and Dean Hall have been more than helpful. They’ll make good witnesses.” Carol closed her eyes, enjoying the scent of her mate. “Enough work though. We’re here to have fun and relax with family.”
“True.” Jonah nuzzled her neck. She had to bite back a moan at the scrape of his scruff against her skin. “I know of some fun that leads to being really relaxed.”
She lightly slapped his wrist. “Bad sorcerer.”
When Jonah’s phone rang, she tensed. Please don’t let it be work. Please?
“Hello?” Jonah picked up. “Yes? This is Jonah Sound.” He pulled away, leaving her mourning his lost warmth. “Familiar paperwork? What...” He groaned. “Shit. We never finished the familiar paperwork.”
Carol’s brows rose. It had been weeks since she paired with Jonah. “And they waited this long to call?”
He nodded. “We’ll turn it in tomorrow. Thanks. Bye.” He hung up. “We’ll have to register our bond too.”
“Great. More paperwork.” Carol shook her head. Bureaucracy at its finest.
“At least that will be the last of it, Ms. Voss.” Jonah held out his hand. “Care to join me for some wine?”
“Jonah, get your ass over here!” Ian called out, sounding desperate.
Biting back more laughter, Carol answered, “I’d be delighted.” She took Jonah’s hand, ready to follow her sorcerer wherever he led.
About the Author
Dana Marie Bell wrote her first short story when she was thirteen years old. She’s now a USA TODAY bestselling author, both self-published and with Carina Press. She lives with her husband, Dusty, their two maniacal children, an evil ice-cream stealing cat, and a dog that doesn’t understand the meaning of “personal space.” Dana has been heard to describe herself as “vertically challenged” and loves video games and anime. She is also an “invisible illness sufferer,” as she has both fibromyalgia and ankylosing spondylitis. Due to this, she walks with a cane or rides in a mobility scooter. She refuses to answer whether or not she’s ever attempted to run her children over with the scooter. She will say, however, that they are now very fast runners.
You can learn more about Dana at: www.danamariebell.com
Look for these titles by Dana Marie Bell
The Gray Court
Dare to Believe
Noble Blood
Artistic Vision
The Hob
Siren’s Song
Never More
Halle Pumas
The Wallflower
Sweet Dreams
Cat of a Different Color
Steel Beauty
Only In My Dreams
Halle Shifters
Bear Necessities
Cynful
Bear Naked
Figure of Speech
Indirect Lines
Heart’s Desire
Shadow of the Wolf
Hecate’s Own
The Wizard King
Warlock Unbound
*Maggie’s Grove
Blood of the Maple
Throne of Oak
Of Shadows and Ash
Song of Midnight Embers
Hour of the Wolf
The Nephilim
*All for You
*The Fire Within
Speak Thy Name
Poconos Pack
Finding Forgiveness
Mr. Red Riding Hoode
Sorry, Charlie
*Published by Carina Press
For more on Dana Marie Bell and her books, please visit
http://www.danamariebell.com
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Did you love Sound's Familiar? Then you should read Bear Necessities by Dana Marie Bell!
To hold onto his love, he must release his beast…Halle Shifters Book 1
Alexander "Bunny" Bunsun is a Bear on a mission. He arrives in Halle, PA for the sole purpose of checking up on his cousin Chloe. Something is not right, and the family has sent Alex, along with Chloe's brother Ryan, to find out what's going on. He intends to fix the problem and head right back for Oregon and his own life, but when he meets his mate all bets are off. She's an unusual she-Wolf with a love of tattoos, a soft southern drawl and lime green hair. She's perfect.
There's only one problem: Tabitha Garwood is Outcast, exiled from her Pack and alone in the world. Living in Halle after being Wolf for eight years has given her a new sense of peace, but another Wolf is out to make her life a living hell. As Outcast she has no one to protect her… until she meets Alex.
When Alex's cousin is left for dead and Tabby is threatened, it's up to Alex to keep his growing family safe. To give Tabby the loving home she needs he could be forced to give up the control he's worked so hard to obtain.
If he does, someone could die.
Read more at Dana Marie Bell’s site.
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