Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 113944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
“We’re not fucking done,” he growled.
She pulled her arm free. “Don’t fucking curse at me, Devlin, I’m not in the goddamn mood for this fucking shit. And we’re so done.” Hearing the front door slam shut, Gwen looked to see Ally rushing off the porch.
“Ally, wait!” Derren called out, hot on her heels with Bracken right behind him.
Zander prowled toward them, abruptly alert, as their footsteps thundered along the boardwalk. “What’s going on?”
“Get her in the house!” Ally shouted, urgency in every syllable. “She’s not—”
The breath left Gwen’s lungs as something heavy crashed into her back, knocking her down. Fire blazed along her shoulder blades as razor-sharp knives stabbed and tore through her skin like butter. Not knives, she numbly realized as a short, shrill shriek split the air. Talons.
Even with pain beating at her back, she tried to get up. However, she only managed to roll onto her side as, in a mad rustle of wings, a flock of large birds descended on her. Glaring at her through deep red eyes, they shrieked and bit and raked their talons, leaving trails of white-hot pain in their wake. She kicked her legs and swiped out at them, but they were too damn heavy to move. It all happened within seconds.
There was a loud, guttural roar. Then something larger jumped into the fray. And something else. And something else. Shrieks of alarm and pain mingled with furious growls and snarls. Unable to move, Gwen stayed curled up in a protective ball as a fight literally went on around and above her.
Suddenly the birds were gone in another rustle of feathers, and she heard the click of claws as the wolves gave chase.
“Gwen?” said Ally, shakily, as she dropped to her knees at Gwen’s side.
She lifted her head, and there was a large wolf, his fur a mix of brown and gray. “Zander?” The wolf snarled, golden eyes hard and . . . distrustful. More pain tore through her, but it was emotional pain this time. The wolf raced off in the direction the other wolves had headed.
“Gwen,” Ally repeated, “can you stand? We need to get you inside.”
With Ally’s help, Gwen rose to her feet. For a long moment, she stood still—baffled, speechless. Then the blazing pain from her wounds really kicked in, and she snapped right out of her shocked state. Noticing two gray birds lying dead on the boardwalk, she blinked. “Shit, what the fuck?” She touched her throbbing cheek, felt something warm and wet.
“Inside,” said Ally, gently drawing Gwen along the boardwalk. Ally led her into the house and through to the living area. The lights flickered, and doors banged shut all over the house. Ally’s brows almost hit her hairline. “I don’t think the ghosts like that you’re hurt. I’d ask you to lie on your back, but I think it would hurt like a bitch. Just sit on the floor for me.”
Gwen did so. “What are you going to do?”
The Seer fell to her knees at her side. “Sorry if this hurts.” She rested her hands over a wound on Gwen’s back.
Gwen flinched, hissing in pain, but otherwise remained still. Soft, preternatural energy flowed through her like warm syrup, soothing and healing. If she wasn’t having her own personal crisis in her head, she’d have been utterly absorbed by what she was feeling. It was one thing to know that some shifters could heal, and a whole other thing to experience it.
At that moment, Marlon came rushing into the room. “I heard all the—” His eyes bulged. “What. The. Hell?”
“Marlon, get over here and hold Gwen’s hand.”
Marlon did so, demanding, “Will someone please tell me who the hell did this to you? Was it Brandt? I will seriously shoot the little bastard myself if—”
“It was a flock of birds,” said Gwen, tone flat. “Big birds with red eyes.” Initially, she’d been numb with shock, unable to properly process what happened. But the shock had given way to a controlled anger that left her able to think more clearly. “Shifters.”
“Shifters?” echoed Marlon, incredulous. “That’s—” Noticing that Gwen’s wounds were healing, Marlon said, “Wow.”
“Yes, shifters,” Ally said to Gwen with a sad sigh. “It’s shifters like those birds who give our kind a bad rep and make humans distrust us.” After a few moments, she sat back on her heels and puffed out a long breath. “You may feel a little drowsy, but I doubt you’ll lose consciousness.”
Yeah, “drowsy” was a good word. Gwen’s body felt limp and featherlight, like she could happily doze off. She probed the area where she’d had a long rake mark on her arm, surprised to find it wasn’t even tender.
Marlon frowned at Ally’s pasty face. “You don’t look too good yourself. Stay there, I’ll be right back.”
Gwen sat on the sofa, her movements sluggish. She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Thanks for healing me.”