Laney stopped in front of a large dark wooden door and knocked. The panels of the door showcased intricate carvings that resembled vines and lupine flowers. “Come in,” Apollo’s deep voice called from behind the door. Amerie swallowed as Laney turned the knob and pushed open the door. A large desk with a black top was in the center, Apollo sitting behind it with his feet propped on the desk and his chin resting in his fingers. His brows were furrowed as he glared at the map laid flat on the desk top. Circles, arrows, and crosses all covered the map. Mae stood to the left, leaning against a grand bookshelf with her arms crossed. Kierian lounged in a brown leather chair next to her facing Apollo. Blaze sat with her legs crossed in a matching brown leather chair on the right with Brynn standing next to her on her phone. They all looked up as Laney and Amerie entered and closed the door behind them. Surprise filled Apollo’s eyes when he saw Laney. He straightened and addressed her after
“Thanks for helping me,” Amerie said quietly to the short werewolf beside her. “Of course. Glad to be out of the office working on something that actually matters.”“Bobcats matter,” Amerie countered. Laney gave her a small grin. “Sure. If the Embertaurs don’t wipe us all out first.”“Right.” Amerie fell silent and eyed the brown and orange leaves on the ground around them. Twigs and dead leaves beneath the remaining snow crunched under their boots. The few straggling birds sang their welcome, surely about to join others down south within the coming days as the cold and snow approached. Laney sighed. “I wonder how Matt is doing. There’s no word on when he’s returning to work. Bobcats are cute and all and I’m happy to help while he’s out, but I’d like to get back to monitoring the elk. It’s been a busy hunting season and I need to start to get an idea of how many cows are going to drop calves now that the rut is nearly over.” She pushed a low hanging branch out of her way and held i
“Get back!” Kierian shouted at Amerie as he tore off his shirt. He shifted quickly, a smaller, reddish wolf appearing next to him. Laney. Amerie slowly took steps backward as she manifested flames in both hands. Mae drew a dagger and held two smaller throwing blades in her other hand. Brynn took a defensive stance with her palms pointed at the multiple eyes. An Embertaur as big as Kierian appeared first, directly in front of them. It snarled, its eyes focused solely on Amerie. Four more Embertaurs appeared, flanking the first. More yellow eyes were still in the trees. The first Embertaur licked its lips and met Amerie’s eyes. It inclined its head and spoke with a voice that sent chills down her spine. “We’ve waited for you, Great One. Our Master requests your presence. Come with us.”“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Mae spat. She flipped her blade and pointed it directly at the Embertaur. “Leave.”A throaty noise that only barely resembled a chuckle left the Embertaur’s mouth. I
Apollo burst through the doors of the mansion. “What the hell happened?” he growled in a voice not completely human. His golden eyes were dark, his fingers curled at his side as if claws would sprout from the fingertips at any moment. Charlotte’s golden head peaked out from behind his large frame. Kierian panted heavily as he held Amerie in his arms, a piece of his torn shirt tied tightly around her bleeding arm. Her hands were pressed firmly against her side where the Embertaur had sliced her. Behind them, Mae held an unconscious Laney. A stream of blood ran down Mae’s arm and to the ground from Laney’s unnaturally angled leg. Brynn’s blue eyes were wide and fiery, her eyebrows furrowed together as she scanned the tree line on either side of the mansion. Amerie’s eyes fluttered as she fought to stay conscious. She had somehow managed to stay awake on the run to the house but every ounce of her energy had been drained away. Her head began to spin. “Everett,” her voice cracked weakly
When Amerie was finally able to close her eyes with the help of a small sleeping pill from the nurse, she found herself in a large clearing surrounded by trees that seemed to pierce the sky. She whipped her head around at the snap of a twig and was met with the Master’s face. He stood just a couple feet from her with his head tilted to the side, staring at her with his deep blue eyes. He let out a low, evil laugh that sent chills down her spine. Fangs flashed as he smiled at her. “Sweet Amerie,” he hissed at her in a sing song tone. A hand with black nails reached up and stroked through his hair as he took a step closer to her. She tensed as he halted just a step away from her and closed his eyes then inhaled deeply. “Delicious.” He opened his eyes again and let his eyes trace over her face. “Why did you not come to me when I sent for you?”He was so close. She tried to take a step back but couldn’t move. It’s just a dream, she reminded herself. He couldn’t harm her. Just a dream. “W
When she opened her eyes, Amerie was deep in the forest. A moonless night sky was barely visible through the branches above her. The trees were blanketed in the type of darkness that drank up every color and sound. Not even the wind dared blow. “Show yourself, Celena,” Amerie called out. No response. Amerie let out a sigh and began walking. She had no idea where she was supposed to go, but she walked with her hands stuffed in her pockets. The forest was still eerily silent. A small silvery light appeared ahead. Amerie approached it with caution and realized it was a floating orb. When she got close enough to reach out a finger to it, it zipped a few feet away. The light flickered as if beckoning her forward. She hesitated for a moment before taking a step closer. It again floated further away, beckoning her further. Darkness swallowed her whole until the silver orb’s light barely penetrated the dark less than a foot in front of it. The hair on Amerie’s arms stood up as she felt ey
Two months passed with no sign of the Master or Embertaurs. Amerie was more confused and conflicted than before after Minera gave her the key. The sinister cube whispered to her, her internal flames curling towards it as embers cracked in her ears. The key made her want to scream, explode, and silence the world around her. Apollo had found her sitting outside the cave staring at the key in her palm. She’d still been naked and dripping wet and didn’t even blink until he snatched the key from her. He felt a pull from it as well, but nowhere near the intensity that Amerie did. It had led him to her and made him want to shift and bend the creatures of the forest to his will beyond reason, but he did not fall into a trance. The cursed object favored Amerie and her power. They knew they had to hide it before the Master discovered it had been found once more. Amerie and Apollo decided to hide the key in the cellar of the pack house behind wards and protections cast by Brynn and Blaze. The w
Amerie found herself standing in an endless pool of shallow, dark water. Steam rose from the water’s surface and a low, thick cloud cover prevented her from seeing anything around her. Distant screams and cries came from every direction. She tried to take a step, but her feet would not move. “Hello?” she called out. “Where am I?”Thirteen tall, looking figures appeared around her. They were all barely visible through the fog except for their burning red eyes. While they all appeared humanoid, none were entirely human. One had what looked like giant antlers protruding from its skull. Another seemed to have the body of a snake but a human torso and arms. Yet another had a figure similar to that of a centaur. Amerie strained to see more detail but the fog was too thick. The tallest figure, one with four eyes, tilted its head and reached a hand out in her direction. A ringing filled her ears as the air around her thinned. She put a hand on her throat and gasped. Her vision darkened, but j