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Rowan heard the phone clatter to the floor and Louisa’s muffled curse as Rowan shoved on a pair of sneakers.

Faster than she’d ever managed, she located her bond with Louisa and phased before she even stood back up to her full height. She was once again on what seemed to be a battlefield. Screams ripped through the air in rattling unison.

Craters peppered what had once been cobblestone streets, white lime pieces of buildings lay in reminiscent fashion of the attack on Draconis. Rowan glanced behind her, catching sight of Louisa on the floor, her arms held up in defense as Kin slashed at her with extended claws. Blood dripped all over Louisa’s white camo pants and crop top, her sobs muffled by the continuing mayhem around them.

Rowan moved behind the much bigger man, hooked her arms under his armpits, and could only take half a step back before he bucked her off and turned to face his new opponent.

Rowan’s breath froze at the sight of his reddened conjunctiva, ruby slits that were his pupils and enlarged fangs that made an image of Elaine flash in her mind.

Had she not already proven she could take his beast going berserk, fear might have done her in. But as things stood, Rowan was the only one who could drag him back to his senses.

Trained in combat by her father since the age of seven, she dodged his attacks as they came, though he sliced off several locks of her hair with his extended claws.

He was faster this time, so fast she didn’t have the time to mold the excess magic coursing through her veins to her whim.

She was stuck dodging and pulling back.

Catching sight of Louisa struggling to her feet behind Kin, Rowan shook her head when she saw the vampiress move to attack with a large piece of white rubble. “Draw a water prison circle. He’s maintaining some control. I can keep him occupied for a couple of minutes.” Though she still wasn’t back to her full potential, the pills combined with the adrenaline that pumped through her veins had done a good job of numbing her pain.

If she died because of the most amazing sex of her life, Rowan would go to the grave in tears of humiliation.

She kept an eye around her, looking for anything she could use to help keep him at bay. But he was fast, and the town was in shambles.

As they cleared a large white stone building, she saw the first sign of what the call had been about.

A wolf was snarling, with his head low to the ground, sharp teeth bared as he and a dozen frenzied wolves stalked a large group of terrified civilians.

Unlike the Black Cove bystanders whose injuries were collateral damage from the dragon fight, the wolves were actively hunting civilians. They were herding them like they herded animals in the wild. The mass moved toward the harbor where boats and bodies were hurrying away from the shore, choosing the water rather than the teeth headed their way.

The observation cost her a sharp slice through her side. Cursing, she returned her focus to parrying his claws. Ducking and dodging the more critical hits and taking weaker ones for a chance at landing her own.

After the second hit landed, and her vision swam, she ditched her plan to focus on defense.

As she danced over piles of concrete, she picked up on his rhythm. The fox was much easier to read than the man was. It gave her the opportunity to check how much Louisa had progressed.

It was at that moment that Rowan caught sight of a child falling behind the still fleeing victims. She was reaching out. Her face was blood red and soaked with tears as wolves were inches away.

On instinct Rowan phased, landing in front of the girl and barely gathered enough energy to bring the water from the harbor in as sharp as a whip, keeping the wolves at bay.

“Get on!” She shouted as she crouched in front of the girl. The wolves were undeterred by the attacks of the whips and were still bearing down on them.

The girl scrambled on, the heel of her palm pressing into Rowan’s eye so hard that she saw white for a second. It was a second she regretted losing, as she felt another slash of claws against her stomach.

She hissed and phased out back towards the screaming masses.

Pain was clouding her mind, making her sluggish, but the cries of fear from the girl were grounding her.

Dig deep, Rowan Dahl!

Cursing, she opened herself up to even more magic. It was more difficult than ever to regulate its entrance when she ached to heal herself, but her priority was the protection of the people behind her. She could hear them growing desperate as they ran out of space to escape. The sounds of more and more bodies splashing into the sea from the boardwalk grounded her even further.

Kneeling, she swung the girl around as her body vibrated with power.

“Cover your eyes and get at least two feet behind me.”

Terrified, the girl took off.

Rowan faced the oncoming hoard of hundreds of wolves, catching sight of the Coven behind them. They were driving wolves towards the people rather than away with poorly planned spells that were the primary source of the ruined city. Were they unaware, or did they simply not care? She didn’t have time to reach a conclusion. She molded the magic in her hands, setting parameters to a barrier that exploded from her. It would allow mystics and humans to pass through, but it locked out the witches and the wolves. She expanded it behind her to curve around the entire boardwalk and a few feet into the sea. She felt the bodies of sea life get pushed back by the limits of the barrier as she herself walked forward.