Page 23 of Magic & Secrets (Twisted Magic #1)

I HADN’T EXPECTED CALLA to obey me so easily. She viewed herself as a warrior meant to save the humans. The Ghouls killed the settlers. Therefore, she should kill the Ghouls. That was how her mind apparently worked.

I suffered no softness for the humans. They were perfectly capable of killing each other as well as magic folk. None of them ever shed tears over their dead enemies.

In fact, I doubted anyone back in the Shining Jewel cared about the lost humans here in this settlement. Humans were overly impulsive creatures, choosing to embrace haphazard plans while ignoring the gory consequences.

For me, the point of killing these Ghouls was simply to remove a threat to Calla’s safety. If I were here alone, they would be treated as mere gnats.

I stepped outside of the pub and tossed the blanket on the front chair. The air held a chill and the scent of rot.

My head grew fuzzy with thoughts of dinner with Calla.

She smelled so good. Her hair shone in the pub’s golden light.

The strands were messy from our wild day, yet the braids held strong.

I found myself wondering if she would untie her hair before she rested tonight.

I was very curious what her hair looked like loose and wild.

Shaking my head, I struggled to get my mind off the beautiful warrior. The hideous creatures peering out at me from the woodlands could barely distract me from who waited for my return to the pub.

The Ghouls skulked in the shadows. Their white skin stretched thin over wiry limbs.

They moved in jerking, unnatural motions.

Their faces were a twisted mockery of the human form, shriveled and skeletal, with deep sockets wrapped around shrunken black eyes.

Their mouths were filled with jagged, uneven teeth.

Black drool clung to their cracked lips.

Long, clawed hands twitched with anticipation.

The creatures stepping out of the darkness weren’t alone. I spotted a dozen more creeping closer as the sun dropped below the horizon.

I remained in human form and roared at the things. They twitched and returned to the shadows. I heard them mimicking me again. Despite their tittering, they were aware they couldn’t defeat me alone.

As the sun dropped lower, a shadow crawled across the outpost. The Ghouls sneaked closer, just as another figure shuffled from Pandorium Forest’s thick brush.

The old Witch stood hunched beneath a tattered black cloak.

Strands of brittle gray hair clung to her face.

Her mouth curled into a cruel smile, revealing long, sharp fangs stained with blood.

The Witch’s fingers, crooked and clawed, held tight to a knotted stick.

Her gnarled form hummed with dangerous power.

As she whispered incantations in a throaty voice, more Ghouls appeared from the forest. I stood still and waited for the larger beast to show itself.

Creeping closer, the Ghouls barked and hissed at each other, likely strategizing how to attack me. I didn’t show fear like the humans. I carried no weapon. These creatures were likely far too young to know what I was, but they were smart enough to be certain I might put up a real fight.

Two Ghouls launched their pale, lanky bodies in my direction.

Once they were nearly on me, my hands transformed into claws and wrapped around their heads.

I held them midair, while they squawked and thrashed.

The other Ghouls moved closer, preparing to attack.

The Witch watched me as she spoke in a hushed tone.

Holding her gaze, I slammed the Ghouls’ heads together. Their skulls collapsed under my strength, turning to a mush made of bone and blood.

I dropped the lifeless creatures to the ground and roared at the others. The Ghouls held back and glanced toward the Witch. I heard a deep growling from the forest. The Witch kept her beast at bay for now.

Lacking patience, I ran toward her and the Ghouls. The creatures encircled me while a larger monstrosity broke through the trees. Its massive frame rippled with thick, unnatural muscles beneath patches of matted white fur. The creature stood nearly as tall as a horse.

Its face was a gnarly blend of canine and abomination. Bone-like spurs jutted from its shoulders and spine. Its claws were more like curved blades than nails. The creature growled, deep and primal, while preparing to charge.

The dog-thing and Ghouls soon challenged me. I roared at them and changed forms. My hands were more man than beast. They gripped the nearest Ghoul, turning its body into a weapon by swinging it at the approaching enemy.

The dog-thing hurled itself at me. I easily sidestepped the creature and threw a Ghoul to the ground, where I stomped on its head.

Every attack the dog-thing made at me left it tossed aside. I focused my rage on the Ghouls. I tore one’s head from its body and threw it at the dog-thing with enough force to send the beast flying backward.

Through it all, the Witch whispered her spells. I also heard the creaking of metal twisting. Nearby, one of the humans’ vehicles lifted into the air and began to spin.

A blizzard of gravel rained down on me from the other direction. The stones cut at my flesh. By the time I finished tossing a Ghoul’s head at the Witch, my wounds had healed.

The Witch dodged the head and smiled at me. As she lifted her hand, the vehicle lifted higher in the sky. Before I could rush her, an arrow spun past me and into the Witch’s left eye and out the back of her head.

The vehicle came crashing down first. The Witch’s body slumped to the muddy ground soon after. I glanced back at the pub to find Calla leaning out of the upstairs window. When her gaze found mine, I scowled at how she simply refused to hide like I demanded.

Around me, the Ghouls howled with rage before sprinting toward the pub. Calla disappeared inside. I hoped her common sense had reawakened, and she would barricade the window.

Instead, Calla reappeared with a pulse rifle. Opening fire, she proved her training by hitting one Ghoul after another. Their brains burst out of the backs of their skulls as their bodies dropped to the ground.

Frustrated by her stubbornness, I took out my irritation on the dog-thing. The monstrosity charged me. I caught its snapping jaws in my hands. The beast’s growls turned to whimpers as I opened his mouth wider. With little effort, I tore its head in half and dropped its limp body to the ground.

Calla fired at the forest, trying to hit the now-fleeing Ghouls.

I charged toward the pub, angered by the female putting herself at risk.

She saw me coming and revealed the fear she ought to have felt for the Ghouls.

Retreating into the room, she made a feeble attempt to return the barricade to the window.

I leapt onto the pub’s porch awning and launched myself through the wooden plank blocking the window. Calla stood at the doorway, staring at me in horror. I landed hard, cracking the floor.

“Well, that seemed unnecessary,” Calla said and then took off running down the stairs.

Chasing her was probably unnecessary, but I’d been in a strange mood since the moment she dropped into my arms. Far from home, and with no inkling what might happen next, I gave up on logic and charged after the stubborn warrior.