Page 29 of WitchCurse

I sought the direction of the pulse, and nodded, willing to guide since he looked stronger. The sooner we were free of this false world, the faster I could find Nick and begin to answer dozens of rising questions.

* * *

Kiran

I’d eaten through half the pack, blinded by hunger, when I realized Toby was not at my side. I looked back to find a hugeHuntwolf, spiked in ice, fangs as large as my head, fur white as snow, and breath misting white, staring at me, not with a dead emotionless gaze, but with one glowing gold eye and the other Toby’s blue. One of the fae beasts landed on him, claws bouncing off the ice. He turned and snagged it with his jaws, snapping it in half and slamming the energy into me.

Was Toby still in there?

He turned an icy gaze toward the wolfenHunt. They all dropped, noses to the floor, as though waiting for his command. Well, that was interesting. Toby’s gaze turned hungry for a moment or two, like he craved their submission, or his own dominance, but he turned back toward me, waiting. He’d wanted death before he became aHuntbeast, but this seemed some sort of in between. Not dead? More a harnessing of the power?

I live,Toby said, his focus remaining on theHunt.

But who was in control? The wolf or the human?

Omega close, his voice sounding deeper and gruff.

Sebastian? I turned back to the mess of body parts and tried to sense the direction of the little fox, his power like some lighthouse of pulsing energy in the distance. Hewasnear. I leapt over the remains of rotting Underhill beasts and long morphed fae to take the doorway to the left, Toby followed, but none of the wolfen beasts followed.

Told them to stay, Toby said.

Interesting power he had. Fear of him in this new ice form? Or something else?Direction of omega?I inquired.

Toby paused, then turned left, following the pull. I let him lead, watching for moreHuntor fae, but everyone had vanished. We ran through several halls until finally landing in what appeared to be a throne room of sorts. One of those archaic greeting chambers meant more for displays of power rather than any actual rule.

Zephyr stood near the throne, looking down on Sebastian and Liam who waited at the base of the stairs. Liam calm and cool, but the heat of rage trickled off Sebastian. The little fox could light a place up if someone took something that was his; the kitsune itching to break free.

“But they weren’t here?” Liam asked without real question in his tone as we slid to a stop beside them. His gaze fell on Toby and a frown pulled down the edges of his lips. He could leave me here to be tortured and fed on again, but Toby was mine now. Necessity often fate’s bitch.

“You can see the corruption of the wolf…” Zephyr began.

Sebastian didn’t hesitate. He passed me and put his arms around Toby. The ice shattered and the wolf’s visage returned to that of a normal wolf. Toby’s relief echoed through our bond, Sebastian’s power balancing the mess of power wriggling through us. Toby focused on him, learning to shift the magic? I could feel the waves of it begin to smooth and ease the chaos.

“We’re done,” Sebastian said, his irritation making the floor at his feet smolder.

“Kiran is ours,” Zephyr said. “He has always belonged to us. Eventually his corruption will destroy you all. Do you have any idea what he’ll become?”

“What I did?” Seb threw back. “The monster that devoured Underhill and spit out a dimension of power? I’m well aware of what he might become.” His gaze fell on me, searing and not at all as disillusioned as I thought he’d been. Had Nick been telling secrets or had the little fox figured it out on his own?

“Kiran belongs to us. The wolf is mine. Do you wish war with our court?” Liam asked. “Have your numbers become so great in this world you wish to thin them beneath the claws and fangs of my people?”

Seb touched my side, the right flank where the blight darkened my fur, and the blisters from the iron were still healing. He seemed to be studying it with reflection rather than distaste. I wanted nothing more than to be out of this court, even if all the fae hiding away made me salivate. His rich brown gaze met mine and he gave a slight nod toward Liam.

I understood. The alpha was the diplomat here. We kitsune ran too wild and hot to ever be the negotiators. Even Sebastian’s omega presence faded beneath the tsunami of the kitsune’s will.

Zephyr stared down at Liam like he wished he could squash the alpha. But Liam was no longer just a werewolf alpha. He had kitsune power shared with his mate, and was the father to an entire dimension of power. Strange how a man who had little interest in ultimate control and strength, had all of that insane supernatural magic land in his lap.

“We have many dead thanks to your pets,” Zephyr said.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have taken them from our land then,” Liam said. “Why were you in our territory without permission? There is no common ground deep in the woods. No need for mortal clothing or even a place to roam when you have plenty near your court. Why is your court close to ours at all? You have an entire country to spread your magic, yet you linger on the edge of ours.”

Okay, the alpha wasn’t pulling punches either. Was he hoping for war? I suspected the fae still outnumbered the wolves, even if they were scattered between courts. The sidhe had never hesitated to throw the masses into battle. With their food sources limited, I’d have thought they’d be more careful, but the sidhe valued power beyond anything else, and gaining control of Sebastian would be power beyond what any of them could imagine.

Lights materialized, popping and building into a circle, and a door appeared in the middle of the large hall a few feet from Liam and Seb. When the door opened it was Nick who stepped out, his gaze landing on me instantly, then behind me to Toby who was still wrapped up in Sebastian’s arms.

I locked away my emotions, not wanting him to feel my sadness over him choosing the wolf over me, and shifted to my fae form, mostly human, but skin dark as it had been since my transition began. Not hiding, though I knew everyone in the court would find this form ugly. Clothes only hid so much, and I wrapped myself in attire like the alpha often wore.

“Your hospitality leaves much to be desired,” I told Zephyr. “Iron cells and beasts stalking us is hardly what I would call a welcome. We will take our leave from your court.” I looked at Liam hoping he understood that we should not be starting a war with the fae. If he was looking for some fae warrior like the many sidhe of old had, I was not well enough to be that sword for him.