“Hello!” Ezra yelled, jumping to his feet, but lowered to a crouch as the animals went wild. “Did you crazy fucks hear me?”
“Oh, we heard you,” King Kincaid murmured, glaring, his voice dryer than the sand under us. “We’re choosing to ignore you.” His gaze leveled with mine. “I can’t believe you let some,” his wolf growled low, “Vampire dissuade you from your initial instinct. You’re a Shifter! You knew something was wrong, and you let him persuade you everything was fine.” He paused. “For that, I added,” he pointed down to the right, “them.”
Ezra’s attention snapped to me. His eyebrows lowered and his wide lips pinched. He didn’t say he was sorry, but I could tell by his gaze he felt — somewhat — apologetic.
I turned my head to where my King was pointing. Saw alligators coming out of a small body of water. Huge freaking alligators.
“They’re hard to control,” King Kincaid stated factually, then chuckled quietly. “Kind of like Vampires.” He clapped once. “Enjoy.”
Without warning, we were swiftly doused. In blood. Pig’s blood from the smell of it.
Pearl shrieked, her golden hair plastered to her face and shoulders, red rivulets running down into her cleavage, her golden pajamas not so golden anymore.
Jack gagged, wiping the blood from his eyes, and glared up at the Kings.
Ezra and I just scowled at King Nelson and King Fergus as they lowered the previously full buckets they had just dumped on us.
Not even bothering to wipe his face, Ezra asked through clenched teeth, “Why couldn’t I hear your heartbeats earlier? And what was that explosion?”
“What explosion?” Jack asked, choking as blood ran off his hair into his mouth.
Antonio waggled his fingers, sitting easily on the railing. “Just a little specialty of mine I learned a long time ago from one hell of a sneaky devil. It blocks every Mystical’s senses but a Shifter’s. To them,” his head teetered in thought, “it makes them anxious. Nervous. They can scent who’s inside the magic, but it’s dull and off base, a scent not right.” He paused, thoughtful. “Plainly, it freaks them out.”
King Kincaid sighed. “Honey, behind you.”
My friends froze, their eyes widening on their crimson, damp faces, staring over me.
Not a good sign.
A roar sounded directly behind me, and I instinctively rolled, barely missing being swiped by deadly grizzly-bear claws. The brute of a bear rose on its hind legs, roaring again, drool dripping from the corners of its mouth. Thank you God that my wolf didn’t let me go out a wimp.
My wolf growled back as I sprang to my feet.
Jumped with a bit of my Shifter strength.
I clocked the grizzly right on the side of its gigantic, frigging furry head, landing in a crouch, again, barely missing a wayward paw full of claws as it stumbled back, a funky whimpering sound eliciting from the beast.
My wolf growled as I gradually straightened.
The bear didn’t come back.
Yet again, King Kincaid sighed. “Lily, don’t harm the animals, just keep them from attacking you. Get control of them by funneling.” He paused. “You’d better hurry up. I think they like the smell of the blood.” A merciless chuckle.
“This is seriously more twisted than mine,” Jack hissed, standing to his feet and moving behind me. “I don’t think we’re getting out of it, though.”
Pearl and Ezra quickly moved behind me.
The mass of wild animals were now within twenty yards of us. There were so many of them. It was hard to concentrate, much less come up with an idea on the fly to stop them. From grizzlies to cougars to gorillas, well, it was intimidating.
We quickly made the link. There was nothing else to do but do it.
Through the warm haze, I whispered, “I want them to stop.”
A feeling like I had never felt invaded my warmth as I stared at the swarm of animals. I felt each and every one of my best friends’ unique brand of magical will invade me, touching my Core, and sit alongside mine as I pushed my power, my charged will, forward, shoving it on the animals in front of me. It was enchanting.
The animals didn’t stop.
“Oh, God,” I whispered, my thoughts flying in circles as I tried to piece this puzzle together. I didn’t truly think it was because I was a hybrid. I could feel the part of me that was Vampire in my Core, and it was almost like it was taking a nap, being dormant for this. So, no, it wasn’t that. But what else could it be? My hands trembled as the animals slowly closed in another five yards. “I want their paws glued to the ground, unable to move.”
I felt the combined push of our wills. It didn’t help. Said paws still moved forward.
I whimpered, my eyes scanning. They were all so fierce. All so untamed. All wild. Each ready to savagely tear us apart. Another whimper escaped when they were only ten yards away, those long, bared teeth all I could see, all so primitive.
Wait.
Primitive…
Wild…