Chapter 5
Five
ETHAN
The scent disappears at the edge of the forest.
Literally.
One second, Izzy’s enticing aroma permeates the air; the next, it’s like it ceases to exist. There’s only one possible explanation for this.
Witchcraft.
A growl snakes its way up my throat, and Grayson lets out a curse behind me, kicking at a tree.
Guilt gnaws at me, sinking its spindly talons in deep, as I lower myself onto the ground. If I wouldn’t have taken off into the forest after Izzy discovered my secret…maybe she would still be here.
Maybe all of those shifters wouldn’t be dead.
There are no words capable of describing my panic when I witnessed the masked gunman shoot someone I knew in the forehead. All I could do was hide and pray that my family and friends were safe, knowing that any action on my end would lead to nothing but death. It was horrible.
Then I saw Izzy crawl her way towards the children, and my stomach dropped like a lead weight, sinking to my feet. I took off in a run as fast as I could towards her, but I was too late. By the time I arrived, the battle was over, Izzy was gone, and Grayson was lying unconscious on the ground.
The vampire whirls towards me abruptly, something akin to hope sparking in his eyes. “We need to get to my apartment.”
I cock my head to the side curiously.
“I have a necklace that matches the one Izzy wears,” Grayson says, his words rushing together. “At least, she should be wearing it. Hopefully.” He gives a rueful shake of his head before continuing. “It should track her.”
Grayson has a tracking device on her? I don’t know if that’s a blatant invasion of her privacy or the smartest idea I’ve ever heard, especially now, when it might save her life.
I perk up, and my tail begins to thump against the ground behind me.
“But you should probably shift back.” Grayson gives me an inscrutable once-over, his eyes lingering on the pink flesh of my back where my fur has been shaved off.
“I don’t know if I can explain to the other tenants the appearance of…
this. Hell, I don’t even know what this is, other than the most disgusting creature I’ve ever seen in my life. ”
Rude.
With a roll of my eyes, I call on the magic inside of me, willing my body to change and distort, returning to that of a man.
But nothing happens.
What’s going on? I ask my wolf. A boulder wedges itself in my throat, and my breath abandons me. Why aren’t you allowing me to change back?
Something warm caresses me, and it takes me a second to realize it’s my wolf.
Comforting me.
But still not handing over the reins.
I know I’m not turning feral—I still have control of my mind and body, despite being in this form—but there’s something stopping me from transitioning back into a human.
What the fuck is happening to me?
My stomach attempts to displace my lungs. I whip my head from side to side, almost as if I can physically shake off my wolf’s hold on me.
Let me go! I growl.
My wolf whines.
Grayson eyes me strangely but doesn’t comment. He simply shifts his weight from one foot to the other.
“This is going to be a problem,” he murmurs, but I don’t know if he’s talking to me or himself. “You can’t shift back, can you?”
I despondently shake my head.
“Somehow, we need to let the shifters know that it’s not humans behind this attack but vampires.”
Vampires?
What?
I begin to shake my head again—but this time in denial.
I saw one of the bodies. It didn’t have the distinct red eyes of a vampire. But then again, Grayson doesn’t have red eyes either, currently, and he’s here…
“I don’t know what the fuck is going on,” Grayson continues, forking his fingers through his messy black hair.
He breaks into a coughing fit and reaches behind him, as if for a water bottle. His hand comes away empty. He coughs once more, then he clears his throat.
“The vampires convinced some of their top fighters to weaken themselves until they could pass as human. I think they wanted the shifters to believe that Hunters were behind this—” Once again, he breaks off with a hacking cough, a frown tugging at his lips.
I consider his words with a growing sense of dread.
If what he’s saying is true…
The shifters will retaliate. Of that, I have no doubt. But they’ll go after the wrong group.
I’m not saying Hunters don’t deserve our wrath—they’ve killed our kind time and time again—but this time around? They’re not involved.
But what do the vampires hope to gain from this? A war? How does that help them?
Questions spin around and around in my head, but they’re not weaving a web for me to follow.
Come on, I plead with my wolf. I need to shift back and warn the others! Grayson can’t. They’ll kill him on sight. They need to know who’s really behind the attack.
But my wolf refuses to budge.
“Let’s head to my apartment and grab the necklace,” Grayson says tersely. I can see his own mind churning, trying to think of a solution. “We need to find Izzy, and quickly.”
Talk to Emery! I mentally scream at Grayson. He won’t hurt you on sight, especially knowing how much Izzy cares about you. You need to tell him.
Grayson, of course, doesn’t hear my internal screams. He simply turns on his heel and hurries in the opposite direction of where Izzy’s trail ended.
I watch him go, an abyss opening up in my chest. I can find the others and, if they’re in their wolf forms as well, I can communicate with them and tell them about the vampires.
Or I can go with Grayson and find Izzy.
It’s not even an option, at least to me.
Maybe somewhere along the way, I’ve turned into a villain, but I can’t do anything until I know that Izzy’s safe.
War can wait.
My mate can’t.
With another whine, I bound through the woods after Grayson.