Chapter 22
Mrs. Entwistle spun around, her eyes locking onto Lina’s position with impossible precision.
The witch’s face twisted into a mask of rage, and even from so many yards away, Lina felt the malevolence in that stare.
Mrs. E could see her. Somehow, despite the darkness and distance and cover, the witch knew exactly where she was.
“Foolish girl,” Mrs. Entwistle snarled, her voice carrying unnaturally across the distance. She raised one hand, and red lightning crackled between her fingers.
“Shit!” Lina rolled sideways, grabbing her rifle as she moved. The bolt of crimson energy struck where she’d been a heartbeat before, exploding the fallen log into splinters.
Chaos erupted below.
Liam, in lion form, burst from the shadows like a missile, hitting the eastern mage—one of the two men from the SUV—with devastating force.
The man didn’t have time to scream before the lion’s massive jaws closed around his throat, crushing his windpipe and severing his carotid in one brutal motion.
Blood sprayed across the grass as the mage crumpled, dead before he hit the ground.
The second male mage at the western position shouted in fury, his hands coming up wreathed in sickly green fire. He hurled the magical flames at Liam with a gesture that promised agony.
The fire struck Liam’s lion form and mostly rolled off. Some of it clung to his fur, singeing him a bit, but his lion’s strength and natural defenses to magic meant he was still mobile and able to attack. The man’s magic couldn’t get a solid grip on Liam or penetrate fully.
Liam snarled and charged the second mage, shrugging off the residual flames.
The female mage at the south position stood frozen, her face sheet-white with terror. She looked young and completely out of her depth. Her hands shook so badly she’d dropped whatever ritual implement she’d been holding.
“Move, you useless child!” Mrs. Entwistle shrieked at her, but the girl didn’t respond, locked in shock.
Lina was already repositioning, finding new cover behind a thick oak tree. She brought her rifle up, sighting on the second male mage who was preparing another spell to hurl at Liam. The lion was closing fast, but not fast enough—the mage was gathering power, green light building between his hands.
Lina fired.
The shot caught the mage in the shoulder, spinning him around and disrupting his spell. The green energy exploded harmlessly into the air as he staggered, clutching his wounded shoulder and screaming in pain and rage.
Mrs. Entwistle’s head snapped toward Lina’s new position. “I see you,” the witch hissed, her voice somehow penetrating the distance. The tone was chilling. “And now you die.”
Red lightning gathered in both of Mrs. E’s hands, with twice as much power as before. She thrust her arms forward, and twin bolts of crimson energy streaked toward the oak tree.
But Lina was already gone. She’d thrown her rifle clear the moment after she’d fired and called on her lynx.
The transformation took her mid-leap, bones restructuring even as she dove away from the tree.
The lightning struck with thunderous force, blowing the oak apart in a shower of burning splinters.
Lina’s clothes fell away, even as her body reformed midair.
Lina was a spotted shadow racing through the underbrush on four silent paws. Her lynx form was built for stealth, speed, and deadly precision. It escaped Mrs. E’s wrath and headed toward the danger, wanting to help her mate.
She could see Liam finishing off the second male mage, his powerful jaws closing around the man’s neck with terminal efficiency. The mage’s dying scream cut off abruptly as Liam shook him like a rag doll and tossed the body aside.
Two down. Two to go. Though, to be honest, the girl mage was still quaking and frozen solid. She didn’t read as a threat to Lina’s practiced eyes. She would keep, for now. The biggest threat was Mrs. E.
Lina’s lynx eyes fixed on Mrs. Entwistle. The witch was turning, looking for her next target, hands still crackling with blood-red energy. She was too focused on where Lina had been, not where she was.
Perfect.
Lina launched herself from the shadows, a blur of spotted fur and fury. She hit Mrs. Entwistle from the side, claws extended, teeth bared. The witch went down hard with Lina on top of her, but the landing felt wrong.
Magic.
Mrs. E’s shield flared to life around her, throwing Lina back with brutal force. The lynx hit the ground hard, the air knocked from her lungs, her shoulder screaming in protest. The shield was stronger than Lina had anticipated, and Mrs. E was laughing now, a sound full of malice and triumph.
“Stupid bitch,” the witch spat, pushing herself to her feet. “Did you really think your pathetic claws could touch me?”
She raised her hands again, power building for what would be a killing blow. Lina tried to scramble away, but her injured shoulder wouldn’t cooperate, wouldn’t give her the speed she needed.
Then three hundred pounds of fury slammed into Mrs. Entwistle from behind.
Liam’s lion form hit the witch with the force of a freight train, his momentum and mass overwhelming her shields through sheer physical power. Mrs. E screamed as they went down together, the lion’s teeth snapping at her throat, even as she threw wild blasts of magic in all directions.
Lina forced herself up, ignoring the pain, and rejoined the attack.
Together, they were too much for the witch.
Liam’s powerful jaws and claws tore at her from one side while Lina darted in from the other, her smaller but no less lethal teeth finding vulnerable spots—hamstrings, thighs, anywhere that would bleed and weaken the old witch.
Mrs. Entwistle fought with desperate fury, her magic lashing out in increasingly wild bursts. One blast caught Liam’s flank, burning through fur and flesh. Another grazed Lina’s back leg, sending white-hot agony shooting through her limb.
But they didn’t stop. They couldn’t stop. This witch had caused too much pain, too much death. She had nearly destroyed an entire coven of good women who’d trusted her.
This had to end here and now. It had to end tonight.
Liam’s jaws finally found purchase on Mrs. Entwistle’s throat. The witch’s eyes went wide with terror and rage as she realized her shields were gone and death had come for her at last.
“No—” she gasped, trying one final spell.
Liam’s jaws closed. Bones crunched. Blood flowed hot and copper-bright.
Mrs. Entwistle’s body went limp, her magic guttering out like a candle in the wind. The malevolent intelligence faded from her eyes, leaving only the empty stare of death.
It was over.
Liam released her throat and stepped back, blood dripping from his muzzle. Through their mating bond, Lina felt his savage satisfaction mixed with relief. They’d done it. They’d stopped her.
A whimper drew Lina’s attention to the south position. The young female mage was still there, still frozen, tears streaming down her face. She looked like she might bolt at any moment, but she was shaking too hard to move.
Before either of them could react, a figure materialized from the shadows behind the girl. Mike, still in his human form, moved with silent efficiency. He wrapped one arm around her waist and clamped his other hand over her mouth, lifting her bodily off her feet as she struggled weakly.
“I’ve got this one,” Mike said calmly, his voice carrying clearly in the sudden silence. “She’s not going anywhere.”
The girl’s struggles were feeble, more panic than real resistance. Mike shifted his grip, turning her to face him while keeping her restrained.
“Easy, kid,” he said, his tone surprisingly gentle, despite the circumstances. “Nobody else has to die tonight. You cooperate, you answer our questions, and maybe you walk away from this. Understand?”
The girl nodded frantically, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. She looked terrified. Whatever had brought her here tonight, Lina suspected it wasn’t one of committed evil. More likely coercion, or fear, or simple bad luck.
They’d figure it out. Later. After they’d made sure the site was secure and the threat was truly neutralized.
Liam shifted back to human form, his body flowing from lion to man in seconds.
He was covered in blood. Some of it was his.
A lot was Mrs. E’s and the male mages he’d dispatched.
He had several nasty burns from their magical attacks, but he was standing.
He was alive, and through their bond, Lina felt his overwhelming relief that she was too.
Lina shifted back as well, gasping as her injured shoulder reminded her it existed. The transformation had helped. Shifter healing was already working on the damage, but it still hurt like hell.
“You okay?” Liam asked, moving to her side immediately.
“I’ll live. You?”
“Same.” He pulled her against him, heedless of the blood and nakedness and watching eyes. “We did it. It’s over.”
“Is it?” Lina looked around at the carnage. Three bodies. One terrified prisoner. And somewhere out in the darkness, Mike’s team was still holding the perimeter, making sure no one else had slipped through and that there would be no witnesses to carry this tale any farther.
“Yeah,” Liam said with absolute certainty. “It’s over. Mrs. E is dead. The summoning is stopped. Whatever else needs handling, we can deal with it.”
Through the bond, Lina felt his absolute conviction, his bone-deep relief. And she realized he was right. The immediate threat was neutralized. The catastrophic summoning had been prevented. Everything else was just cleanup.
She leaned into him, letting herself sag against his strength for just a moment. They’d won the battle. They’d actually survived and won the day.
“Come on,” Liam said gently. “Let’s get our clothes and call this in. We’ve got a lot of cleanup to do, and I’d prefer to do it wearing pants.”