Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 107670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Nick nodded. “Which is why the pups, Caleb, Kent, Kathy, and—”
“Do not say my name,” snapped Shaya, eyes shooting fire.
“Which is why some members of the pack will be staying with the Phoenix Pack until this is over,” Nick rephrased, casting his mate an annoyed look. “After dinner, Roni and Marcus will drive them there. It’s not ideal, but it’s for the best.”
“The pups don’t mind so much because they can play with the Phoenix children,” said Ally. “To them, it’s a little adventure and—” She abruptly froze and her eyes turned white.
Harley’s stomach plummeted. “Fuck, a vision.” What now? Her cat began to pace, tail twitching.
Derren rushed to his mate’s left while Cain stood at her right, both looking equally concerned. They whispered comforting words, even as they knew she couldn’t hear them. The longer the vision went on, the tauter the air became with tension.
Finally, Ally snapped out of her trance and glanced around, eyes back to normal and now wide with panic. “No, no, no!” Then she was tearing out of the lodge like her life depended on it . . . or like someone else’s life depended on it.
Everyone ran after her, charging across the open field. Derren shouted his mate’s name over and over, but she didn’t respond. Jesse stayed close to Harley, ready to defend her from whatever threat was sending the Seer into a blind panic. Adrenaline and dread shot through him as dozens of scenarios zoomed through his mind.
Hot on her heels now, Derren shouted, “Ally, dammit, what is it?”
She didn’t pause or even glimpse over her shoulder. “The pups! They’re going after the pups!”
Who the fuck was “they”? Jesse glanced around, but there was no one. Not a—
“Oh fuck!” snapped Harley.
Tracking his mate’s gaze, Jesse almost gaped. They were huge. Fast. And all ten of them were flying toward the play area. His heart leaped into his throat. Cursing, he put on a burst of speed.
“Caleb! Kent!” Ally screamed. “Grab the girls!”
The two males turned, looking confused. They were possibly finding it hard to hear her over all the full-blooded birds going crazy, scattering, as the eagle shifters came their way.
“Grab the girls!”
One of the eagles swooped down, taking aim at Willow.
“No!” Shaya’s agonized cry split the air.
Just as the harpy eagle neared the pup, Caleb dived on her and pinned her small body to the ground. Enraged at being thwarted, the eagle—so much bigger than an average harpy that it could only be a shifter—landed on his back. Caleb cried out through gritted teeth as curved, five-inch talons pitilessly raked his flesh.
“Bastard!” Ally picked up Cassidy’s scooter and threw it at the eagle. The distinctive dark-gray raptor dodged it. Wailing at them, it fanned out its broad, slotted wings. It stood at over four feet tall and had at least a six-foot wingspan. Jesse wondered if that hooked, razor-sharp beak could puncture his skull. He wasn’t eager to find out.
The feathers atop its head fanned out into a bold crest as it made a strange mewing sound. As Ally, Jesse, and Harley made a mad dash for the bird, it tried to take flight. Derren came up behind it, grabbed its neck, and—snap.
Looking up, Jesse saw the other eagles high in the air, circling. “Get the pups inside the fort and guard it!” he ordered Kent and Caleb. Nodding, the two males urged the wide-eyed pups into the small building at the center of the play area.
Just then, Roni, Marcus, Bracken, and Zander came sprinting toward them from different directions, looking just as shocked as Jesse felt. It had all happened so damn fast with no real room for thought. His limbs were buzzing with adrenaline, his heart was pounding, and his breathing sped up.
The pack formed a protective circle around the play area—some in wolf form, some in human form—as the eagles soared above them.
“Hector sure does like to hire bird shifters.” Jesse knew this species could be brutal in their attack. He’d fought an eagle shifter once before, and it hadn’t been pretty. He’d won, but the bird had inflicted a lot of damage. These eagles were much larger. Harpy eagles. Fierce shifters.
His wolf bared his teeth, wanting freedom so that he could rip out the throats of the invaders. But Jesse chose not to shift so that he could maintain verbal contact with Harley. He planted his feet and stood at the ready. “Stay close to me. And don’t shift.” Her cat was small and would be easy for them to carry off.
Heart hammering in her chest, Harley tried to steady her breathing as she said, “We need to get them on the ground.” Their bones were hollow and fragile. Her hissing cat was looking forward to hearing them break.
Limbering up his neck and shoulders, Jesse warned, “Don’t let them come up behind you. One powerful strike to the back of your skull would be fatal.” Just the thought made him lose his breath. She was integral to him. Part of him. She was . . . everything. A knot of panic formed in his throat, making it hard to swallow.