Total pages in book: 203
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Jase says. “Good news, babe. It’ll get better and better from here until it’s second nature.”
“I should test them. Shift and see if they’re still toxic.”
“They obviously are by the way you were sneezing.”
“Let’s just go try.”
We go outside, me in just my robe so it’s easier if I shift to and fro.
And as soon as I step outside, I’m sneezing.
Jase is about to call the test off, but between sneezes, I insist. He doesn’t have to command me to shift because I sneeze a few more times and my wolf bubbles in.
Jase calls me back to human form almost immediately because I’m yelping as soon as I’m shifted, the burn from the ground making my paws feel like they’re on fire. He lifts me from the ground before commanding me back and it takes three shifts for the pain to go away and the rawness to heal. These are stronger than they were last time, maybe because there are more of them. I don’t know what stage of growth will mean they’ll begin to prevent shifting and will intoxicate everyone, but this is a matter of urgency. And it’s clear that now that my wolf is part of me, once they flower they’ll stop me from shifting, too.
We go back inside, get dressed quickly, and I’m phoning Erica while Jase messages his council group chat to get the guys over here sooner.
Jase is absolutely pissed. Seeing me crying out in pain evidently makes him absolutely infuriated.
***
A Couple Hours Later
It turns out that the angel’s trumpet plants aren’t just regrowing along the riverbank, they’re also surrounding the houses of every alpha and council alpha in the village, including a ring of them growing around the perimeter of the clinic because Dr. Blakely is still there.
Those are spelled plants which are toxic to all shifters but it’s obvious they’re designed to disable every single alpha present here.
Ronnie again laid hands on them, trying at a few different locations, and couldn’t read anything from them. Dani recognized them by sight and by my reaction to them, but not through the way she generally reads plants. Erica feels neutral energy from them like before she magically pulled the other ones, but we know they’ll be anything but neutral when they’re full grown by the way they affect my wolf.
Cat brought Dr. Blakely up to speed last night. He confirmed he’s seen that Vivi reported our kidnapping in Rome, logging with the SCC that the abduction, imprisoning, and assault against both of us was related to Dani transporting the Starling artifacts to the archives in Bucharest.
He says Anya has been cooperative and indicated that power sanctions would be levied against Alta. She has not yet submitted her report of all the things Alta did and all the magic used in the course of kidnapping us, which is an SCC requirement.
“Are you following up?” Dani asked him.
“She requested an extension three days back,” Dr. Blakely told us.
***
Jase and me, the council, the three Young witches, Cat, and Dr. Blakely are all at Roxy’s, on the patio.
Grey says, “It’s clear that whatever sanctions were put on her, she found a way around them.”
I add, “Or… this isn’t her that’s doing this, which does not track.”
“Sure would be nice if we knew the endgame ahead of time,” Grey mutters, looking at the cousins.
“We’re on it,” Erica replies. “Aphra is coming over. She might be able to help. When she gets here, we’ll ask for help and explain our plan to everyone.”
“You’re absolutely sure she’s not in on this?” Jase asks yet again.
“We’re sure,” I state. There’s no way. Aphra is terrified of her coven leader and has been hiding since she got pregnant with Halla, who is four years old.
Jase looks dubious.
They decided not to pull the seedlings yet again. Instead, they’ve cast a wellness spell over the pack, hoping to thwart whatever’s going on and I’m now only occasionally sneezing instead of doing it almost constantly, but I’ve also got a restlessness inside me that I suspect comes from my wolf who it feels like is on edge.
I’m kind of in awe that I can feel her restlessness simmering in me. More and more connections between me and my beast are forming, though Jase tells me she hasn’t done any growing yet.
I sneeze extra-hard and as if on cue by my thoughts, suddenly, my wolf bubbles in.
All eyes on the patio are on me with surprise. Most of these folks haven’t seen my wolf yet.
Mason busts up laughing. Joel is also chuckling.
“Oh wow. You’re so cute!” Ronnie says, leaning over and holding her hand out as if I want to sniff it, which is kind of comical.
“Fuck,” Jase says. “Everyone give us your backs a second.”
“Why?” Dr. Blakely asks.
“I need to command her for her to shift back, and she needs to get dressed.