Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 351

Don’t take everyone.

"What?"

The more people, the more victims.

"Oh." Shit. I hadn’t thought of that. Biting my lip, I look over my entourage. Vanessa’s brows raise as she watches me, her breath puffing out in the frigid air.

They’re my bodyguards, but they can’t save me from something magical.

Selene’s thoughtful hum vibrates in my head.

"Marcus, you and..." I scan the faces, settling on a stoic-looking wolf. I think his name is Greg. "You. Stay with me. The rest of you, I need you to be our lifeline."

Vanessa frowns. "Ava, are you sure about this?"

I nod, trying to project more confidence than I feel. "I can sense magic and familiar energies, but there’s no guarantee I haven’t missed something. Or someone."

The other wolves shift awkwardly, as they always do when I speak of magic. It’s still an uncomfortable subject for many in the pack.

"If something goes wrong, you need to get word to Lucas immediately."

Discontent ripples through the group. I can see it in the set of their jaws, the tension in their shoulders. They don’t like the idea of letting me walk into potential danger without them.

"I know you don’t like this," I say, addressing the group’s unspoken protests. "But none of you are able to help with a magical force. I need to make sure the pack is warned if anything goes wrong."

Marcus, ever the professional, takes over. "We’ll check in with Vanessa every ten minutes. Standard procedure."

I turn to Vanessa, holding up my wrist.

"Let’s sync our watches. We can’t afford any miscommunication."

With our watches synchronized, allowing us to contact each other directly, and the plan set, I take a steadying breath. The dark, cloud-like presence I sensed earlier is a little closer now. It’s moving at a sluggish rate, but I don’t know if it will stay that way.

"Alright," I say, squaring my shoulders. "Let’s move out."

Marcus moves silently beside me, his eyes constantly scanning our surroundings. Greg brings up the rear, watching our backs. And Selene roams ahead, no longer happy-go-lucky in the snow as she scouts ahead of us all.

It smells strange, she reports.

My bracelet tingles, like it’s gotten too cold against my skin. As we get closer, it sends small, pulsing shocks into my wrist. Not enough to affect the use of my hand or arm, but just irritating enough to keep my attention.

Eventually, we reach the area where the dark, cloud-like energy roams.

To the eye, there’s nothing wrong. All Selene can sense is a strange scent in the air, something she doesn’t recognize.

But I can feel its existence, even if we can’t see it.

I turn to Marcus and Greg, my words firm. "Stay back. It’s dangerous."

Their faces tighten but they obey, retreating several paces. As they move away, Grimoire materializes before me, no longer in his usual humanoid form. Instead, he’s a small white fox, his fur gleaming against the snow. He bounds forward, stopping just shy of the dark energy’s edge.

To my sight, he’s just standing in the middle of snow.

But I can sense it, just beyond his feet.