King Kincaid sighed. “Honey, behind you.”
My friends froze, their eyes widening on their crimson, damp faces, staring over me.
Not a good sign.
A roar sounded directly behind me, and I instinctively rolled, barely missing being swiped by deadly grizzly-bear claws. The brute of a bear rose on its hind legs, roaring again, drool dripping from the corners of its mouth. Thank you God that my wolf didn’t let me go out a wimp.
My wolf growled back as I sprang to my feet.
Jumped with a bit of my Shifter strength.
I clocked the grizzly right on the side of its gigantic, frigging furry head, landing in a crouch, again, barely missing a wayward paw full of claws as it stumbled back, a funky whimpering sound eliciting from the beast.
My wolf growled as I gradually straightened.
The bear didn’t come back.
Yet again, King Kincaid sighed. “Lily, don’t harm the animals, just keep them from attacking you. Get control of them by funneling.” He paused. “You’d better hurry up. I think they like the smell of the blood.” A merciless chuckle.
“This is seriously more twisted than mine,” Jack hissed, standing to his feet and moving behind me. “I don’t think we’re getting out of it, though.”
Pearl and Ezra quickly moved behind me.
The mass of wild animals were now within twenty yards of us. There were so many of them. It was hard to concentrate, much less come up with an idea on the fly to stop them. From grizzlies to cougars to gorillas, well, it was intimidating.
We quickly made the link. There was nothing else to do but do it.
Through the warm haze, I whispered, “I want them to stop.”
A feeling like I had never felt invaded my warmth as I stared at the swarm of animals. I felt each and every one of my best friends’ unique brand of magical will invade me, touching my Core, and sit alongside mine as I pushed my power, my charged will, forward, shoving it on the animals in front of me. It was enchanting.
The animals didn’t stop.
“Oh, God,” I whispered, my thoughts flying in circles as I tried to piece this puzzle together. I didn’t truly think it was because I was a hybrid. I could feel the part of me that was Vampire in my Core, and it was almost like it was taking a nap, being dormant for this. So, no, it wasn’t that. But what else could it be? My hands trembled as the animals slowly closed in another five yards. “I want their paws glued to the ground, unable to move.”
I felt the combined push of our wills. It didn’t help. Said paws still moved forward.
I whimpered, my eyes scanning. They were all so fierce. All so untamed. All wild. Each ready to savagely tear us apart. Another whimper escaped when they were only ten yards away, those long, bared teeth all I could see, all so primitive.
Wait.
Primitive…
Wild…
Untamed…
An animal that was primitive or wild or untamed doesn’t just “stop”. They have to have a reason to do so. They don’t think logical, rational thoughts. Animal. Not Shifter. I knew enough, my wolf being fearless and imprudent when I shifted, that I should have figured this out before they made it this close. They think with instincts, with how their body is feeling. Like, right now, they were hungry, and smelled the blood, so they were going to eat. Or, if they were protective, they would fight to defend their territory.
If I wanted them to stop, they would have to be…
“Tired,” I mumbled rapidly. “I want them exhausted. So tired they can’t move.”
I pushed our will of lethargy on the mass of animals not five yards away.
It worked. Kind of.
Almost all of the animals were affected by our will, but King Kincaid had been correct. Those damn alligators gave us the most trouble, waddling drunkenly, fighting our will all the way to an inch from my toes before they plopped down, hitting the sand like the other animals had, sleeping, each making a wild kind of snore. All of them.
Absurdly, a thought came to mind, making me giggle and earning me a few glances.
These snoring beasts had nothing on Nikki.
Politely, I kept that to myself.
Chapter Eighteen
Anyone would think after our first two tests in funneling that the Kings would have been just as aggressive on Ezra and Pearl during their tests.
They weren’t.
Ezra’s was accomplished inside of a class reunion at the local Com high school. The place had been packed, and the Kings and Antonio had snuck us in through a back entrance. They had taken us behind the bleachers, and then King Venclaire had ordered Ezra to command the entire group to do an action in unison. Well, there had been music playing, and Ezra had chuckled evilly. We had willed them to do the macarena for three songs straight. It had looked like a twisted version of zombie meets the drunken 90s.
After that, it had been Pearl’s turn. Oh, how she had been disappointed with her test. She’d had to make vegetables grow from seeds to full harvest within an hour. I had been impressed. Damn impressed. Especially because it hadn’t just been, like, one or two. It had been an entire field’s worth. We had done it, and when we had left the high grass field, I had really hoped the farmer had been ready to gather the harvest, because that was a whole lot of money down the drain if not.
After that, the Kings had let us rest for the remainder of the two days in the week. I couldn’t remember a time when I had been such a couch potato. Well, I could, but I didn’t like thinking of those memories. Dominic’s killers had never been found, so it was unpleasant reminiscing about him, knowing I had never served justice to those who had murdered him.
Friday came. Like it always did. Although, this time, while the four of us, Nikki, and Gideon started to relax and watch a movie in my bedroom, there was a knock at my door.
Swallowing my popcorn and wiping my buttery hands on my shorts, I opened my door, glaring at Jack behind me and saying a few words to threaten him with bodily harm if he started the movie without me. I turned back to the opened door. Stopped. Stared. Not at the person who had knocked, because that had just been King Kincaid, closest to the door. No, I stared at the man standing slightly behind and to his side.
My goodness, oh, my goodness.
I quickly swiped my mouth with the back of my hand, making sure I didn’t have any bits of popcorn lingering. Or drool. Come to mama, I sniffed, wolfy. Mmm-hmm.
Already smug, King Kincaid said softly, “Lily, I’d like to introduce you to,” a motion to the hottie, “Broderick Dressler. I believe I mentioned he would be dropping by,” crap, he had, “and his father and I have some business to take care of. It should take about an hour. Do you think you can entertain him while we’re meeting in my study?”