Chapter 4

"Onward, noble steed," I cried, my fingers buried in Hugh's ink-black fur as we raced through the Whimpering Woods. Slasher and Brannigan blurred far in front of us, and Dean raced beside Hugh, dressed in fur and claws. I could have taken my own form—bigger, faster, and better than everyone else's—but I never missed an opportunity to ride Hugh.1

His body shook with a low rumble of playful annoyance, but it wasn't enough to deter me from pointing ahead of us like a knight charging into battle on a white charger. Air tore past us, trees rushing by so fast they became one big green smudge in the corner of my eye, but I kept my stare fixed ahead as Slasher and Brannigan veered off the path, following the same scent that filled my lungs—bright, verdant plant-life, rich, loamy earth, and a trickle of sharp blood with something sweet, like vanilla custard.

Hugh dug his claws into the ground, sending us swerving off the path after my vampire mates, and I cackled like a madwoman as my stomach went swoop.

"Stop enjoying this!" Edison yelled, his voice high and strained.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my darling witch mate was riding Dean, clinging to his fur for dear life as my Sexy Sir took the curve off the path like a fancy formula racer.2

"Wheee!"I shouted, only my last brain cell stopping me from throwing both my arms up as my ride raced through the woods. A face full of twigs and dirt would put a swift end to my fun, not to mention losing my front teeth. I kept my hands where they were.

Good thing I didn't let go; Hugh jolted into a sudden halt that would have thrown me off his back. My ass lifted as it was, my thighs slipping where they gripped him, but gravity dragged me back down, and I grunted at the force of the landing.

"Slower,"Edison screeched at Dean. "If I fly off your fucking back, you'll regret it, mongrel."

"Hey!" I complained, twisting to look at him. "I'm a wolf, so you're insulting me, too."

"You're a beautiful pedigree, Blossom," Edison replied breathlessly, his pale hair slicked to his face and sweat shining on his inked neck. Poor Edison. "He's the damn mongrel."

Hugh rumbled a soft noise.

"Yeah," I agreed. "What's Hugh?"

"One of those weird dogs with the snaggletooth that everyone falls in love with."

Hugh chuffed a breath, the closest he got to a laugh in wolf form. I bent over his black, furry back to lay a big kiss on top of his head. "I love your snaggletooth, big guy."

Dean barked a sharp sound I understood clearly. Miss Falcon, we came here for a reason. Can you please behave?

"I'll be good," I promised him, throwing my legs over Hugh's back and sliding down to the grass. Ugh, I was saddle sore. And my bum was numb. Life was so unfair.

"They're gone," Slasher hissed, his crimson eyes bright with the hunt as he raced to my side, appearing in a blink.

I jumped, flattening a hand to my racing heart, but his words registered and I frowned. "We missed the Cupid? How? You were so fast!"

Slasher preened, a smile creasing his eyes and filling his cheeks. "I know! But the Cupid had a head start, my animal cracker."

"There's this," Brannigan said, striding over to us with a white feather pinched between his forefinger and thumb. He glanced at me—and Edison. "Can you use it to track them?"

I shrugged. Fuck knows what I could do with my magic.

But Edison grinned slowly, a dangerous thing that gave me butterflies, magic already building around his fingertips. "You bet your cold, dead ass I can."