Chapter 32

Exhaustion wears on me, and I sway on Molmith's back. The sun sets behind us, Westshear and the moons rise on the horizon before us. At least, it's where Westshear is—somewhere, out there, tucked behind the hills of rolling green.

I yawn, rolling my shoulders. It's been a helluva long day.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the serpent cutting its way through the swathes of high green-blue grass. It stayed, and its presence is an unnerving comfort. Dazgan whinnies on his lead behind us, and there's a note of irritation in it. The horses don't love the big snake, and frankly, I'm not sure I can blame them.

"Someone comes," Lesath says. I refocus on the road ahead.

"Shit," I mumble, and his arms tighten around me.

A cloud of dust billows on the road ahead.

"Riders," Lesath says, and I detect a note of worry in his voice. I lean into him, soaking up his warmth.

"We have a giant snake," I remind him.

"Serpent," he corrects absently. "And I'm not sure that it would want to tangle with that many warhorses."

A wolf howl goes up, and all the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

"What the hell is that?"

My question is lost on the wind, Lesath nudging Molmith into a gallop. I slam back into him, my hair streaming loose around my face. My heart speeds up. I don't want to fight again. Wind scours my face, my eyes stinging from the force of it. The wolf howl sounds again, and realization dawns as a great, shaggy form appears, much larger than a normal wolf.

"Shit. Oh, shit." My jaw drops. I snap it shut, because I learned pretty quickly that an open mouth on a fast horse is a recipe for swallowing bugs.

"It's the Alpha of House Lupus," Lesath says against my ear.

A lion roar rends the howling wolf into silence, and a golden-furred beast thunders out from the cloud of dust and dirt. It's mouth gapes wide, sharp canines flashing as it lets out another ear splitting roar. I cower in spite of myself, because I know who that is. And I know who it is on his back.

"Lana," I breathe. She looks fierce as hell, in both the Tyra Banks sense of the word and the fact that she's armed to the teeth with her starlight weapons. The tightness and worry in my chest lessens.

"We found them." Lesath's barely audible over the rushing in my ears.

"Ali," Lana cries out, the raised sword in her hand disappearing. "Ali!"

Ras runs toward us, and Molmith, undeterred by the raging lion, continues surging toward him, eating the ground up on his long legs. Finally, Lesath reins him in.

Lana leaps off Ras' back as the lion slows. My ears pop as magic pulses around the massive lion, and then Ras is standing beside her. Lesath's hands ring my waist, helping me slide off to the ground, and then I'm running for my sister, my exhaustion forgotten.

We smack into each other, laughing. Lana wraps her arms around me.

"You seem so much better, little lamb." Her pet name for me makes me smile harder, and my eyes sting with unshed tears. "I was worried about you."

"No one move," Ras calls out. His eyes narrow, his body tensing as he watches the field behind me.

"What is it?" Lana asks, immediately on alert, weapons sizzling to life in her hands.

"That's a really freaky trick," I mutter.

"There is a serpent," Ras replies, ignoring me.

I relax, blowing out a breath. "Oh. That's Bob. He's helping me."

Lana and Ras both slowly turn their attention to me. Lana's eyebrows climb into her forehead, and Ras' mouth twists to the side.

"She has the gift of the wild hunt," Lesath says, wrapping his arms around me from behind, his chest pressing into my back.

Lana tilts her head, confused.

"I'm like a fairytale princess that can talk to animals…" My eyebrows squish together, and I nudge a rock with my foot. "Except I make them do really, really violent shit."

"And you think my weapons are a freaky trick?"

"I mean, one minute your hands are empty, the next you're Lana Scissorhands." I'm babbling, knowing I'm not really making much sense, but I'm just so dang relieved to see her I can't seem to stop. I hug her again, scooting out from Lesath's grasp, and she laughs into my hair. "How are you here? I thought you were in Westshear?"

"We've been traveling towards Avleim for days now. We met the others on the road… and now you. Tell me more about this power," Lana says, all bossy older sister.

"It came in handy last night," Lesath says.

"What happened last night?" Ras asks, that commanding tone back in his voice.

Lana's gaze darts meaningfully to Lesath, and she raises her eyebrows, the question evident.

"It's good. We're good."

"Vampires, as the women call them. A group of two or three dozen attacked us while we were sleeping."

"What?" Lana breathes, and she's checking me over, looking for evidence of injuries.

"They wanted to take me." I shrug one shoulder. "We didn't let them."

Lesath pulls me back into him, and I relax into his grip.

"They are preparing to go to war for the women," a new voice says, and a naked man joins us. Gah. I'd been doing so well avoiding seeing Ras' junk, mostly because Lana positioned herself in front of him, but there's the new guy's dong, just staring me in the face.

"I can't get used to it," I tell Lana, my eyes firmly on her. "It's like a violent nudist colony around here."

"I am the Alpha of House Lupus," the new guy starts, and I make a point to look at his face. He's big, like all the men, but not as lean as Lesath, much more barrel-chested with thick, packed on muscle. His eyes are a luminous, otherworldly green, with dark brown hair.

"I know," I tell him. "We sent Kaus to you."

"Did he tell you about your new wolf? Her name is Gisele," Lesath adds.

His green eyes widen. "Her name?" His gaze drags to Lesath, and I feel him nod against the back of my head. "Kaus did not tell me it was a she-wolf. A Starbound female." His voice is reverent, but his expression turns thunderous as he turns back to where Kaus strides forward in his centaur form.

"We must hurry," a deep voice bellows. "I will not wait for you to converse like you're at some garden party while my mate is in danger."

Lana jerks her head to the side. "Shut up, Hyadum. We all want to save Mina. You keep forgetting we're on the same team. My sister and Lesath can help."

My mouth gapes as I slowly turn to inspect Mina's fated mate, Hyadum. The first thing I notice are the horns. They're nothing like Dabin's. There's nothing understated about them. They seem brutal, deadly in a fight, something I'm starting to know a little bit about, unfortunately. They're bull horns, and they jut out from either side of his head, dark, reddish-hair falling long around his shoulders. His eyes are a warm brown, and his brow is strong, thick eyebrows slashed across his forehead.

He's not handsome, not like Lesath's dark beauty or Ras' golden good looks. There is something compelling about him though, something striking. His nostrils flare as he notices my perusal.

"Don't," Lana says softly. "Eye contact when he's upset isn't really his thing." She's so different now that I nearly do a double take. Lana seems so much stronger than when she met Mina and me at that campsite in New Mexico a month or so ago.

"Does he turn into a bull?" I peek at him from the corner of my eyes.

"Nah, that's just what he's like. He's super strong though. That's why he looks like he's been working out with the Rock. Or bench pressing the Rock, you pick."

I snort a little, though the gravity of the situation presses heavily on me.

"Where is Mina?" I ask. "Can we get to her?"

"She's in Avleim," Kaus says. The centaur bristles with weapons, pacing behind the wolf. "They're taking her to the Butcher King."

"I will not let that happen." There's lethal promise in his voice, his body glowing a dull brown red. His power punches me, and the serpent, AKA Bob, rears up from the grasses, hissing a warning.

"None of us will let it happen," I tell him. Sheesh. I thought Lesath was bad, but this dude is, like, a tower of anger management issues. "Calm down, Bob."

"We need to intercept them before they make it to the capitol," Lesath says, running his hands down my arms. "How many?"

"A full regiment."

Lesath swears softly, and Ras nods in agreement.

"Well, we're not going to make it standing around like this," says the naked wolf Alpha, his hands on his hips. I jerk my gaze away, Lesath chuckling silently behind me. "Let's go."

"Ali, you don't have to risk yourself, we can handle this?—"

"Lana, you have no idea what I'm capable of."

Her mouth closes, and she stares at me in surprise.

"I know you want to take care of me, I know that's what you think you should be doing ever since mom left. But I've got this."

"Her power is unparalleled," Lesath agrees, and there's pride in his voice. "She manifested the Starbound light before we were mated. She can call down anything."

"We need her." Ras fixes my sister with a long look. "Lesath would not allow her to risk her safety if he did not think she could handle it."

"Fine," Lana capitulates. Her frown slowly turns into a grin. "Proud of you, lambkins."

"Don't call me that," I grumble, pleasure at her praise threading through me all the same.

Hyadum huffs, leading his oversized horse past us.

"Don't worry about him. He's out of his mind worried for her." Lana pokes at Ras, then steps back. The air charges with the telltale prickling of magic along my skin, and my ears pop as Ras shifts back into his huge lion form.

"He has always been an ass," Kaus disagrees, raising an eyebrow.

"You are hardly in a position to talk," says the Alpha wolf. "We'll discuss your omissions regarding the she-wolf later." My ears pop, and an oversize wolf stands where the alpha was only seconds ago. He snaps at Kaus, and the centaur shies away.

Lana climbs on the back of her mate, his paws stretched out long in front, like a regular house cat.

"Come," Lesath says, tugging me back towards our pair of horses.

"Would you want me to ride you?" I say softly, watching Lana and Ras.

"I cannot wait to have you ride my cock as I force you to come over and over again." He tucks me against him with a mischievous grin.

I choke on a breath, slightly shocked and very turned on. "That's not what I meant," I sputter.

"I know what you meant," he laughs, helping me mount, then pulling himself up behind me. "And no. My tail would be dangerous for any rider."

"That makes sense."

"Do not worry, Ali, I will give you plenty of other opportunities to ride me until you're sore and shaking from the pleasure."

His hands skate over my chest, sending heat spiraling through my body before he grabs the reins.

"I want you to be happy, Ali. In all things. With me, and with your sisters here, in Vraya. The vampires will wish they had never been created when we're through with them."

And with that, Molmith turns, picking up speed until we draw even with the rest of our ragtag crew. I glance back at the great serpent, snaking through the grasses on silent scales, at Lana, her hair streaming behind her on Ras' back, Kaus with his bow and quiver, the scary Alpha of House Lupus, and fierce Hyadum of House Taurus, hellbent on reuniting with my sister.

I think Lesath is right.

And I know I'm right where I belong, by his and Lana's side, ready to fight for Mina.

My lips turn up in a grim smile. Those bastards won't know what hit them.