He landed back in the tree. “Whew. Safe again.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Zoltan muttered from his tree and pointed to the ground.
“It arrived right after you guys left,” Phil added.
Phineas glanced down at the big black bear. It reared up on its hind legs and clawed at the tree, shaking it. Phineas held on tight to the trunk.
“I could shift and try to chase it away,” Phil offered. “But it’s a long way down for me to jump.”
“I could try communicating with it mentally,” Zoltan suggested.
“Or I could just talk to him,” Phineas added dryly. He levitated down a bit. “Digger, what are you doing here?”
The bear shifted into a large, naked man. “How did you know it was me?”
Phineas gestured to the yellow dog sitting under a nearby tree with the foil-covered football helmet. “Your sidekick is one of a kind.”
“That’s right,” Digger said proudly. “My Jake is purty special.”
“Your dog could be in danger once the Hunt begins,” Phil called down.
Digger narrowed his eyes as he gazed up the tree. “You a shifter?”
“Werewolf. Philupus Jones.”
“Caddoc’s son? I heard you were dead.”
Phil snorted. “Is that what they’re saying? I was banished twelve years ago.”
Digger motioned to Zoltan. “What about that one? He has funny eyes. Could be an alien.”
“He’s Zoltan, a vampire like me,” Phineas explained.
“Are you sure? Zoltan sounds like an alien planet.”
Zoltan chuckled.
“What brings you here, Digger?” Phineas asked.
“My truck. I left it about a mile down the road.”
Phineas tried again. “Why are you here?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about what you said about that bad werewolf, Rhett, that’s trying to force the little lady to marry him, and then I thought maybe I should have a word with Cad about it, see if he could stop that bad fella from pestering his daughter. We used to be friends, Cad and me, about a hundred years ago.”
“I’m afraid my father knows about Rhett,” Phil said. “And he’s trying to force the wedding, too.”
“Dagnabbit!” Digger slapped his thigh. “That ain’t right. I’m telling you, there’s some bad things going on around here. I saw two of them aliens beaming down in the backyard about five minutes ago.”
“You saw aliens?” Zoltan asked.
“A male and a female. They headed over to the stable. Really fast. They ain’t human, that’s for sure.”
Dimitri and Corky? Phineas glanced up at Zoltan. “Can you see them?”
From the top of his tree, Zoltan surveyed the area. “They must already be inside. A group of people are gathering in the backyard, starting to strip.”
“They’re getting ready for the Hunt,” Phil said.
“Do you see him?” Zoltan pointed. “A man in a tuxedo. He’s headed toward the stable in a hurry.”
Phineas levitated up to where he could see. “That’s Rhett Bleddyn. And that looks like Dimitri at the stable door.”
“Let’s go hear what they have to say,” Zoltan suggested.
“An alien powwow. I’ll meet you over there.” Digger and Jake trotted through the woods toward the stable.
Phineas, Phil, and Zoltan materialized at the back of the stable, then teleported into the hayloft.
Two voices were speaking below: Corky and Rhett. Corky was screaming so loud the horses were growing agitated.
Zoltan closed his eyes and mouthed some words.
Phineas gave him a questioning look, but when the horses settled down, he realized what Zoltan had been doing. He eased forward on his stomach to peek over the edge.
“It was terrible!” Corky shouted. “Dimitri and I barely escaped!”
“Calm down,” Rhett told her. “What happened?”
“It was those wretched MacKay men! They attacked us! The vampires had swords and guns, and there was a huge bear and a tiger!”
“They had shifters with them?”
“Yes! And they were ripping your werewolves into dog food. Dimitri and I barely made it out in time.”
Rhett stiffened. “You’re saying my men lost?”
Corky waved a dismissive hand. “They were falling like flies. I’ve never seen such a bunch of useless—”
“My men
“Yes! Have you been listening?” Corky screeched. “Those bloody MacKay bastards took over your ranch. Now where on earth am I supposed to do my death-sleep?”
Rhett dragged a hand through his hair. “I’ll find a place for you here.”
Corky huffed. “Let’s just go back to Alaska. You have plenty of land there.”
“I need more!” Rhett’s eyes gleamed. “I need more wolves. I need more power. And I’m so damned close. I’ll get more men down here quick. The wedding is in two nights.”
“I don’t want you to marry that bitch!” Corky screamed. “You’re mine.”
“Get a grip, Corky,” he hissed. “It’s just a damned formality so the land can transfer to me legally. Once I’m married to the Jones girl, we’ll kill her and the entire family. Then I’ll inherit it all.”
Phineas flinched and exchanged a look with Phil.
“Just two more days.” Rhett pulled Corky into his arms. “We’ll have it all. I’ll have thousands of pack members in four states following my every command.”
Corky wrapped her arms around his neck. “And I’ll have the governors under my control.”
Dimitri yelped and ran toward them. “There’s a bear charging toward us!”
“Quick!” Rhett ordered. “Take me to the house.”
They vanished just as Digger loped into the stable, followed by Jake. The horses went crazy, rearing up and kicking at their stalls.
“Calm yourselves,” Zoltan told them. “It will not harm you.”
The bear shifted, and the horses returned to normal.
Phineas jumped down to the ground. “Dammit, Digger!”
“What’s wrong?” He scratched at his beard. “Am I too late?”
“You scared them off,” Phineas muttered. “We missed a chance to capture them.”
“Or kill them,” Phil added.
“At least now we know exactly what they’re planning,” Zoltan said.
“What are they planning?” Digger asked.
“A wedding,” Phineas muttered. “Followed by mass murder.”
The bastards were planning to kill his Brynley.
Chapter Twenty-three
“Any sign of Brynley?” Phineas asked.
“Nope.” Digger was sitting on the roof of the stable, hidden behind a turret capped with a large weathervane. Wrapped in a dark horse blanket, he surveyed the surrounding area. His dog, Jake, was safe inside with the horses.
“Ain’t seen hide nor hair of her.” Digger chuckled. “You get it? She could have skin or fur.”
Phineas groaned inwardly. “I’ll check back with you later. Thanks.” He teleported to the front of the house, where Phil was stationed in a tree.
“Haven’t seen her,” Phil muttered.
Phineas sighed. They’d been watching the house for five hours. “You’d think she’d at least look out a damned
