Brynley shifted back. “What—what have I done?” She stumbled, and Phineas caught her.
Phil grabbed her other arm. “You went Alpha, Bryn!”
“But only males—”
“Not anymore.” Phil’s eyes lit up. “You’re the first female Alpha!”
“Hot damn, girl.” Phineas grinned at her. “You released the Kraken.”
“Get your hands off her!” Rhett stalked toward them and drew his knife. “She’s the most valuable female werewolf in the world. She has to be mine.”
Brynley snorted. “Buzz off, Rhett. Why would I marry you when everyone knows you plan to kill me after the wedding?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Everything’s changed now. You’re too valuable to kill. With you, I could rule the entire Lycan world. I would have the strongest children—”
“
“Forget it!” Rhett sneered at her. “Why would I want you when I can have the one and only Alpha female —”
“You’re dumping me?” Corky screeched. “You—you stupid animal. I was mistress to kings before you were ever born.”
“And you’ve outlived your usefulness.”
“You think so?” Corky pulled a knife and pointed it at Rhett. “I could slit your throat so fast you’d never see it coming.” She glanced at Brynley. “Or I could take out your bitch.” She vanished, then reappeared behind Brynley.
“No!” Rhett dashed toward them.
With vampire speed, Phineas pulled Brynley away from Corky’s slashing knife.
Phil grabbed Corky’s arm and strained against her vampire strength.
“I’ll kill you,” Corky hissed, aiming her knife at Phil’s face. “I’ll kill all of you stinking wolves.”
Phil’s arm shimmered and shifted, and then with the power of his wolf, he shoved Corky back.
She stumbled into Rhett’s arms and reached for his face. “Darling, let me take you away from here. We’ll rule the—” She gasped as Rhett’s knife plunged into her stomach. “What? You can’t—
Rhett rammed his knife into her heart.
Her scream died as her body disintegrated into a pile of dust.
Silence fell over the field. Phineas glanced at Angus and the others. They didn’t seem too upset over the failure to capture Corky. He suspected that even though she would have been found guilty at Coven Court, Roman would have had a hard time determining her punishment.
He looked back at Rhett, who was calmly brushing some Corky dust off his sleeve. “Didn’t you just kill your escape route?”
He returned to the side of the yard where his small army was gathered. “I have no need to escape. I’m not leaving until Brynley and I are married.”
“You’re an idiot,” Phil said. “My father and his men plan to kill you after the wedding. You should leave while you have the chance.”
Rhett stiffened and glanced at Caddoc. “You think you can kill me?”
Caddoc shrugged. “You think you can kill me?”
Both sides drew their weapons and started hurling insults at each other.
“And the shit hits the fan,” Phineas muttered, then held up his hands and shouted, “Are you guys really going to kill each other over Brynley when she doesn’t want either of you?”
“He’s right!” Brynley yelled. “I’m leaving with Phineas.” She glared at Rhett. “Go back to Alaska and leave my family alone.” She switched her glare to her father. “Good-bye.”
His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
A muffled sob came from the patio.
Brynley winced. “Glynis, I’ll stay in touch with you. I promise.” She turned her back and closed her eyes.
“Are you all right?” Phineas took her hand.
“I’m always leaving her behind.” Brynley gazed at him with tears in her eyes.
“We’ll find a way for you to see her.” Phineas led her toward the Vamps.
Phil walked with them, holding Brynley’s other hand.
“Did it work?” Brynley whispered. “Did we stop a battle?”
“Don’t know,” Phil murmured. “Just keep walking.”
They were halfway to the Vamps when Angus shouted a warning.
Phineas spun around. Rhett was running toward them, his knife raised. He gave a war cry, and his men charged after him.
“Go!” Phineas shoved Brynley toward the Vamps.
Caddoc responded with his own war cry, and his men ran onto the field, their knives raised. They clashed with Rhett’s men, knives stabbing.
Rhett lunged toward Phineas, but with vampire speed, he wrenched the knife from the werewolf’s hand and punched him hard enough he heard the jaw crack. Rhett hit the ground, then jumped up, instantly shifting and repairing his broken jaw. He pounced on Phineas, who grabbed the wolf by the neck as it attempted to rip his throat out. He threw the wolf to the side, but Rhett twisted and snapped his jaw onto Phineas’s arm.
He gasped. Hot, searing pain shot up his arm. He tried to stand up, but tumbled back onto his rear.
Phil lunged onto Rhett, both in wolf form, and they rolled, clawing and snapping. Phil pinned him down and bared his teeth, growling.
Howard sprinted toward them, his knife raised. “Let me fight him!”
Phil moved aside with a snarl aimed at Rhett.
Rhett rolled to his feet and shifted to human form, his clothes in tatters, his face shocked as Howard ran toward him. “You.” He turned and hollered. “Dimitri!”
The Malcontent teleported beside him.
“No!” Howard lunged at Rhett, his knife plunging just as the werewolf vanished with Dimitri. “No!”
“Phineas!” Brynley ran toward him and fell to her knees beside him.
He looked at her and stars danced around her head.
She ripped her shirt off and wrapped it around his arm. “He bit you.”
Phil knelt beside them, back in human form. “How do you feel, bro?”
Phineas blinked at him. “Do you have two heads?”
“What will happen?” Brynley asked.
“I don’t know.” Phil shook his head. Or both his heads. Phineas wasn’t sure.
“Hi, guys.” Phineas waved faintly at the Vamps who were crowding around him with worried faces. He looked over at the field. “They’re running away.”
“Aye,” Angus agreed. “After Rhett disappeared, his army took off running.”
Phineas watched Howell and his cohorts giving chase. “They might chase them all the way back to Alaska.” He blinked as their forms wavered.
Brynley touched his forehead. “He’s burning up. He has a fever.”
Phineas smiled at her. “I’m hot for you, sweetness.”
“He was bitten?” a voice asked.
Phineas squinted up at Brynley’s father. “You again. I thought we said good-bye.”
Caddoc looked at his daughter. “Keep me informed. I want to know what happens to him.”
“You care all of a sudden?” she asked.
“I’m curious.” He paused, then added. “If he survives the transformation, I might accept him as your husband.”
“We don’t care what—”
He lifted a hand to interrupt her. “If he survives, he may have powers no other werewolf has. That alone makes him of interest to me. You will be welcomed in my house.” He glanced at Phil. “All of you.” He turned and strode away.