“Insolent bitch!” Krogan screamed at Joanie. “You’re ruining plans that were set in motion centuries ago for your petty revenge?” Hateful red eyes turned to Isabelle. “I’ll kill every last one of you here until you give me the dagger!” He advanced toward her. “I’ll—” He stopped short. “What’s going on?”
Isabelle’s heart pounded in her chest. Shadows began to creep around them like dark curling waves, filling every crack of light. Then, one by one, they appeared—Marc Delacroix and two of his relatives, plus Julianna, Duncan, Astrid, Zac, and Cross.
“You damned dirty dogs!” Krogan screamed. “Kill the child now, you bitch!”
Ransom let go of her father, and together, they lunged at Joanie. She screamed and tossed Evan in the air.
“Evan!” Isabelle shouted as she watched her son fly up in an arc toward the edge of the building. “No!”
It all happened so fast. Her wolf ripped out of her body, leaping forward. It sailed over Grant and Ransom as they landed on Joanie, hurtling toward the edge of the building. But they were still too far. Too slow. Isabelle screamed as she watched her son nearing the edge of the building and—
Poof.
A female figure appeared out of nowhere, arms outstretched as she caught Evan like a linebacker intercepting a football. But her son’s momentum made her teeter back, so Isabelle’s wolf stretched forward as far as it could, jaw opening up and teeth snagging on the woman’s shirt and pulled, sending them rolling backward.
Isabelle blinked. What the hell happened?
“Isabelle, you’re crushing me,” a pained groan said from somewhere underneath her.
The wolf rolled to its side, a sleeping Evan protected against the chest of the woman and the cage of her arms. It blinked at the woman who had been pinned under them.
“Phew!” Astrid stood up and glanced down at Evan with a tender smile. “Glad I caught this one right on time.”
Oh God. She had almost forgotten Astrid was a hybrid and had similar powers to Cross, albeit a limited range. She must have seen Evan flying off and transported herself just in time to catch him.
Isabelle quickly transformed back, and the first thing she did was embrace Astrid. “Thank you,” she sobbed. “Thank you for saving him.”
Astrid smiled at her. “Thank you for catching me. But, we’re not done yet.”
“I—Oh no! The dagger!” She must have dropped it when she shifted. But where was it?
It was pure chaos all around them. Wolves and witches were battling the mages. She saw Delacroix deftly weave in and out of the shadows as he dodged a mage who could throw balls of lightning. One of his witch cousins was using the shadows around them to contain a mage in a dark fog, while Julianna’s wolf was ripping into another’s throat.
“Get him to safety,” she told Astrid, then retraced her steps. There it was! The dagger was on the ground, the green jewel glinting even in the darkness. She dashed toward it, practically diving at it, but it was too late. A gray, ashen hand snatched it seconds before her.
“Finally!” Krogan held the dagger up in triumph. “Now we can fully revive the master!” He took something out of his pocket and smashed his hand onto the dagger. It dripped with something sticky and red, then he disappeared.
“No!” Isabelle scrambled forward, but he was gone. “Goddammit!” Her chest tightened, and tears clung between her lashes.
“Isabelle?”
She turned around. “Papa!” Flinging herself at him, she cried into his chest. “Papa, I’m sorry. I dropped the dagger when I went after Evan and—”
“Shh … shh, sweetheart, you did good.”
“But the dagger—”
“Evan is safe,” he said. “That’s all that matters. We always knew there was a possibility that they would get the dagger, and Evan’s life would always come first.”
“But what about the mages? And Magus Aurelius?”
“We’ll get them.” There was pure determination in his eyes. “I know it.”
“Isabelle.”
Her father’s arms loosened and fell to his sides before she turned. Ransom was staring at her, white as a sheet. “Evan’s fine. He’s—”
He snatched her to him, wrapping his arms around her. “I thought I’d lost you. Lost you both.”
God, his scent was so comforting right now, so she let him hold her. “I’m fine.”
Cross came up to them from behind Ransom. “We have to get a move on. I—” The hybrid’s eyes bulged as he realized she was naked. Glancing briefly at her, he waved his hands, and a shirt and loose pants appeared on her body. Clearing his throat, he continued. “Krogan must have had some of Reed’s blood, which allowed him to teleport using the dagger. He’s probably back at Lake Hope.”
“What’s the situation there?” her father asked.
“According to Dad, not so great.” His dark blond brows snapped together. “There’s no counter spell for the dome, and unless someone from the inside can stop the mages powering it like we did in Central Park, we can’t get rid of it. But,” he paused for a breath. “Seems they haven’t quite completed the required number of Lycans and humans yet, so they keep switching it on and off as they’re gathering more sacrifices. Dad’s waiting for an opening so he can slip in with a small group and turn it off.”
“We can’t just sit around and wait, though,” Grant said. “But also, the plan was to stage a full-scale attack should the mages get their hands on the dagger.” It was risky, but they knew it would have to be done.
“It’s all my fault,” Isabelle said. “I—”
“No one’s blaming you, sweetheart,” Grant assured her. “Besides, they would have done anything to get the dagger, and Evan might have been killed.”
“Let’s go get those bastards,” Ransom growled. “We can’t let them win.”
“Gather everyone,” Cross instructed. “I’ll be back in a sec.” He turned to Isabelle. “Your grandfather Noah, Gunnar and my Uncle Jackson and his wolves are ready to be transported to Lake Hope. I can bring Evan to their home in West Virginia, and Lily can take care of
