Chapter 28

Chapter 28
Jenna
Joyce held Jenna’s hand tightly as Rose and Emily threw spells at them, trying to help train Jenna a little before they left for the Black Moon pack, while Joyce tried to funnel Jenna’s power to specific targets that had been set up around the yard. When they finally hit one, Jenna cheered, but Joyce tugged on her hand.
“Focus, Jenna. Again!”
Rose threw a spell, and Jenna barely managed to get magic to avoid it slamming into her chest. Joyce sent it flying off to destroy another target. Jenna glanced at Joyce.
“Good job.”
Joyce bared her teeth. “Keep going. Focus, Jenna!”
Jenna sighed as she resigned herself to more practice. She knew that all the existing mates were being put through the same harsh, fast-paced training sessions she was, but it was exhausting. She just wanted to take a break, but Joyce was pushing her harder than she thought she could be pushed. The only one not being forced to practice was Rika. Goddess, how she wanted to be a harpy instead of an unshifted Basilisk. The pressure that was on the Diablo family line was suffocating, and she was afraid to collapse under the weight of it. When she finally stumbled against Joyce, she wrapped her arms around Jenna.
“That’s enough. I think we have it. I want you to go nap while you can. I’ll come get you when-”
“Round up, everybody.”
Jenna cursed under her breath as she followed Joyce over to the small group in front of Merlot, who had his arm around Margo’s waist. Nalani smiled at her.
“Glad to have you back as a human. I hate not being able to talk to you,” Nalani said.
Margo hugged her, and nobody missed the tears that sprang up in her eyes. “Promise that you will be safe, Nala.” She looked around at everyone else. “All of you. I want us all to come back safely.”
“With our mates,” Yola said quietly.
Margo nodded. “With your mates.”
Merlot kissed Margo’s cheek. “Does everyone remember their teams?”
They all nodded. Rose cleared her throat.
“One last thing before we go. We need to figure out the rest of the teams.”
“How?”
Rose sighed. “The rest of you all figured out who your mates are by their names. Maybe it will still work. The Giant is named Jackson.”
Jane moved to stand next to Jenna. “He’s my mate. I’m on the Giant Team.”
Rose nodded her approval. “The Light Beam’s name is Miranda.” Monica moved between Link and Nalani, claiming the Light Beam. “The Mime is Yuri.”
Yola beamed as she moved next to Jordan and Bea. “Yuri,” she purred. “Is mine.”
Zane sighed as he took his place beside Margo. “I guess that makes the Torva Messor mine.”
Rose eyed him. “Her name is Zannie.”
Zane sighed again. “Yeah, she’s mine.”
Merlot patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry so much, brother. We will bring her home for you.”
“She’s a murderer,” he said defeatedly.
“Not by choice. We’ll make sure she understands her powers and how to control them. Don’t write her off just because of what she's been forced to do. I’m sure she is a sweet girl.”
“I guess.”
“Are we ready?” Merlot asked, putting his hand out.
Margo put her hand on top of his, linking their fingers together, while everyone else held their hands out. Merlot threw their joined hands in the air, shouting, “TEAM MOTHERFUCKING SOMA!”
His battle cry was echoed by everyone else, before he opened a portal to the Black Moon Pack. He took one last look around at everyone before nodding.
“Goddess speed everyone.”
Rose widened the portal with Emily’s help so they could all walk through together. When they landed, they cautiously peered around, breathing a sigh of relief when nobody was there to greet them. Before they could move, Jordan jumped in front of Merlot, screaming in agony as a poisoned arrow buried itself in her shoulder. Minton stepped up beside her, with Mayra shielding him. He let out a barely there screech that had the image in front of them wavering before dropping to reveal an almost endless sea of people. Jenna licked her lips nervously as she eyed the 100-foot-tall male towering above them all. Joyce squeezed her hand.
“We got this,” she whispered. “Trust me.”
A man stepped forward, smirking at them. “Nice little trick you have there, but it still won’t be good enough to defeat us. We have the numbers and the power.”
Merlot frowned at him. “We will see who comes out on top, Hassler.”
The man raised his hand into the air. “CHARGE! KILL THE ROYALS!”
Merlot took a deep breath. “HOLD!”
Jenna tensed beside Joyce, clinging to her hand, while Joel and Jane took their places beside her. She eyed the giant as he rushed toward them.
“SPREAD OUT!” Merlot yelled.
Jane shifted into her tiger, sprinting toward the giant while Jenna, Joyce, and Joel rushed to the left before spinning back to see Jane’s tiger, bouncing around on the ground, lunging at the giant, narrowly avoiding his hands as he repeatedly tried to grab while she led him away from the battle raging around them. Jenna let out a deep exhale.
“Focus, Jenna. You can do this,” Joyce murmured.
Once the giant was far enough away from the battle, Jane shifted back to nod at them, spinning to avoid the giant’s hands again. Joyce covered Jenna’s ears as Joel began to sing. His hauntingly beautiful voice soared above, below, and around them. The longer Joel sang, the more confused the giant got until he was swinging wildly, desperately trying to grab ahold of something. Jackson let out a furious screech as he ripped a tree from the ground to throw it in their direction. Joyce sent it careening off to the side before screaming, “NOW!”
Jenna gathered all of her magic in her chest. Joyce quickly guided her energy into the giant, making him crash to the ground on his knees, howling in pain as he clutched at his head. Joyce sent more of Jenna’s magic at him, and he dropped to the ground, unconscious. His body shrank rapidly until a normal-sized human lay on the ground.
“GO HELP THE OTHERS! I’LL PROTECT HIM!” Jane yelled before shifting back.
Jaida and Joyce glanced at each other before shaking their heads. “Joel, Jenna, stay here in case he wakes up. Jane will protect you!” Joyce ordered as they rushed into the fray.
Jenna kept her eyes glued to Joyce as her tiger started to tear into vampires and other shifters, shredding them into pieces before moving on to her next victim. Fear filled Jenna when Joyce’s tiger was surrounded. As a vampire wrapped his arms around her body, squeezing her tight, Jenna sprinted toward them, gathering magic in her chest before ejecting it from her body, trying to aim it at the vampires attacking her mate. After the third blast of energy missed her target, she gave up trying to guide it to launch herself at the vampire, still crushing Joyce’s tiger. She began to pull his head back while she wrapped herself around him, trying to break his neck. Keith, catching sight of her struggle, ran over to engage the other vampires while Jenna fought with the one holding Joyce while she weakly tried to bite into him. The vampire howled in pain when Joyce’s tiger’s teeth sank into his shoulder, distracting him just long enough for Jenna to twist the vampire’s head around. The vampire immediately released Joyce, who whimpered in pain before trying to crawl over to where Jenna was straining to push the vampire off of her.
“I’m so sorry, Joyce. I’m so sorry,” Jenna sobbed as she threw herself on top of her wounded mate.
Joyce licked her face before Jenna shoved her away as her body started contorting. Jenna screamed in agony as her muscles all burst open, and at the same time, every bone in her body broke. Jenna whimpered again. Jenna’s body was lifted into the air as it started to rapidly get bigger, heavier, and harder. Her spine lengthened while her head quadrupled in size. When the pain was finally over less than a minute later, Joyce shifted back to stare up at her with awe on her face. She reached out to touch her.
“Oh, Jenna, you are so beautiful.”
Jenna let a drop of saliva out to cover Joyce, healing her instantly before turning her attention back to the battle. Joyce shifted into her dragon, nodding her head in a ‘let’s go’ motion. Jenna let out a terrifying hiss before shifting her body to face the battle. They almost killed Joyce. They took her parents and hurt her sisters. And for what? A power struggle? She let venom drip off of her fangs. She was going to show them how futile their power struggle was. She was going to make sure that not even one of them survived the fight. They would regret everything. Especially hurting Joyce.