Chapter 26

A startled scream ripped me from my sleep. I jolted to a sitting position, gasping for air. Sunlight drenched the room and I looked around to see my hair covered my three men. Gage and Reed lay on either side of me with Kahlo spread out at my feet. Everyone wore clothes except me because they’d all insisted, and hell, I’d loved the way they’d all eyed me with starved expressions. Besides, I’d been too tired to argue. Gage and Kahlo had joined Reed and me in the room last night after our intense lovemaking session. Fortunately, once my hair had dried, it had stopped trying to control everyone. That was the last time I used a magical shampoo.

The shriek came again from outside, and I flinched. I climbed over Gage. He grumbled and tumbled out of bed as I darted to the window and pulled aside the curtain, partially blinded by the sunlight. I squinted and stared below at people darting through the streets, others yelling with panic, dragging children with them. They all ran toward the rear of the town.

“What the fuck’s going on?” Gage’s groggy voice washed across the back of my head.

I lifted my gaze to a figure flying in the distance. “What is that?” A bird? Except the wings were larger than any bird I’d seen.

“Son of a bitch.” Gage cursed over my shoulder. “Is that an eagle shifter?”

Shuddering, I pressed closer against the window, gawking at the defined brown eagle wings. My stomach lurched at recognizing the eagle-man from the night Faye had captured me in the mansion. And that meant one thing. The witch was here.

Panic rippled across my flesh. I spun around and cried out, “Reed, Kahlo, get up!”

I sprinted around, picking up my clothes and climbing into them. How had they found us? Or were they here to cause havoc for the local townspeople?

Reed snapped to his feet while Gage shoved Kahlo in the shoulder to get up. With everyone awake and out of bed, hair disheveled, all eyes on me, I spoke of my worst fears.

“Faye is in Crosswind. So the albino shifter might be too. Maybe they’re attacking people. We need to help them.” I slid into my pants, shirt, and vest, tightening the laces in the front of the vest with fumbling fingers, then searched the floor for my boots. One lay near the bed, the other across the room.

“White Venom’s here?” Kahlo croaked and smirked as he picked up his top.

I stepped into my shoes, tucking my blade into my belt. “Who’s that?”

Gage asked.

“The albino lion,” Reed explained. “We found out from a nearby shifter he frequents this locality and attacks shifters often. The local pride has dispersed, as have most shifter groups in the vicinity.”

Gage burst out laughing, holding his stomach. “White Venom?” His eyes teared up. “Who the fuck does he think he is? A hero?”

“Actually, more like the villain.” I pulled my hair over my shoulder and said to myself, move for me. Nothing. All right, so maybe drying it had gotten rid of the craziness? I sure hoped so, as I didn’t need that complication on top of everything else.

“Your hair behaving?” Kahlo asked.

“Seems the drying did the trick, but I’m worried water will trigger it again. I’m hoping it doesn’t.”

His brow marred. “We’ll deal with that later.”

I nodded and rushed into the bathroom for a quick visit. By the time I returned to the main room, everyone stood ready, with Gage still chuckled.

Reed faced me. “We’ve all agreed that we’re going down to check this out. You stay here. If the witch wants you, then she can’t see you.”

I huffed, but Kahlo squared his shoulders. “We’re not budging on this, baby cakes. You’re the one in danger.”

Before I could protest, the three marched out of the room and shut the door behind them. I paced back and forth, rage surging through me. I’d sat back my entire life, locked up, imprisoned, and here I was again. It might not be the tower, but I hated this wrapped-up-in-cotton-wool being thought of as fragile shit.

It’s for your own safety.

“Fuck, I know that. But I hate it.” I pulled the curtains aside and scanned the street, noting my three heroes sprinting against the flow of people. My chest tingled with how proud I was of them, but fear gripped my heart. What could they do against Faye? It could just be a few of their controlled slaves roughing up the locals. Except White Venom—he with the most ridiculous name ever—had been here the other day attacking farmers. I remember the way he watched those panthers get beaten up in the mansion, sitting there in his hooded cloak, enjoying the show. Bastard.

So if he was close, then we’d finish him off. If he died, then my curse should break. Except I’d seen him battle the stone creature, so what chance did I stand?

My three men vanished down a curved road, blocked from view by buildings. An ache settled just under my heart. I paced across the room. How long would I stay here knowing they were out there in danger?

What could you do, anyway?

“I don’t know.” My voice wavered. “But I’m scared shitless of losing them.” They were right, revealing myself was idiotic, and I had no plans on doing that. What I wouldn’t give to have Gingernuts with me. He and I were practiced at being closed up together. He’d keep me company and entertain me. If everything went sour with me, hopefully Gingernuts wouldn’t be homeless.

Outside, more people scattered about, and the eagle-man vanished. The men would have reached the bridge by now. What had they found? Would they be smart and suss out the scene first? Maybe retreat would be a decent option, though I remembered whom I was dealing with. Three alpha shifters would attack first. I ran my hands through my knotted hair, but it felt greasy as if the shampoo still hadn’t come out and clung to my strands. I remembered the insane outcome yesterday where the tresses had taken control. Curiosity swirled within me, so I marched into the bathroom, put the plug into the tub, and pumped the metal handle. Water gushed out. What if water brought my hair to life again? It calmed down once it was dry? I had nothing to lose by trying since I seemed to still have shampoo residue in my hair, and I was curious. If I could better get control of my locks, force them to do my bidding, well that would be interesting and give me an upper hand.

Can you imagine if water brought it back to life, and then you got caught in the rain? You’ll turn into a sex-starved monster in front of everyone.

“Well, maybe it’s better if you don’t speak today. And it’s not just sex-related, but about how I feel.”

So you were super horny yesterday?

“Whatever. You know it’s normal to have those feelings, especially around three hunks.” I took a bundle of hair and dipped the tips into the water just as an explosion detonated behind me. The ground trembled, and I fell forward, my hands and half my hair falling in the tub. But my heart slammed into my sternum, and I jumped up, turning around.

Rubble scattered all over the room, sunlight drenching the place, as if someone had peeled the roof off. What the hell? I reached for my knife on my belt and stepped closer in slow motion, my head poking out first.

The gargoyle stood in the gaping hole it had created in the wall. The enormous stone creature was glaring my way with its square shoulders, long arms, and trunk-like legs.

I pulled back fast and died a little as my insides turned to ice. My breaths refused to budge because my worst nightmare had returned. How? Vanore had said the spell would free me from the gargoyle. Reed had given up his fucking lion for this. Dread numbed my brain. I twitched, tears swimming in my eyes. This couldn’t be happening.

Heavy footfalls hit the floor, and I backed into the farthest corner of the bathroom. Fear slammed into me.

The creature filled the doorway, its shoulders rubbing the frame as it pushed inside.

I screamed. In a rush, it stormed closer and seized me by both shoulders. I struggled and kicked, shoving against the creature, but I might as well have been battling a boulder. It dragged me across the floor, and I struggled to keep up.

“Please don’t do this. I’m—”

We flew out of the room through the hole in the wall, claws digging into my shoulders. The pain stung, but having him come for me fucking killed me. I writhed as the town below me was a swarm of activity. Several people swam across the river and darted into the woods. And just as we approached the bridge, my attention focused on the commotion. I gasped. My men faced a pack of half a dozen animals—panthers, lions, foxes, and wolves—encircling the gate to the city. The white-haired man stood proud, Faye by his side.

Anger surged through me because no way in hell would my men survive this.

“Run. Leave,” I bellowed as we flew fifteen feet above them.

The men glanced up, and their eyes morphed into discs as they spotted my plight.

My hair fluttered around me, over my face and head. Higher still, the strands coiled into corded ropes, as they had yesterday. The sections I’d wet were alive, and they struck the gargoyle. There had been more shampoo still in my hair.

“Take it down!” I yelled as we passed the group below. The dreadlock limbs constricted around the gargoyle’s face, covering its eyes. We swayed in the air, my stomach swishing about. But when my locks looped around the gargoyle’s wings, heaving them together behind its back, we started dropping midair.

I screamed as the ground raced toward us. The creature hissed, its claws slackening. I shoved myself away from it and slammed into a perfectly positioned mass of bushes. My back spasmed, and I stung all over from the branches stabbing me. The ground shook from the gargoyle striking the ground close by.

When I stared at the creature, hatred riled through me, and the hair tightened over it.

Groaning, I staggered upright, ready to kiss Gage for his insane shampoo gift. Golden hair wound over the creature, binding its wings and legs. And no matter how much it fought, it wasn’t moving. After all, my hair was unbreakable.

But this also meant I remained stuck in this fucking conundrum, locked near the creature while I kept it contained.

I glared toward Faye and White Venom, who remained near the river. Across the bridge stood my three men, and they already crept toward us. And for the life of me, I had no clue what to do next. I hadn’t planned to show myself.

Faye and White Venom strolled toward me, the animals in their slavery parting for them to pass.

I lifted my chin, when in truth, I trembled in my boots. Around me, half my hair fluttered in the air, strewing across the ground because it hadn’t gotten wet, but if it had been, I might have had an additional arsenal. Now where was the rain when I needed it? Instead, the skies sparkled without a cloud in sight.

“I made a mistake,” Faye called out. “I figured you’d stay put, but I can see you’re a lot more devious than I gave you credit for.”

“Yes, that’s me. So how about we call it a day and we part ways?” I stood proud of myself for having escaped my tower at night for years without her detection.

White Venom chuckled, but nothing about the sound was hilarious. It covered me in shivers—and not the good kind.

“I want her tied up, shackled to the wall so she never escapes again.” He growled down at Faye, and she nodded, as if fearful of him. Why would a powerful witch cower before a shifter?

When he lifted Faye’s chin with a thumb and stroked her cheek, I watched the way she stared into his eyes. That wasn’t someone scared…nope. Someone smitten. Shit, she loved that monster? Had they been together all these years?

And studying their happy moment had me quivering with rage. They had no right, not with the chaos they brought upon people. They’d locked me up for thirteen fucking years so her lover boy could remain strong through my magical hair.

“You both disgust me.” My words poured out just as I spotted Gage, wings wide, lifting into the air carrying a wooden barrel, water splashing out the side. Fuck, we were so perfect together because they knew what I needed. Kahlo was in animal form, huge, and together with Reed, they snuck up behind the shifters too busy watching me.

Except how the hell would we win this? I waved my hands in the air to ensure everyone watched me. “Why the fuck are you harming shifters? Did someone upset poor Mr. White Venom? Which, by the way, is a shit nickname. Did you come up with it all by yourself or did you open a dictionary and have Faye read you two random words?”

His face warped into a scowl, and his body shimmied with impending transformation.

Terror threaded through me. What was my plan again? I stepped backward as the gargoyle hissed from being tied up in a tangle of hair.

Faye laid a hand across White Venom’s stomach, holding him back, but the man shoved her aside as if she were nothing more than a pawn in his game. She stumbled on her feet, and she didn’t deserve my pity, but seeing her flushed face, the hurt in her eyes, touched me. Except she’d decided to hook up with a psycho.

The moment a shadow flew overhead, the eagle-man shot into the air after Gage, but he’d already upturned the barrel. Water came crashing down, splashing me, and forcing me into a stagger.

“Take her and hold down her hair.” White Venom waved for his army. The animals charged at me, their mouths gaping, their gazes wild with rage. And when I spotted a golden lioness taking the lead, I met familiar green eyes—just like Reed’s. Hell, it was his sister.

Reed and Kahlo sprinted over the bridge, both slamming into the white-haired man, tackling him to the ground. Gage, partially transformed with his dragon wings fanned out, swooped down and snatched the witch, his claw tightly across her throat, covering her mouth and nose.

But the mob coming my way had me frozen on the spot because all I could imagine was me torn apart.