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supposed to be fun he thought as he struggled for breath. He made a final attempt to take the dog with him, clamping his jowls around the dog’s throat in his death throes.
    * * *
     
    Kayla peered through blurry eyes at the unfolding horror. “No, Roo,” she croaked. Filled with rage, she struggled to sit up, hoping she could reach Roo before the Wer killed him.
    The intensity of her emotions grew. Painful warmth filled her limbs. When she could no longer take the pain, heat flowed down her arm and out the tips of her fingers. It struck the MoonSkin in a flash of blinding blue light. He flew back; the wolf disappeared. In his place lay a badly mauled, naked man.
    Unable to understand what just happened, Kayla stared in confusion at the scene before her. She tried to stand, but fell back. “Roo,” she whimpered and once again slid into unconsciousness.
    * * *
     
    Kayla blinked, her thoughts hard to hold onto as she woke. She could feel the cold wet asphalt and slimy alley sludge beneath her cheek. The smell made her vomit. The world spun about her. Crawling to her hands and knees, she let her head hang briefly before she stood. She held onto the wall, then, pushing off, she stumbled a few steps towards Roo.
    Something caught her eye as she walked. She squinted through the blood that dripped into her eyes and stopped, wiping her hand across her brow. She cleared away the worst of it. Shaking her head, the world spun. Her stomach rolled. Groaning, she grabbed her knees until her head settled. She lifted her head and looked towards the end of the alley. He’s dead , she thought.
    Nyx, her long dead cat, looked at her from a pool of light at the end of the alley.
    Kayla straightened, “Nyx? Is that you?” Moving in his direction, she reached out her hand, but he turned and moved away. She stumbled after him, soon realizing she wasn’t going to catch him. She stopped; Roo wasn’t following her. She looked back. He lay unmoving near the MoonSkin.
    “Roo?” She lifted her hand to her head, confused, unable to think. Frightened, she went back to him, slid to her knees and ran her fingers through his coat matted with blood. Realizing he had saved her, tears streamed down her cheeks, leaving trails of white across her grime covered face.
    “No, not Roo,” she pleaded. She heard a meow. Something butted against her hand and she felt soft fur beneath her fingers, though her eyes told her nothing was there. Hope bloomed in her heart. “We’ll get help, boy,” she whispered.
    Sliding her arms under his limp body and hefting him to her chest, she followed the shadow cat down the alleyway. Her legs trembled under Roo’s weight.
    Kayla came to an alcove in the alley. The cat passed through the wall. Unsure, she frowned. Kneeling down she slid Roo onto the ground, then stood, reaching out to investigate the wall. A sharp twinge of pain shot through her arm and wound itself around her chest.
    Squeezing, it stole her breath. A major ward flared to life, refusing her entry. Thick cords of air wound themselves around her body, lifting her up. She hung there, fighting to breathe, unable to defend herself, her charms useless. It flung her onto the ground.
    Kayla hit her head against the pavement. As darkness closed around her, she saw something coming towards her.
     
     
    6
     
    Gannon looked up from his work when he felt the slim form of a cat brush against his leg. Seconds before, something strong hit his ward. The concussion threw him forward across his workbench. Aftershocks vibrating through his workroom knocked scrolls and books off his shelves.
    He glared down at the cat. “What have you brought with you this time?”
    The cat disturbed his work more often than not these days; it seemed for the last few months it’d been a constant nuisance. Gannon scratched the cat under its chin while he thought.
    Gannon, will you pay attention?
    Gannon shook his head and looked around. The cat glared at him, twitching his tail back and