Page 58 of Oracles Always Win

Me:Alreadyhere.What’sgoing on?

Thepause stretched longer thanIliked.Washe back withIsaacnow?Washe safe?

“What?”Vandemanded when he reached me.He’dabandoned his own plate of food along the way.Helooked every bit the police officer who knew he’d need to spring into action.

“Idon’t know,”Isaid and showed the hellhound my message fromNelson.

Firedanced inVan’seyes when he finished reading it.Hisfiery gaze slid over everyone, looking for threats.Thefaint scent of smoke curled through the air around him as his hellhound’s fire surged through him.

“Whereis he?”Vannodded to the phone.

“Outat the pack lands.Doingsome recce.”

Whenthe phone pinged with a message, we read the screen.

Nelson:Bombs.

Fuck.

Vanran to the fire alarm and pulled it.Thewarning siren shrieked over the laughter and chatter.Thesickening scent of fear exploded through the room.

“Everyoneout.”Myvoice burst out of me.Ipushed my demon form to the surface and pushed power into my words until they became a command no one would ignore. “Getout!Now!”

Aroundus, shifters of all shapes and sizes shimmered as they took on their animal forms.Generally, our non-human form was the strongest and most able to withstand an attack, soIunderstood why they shifted.Simon, who’d been in the buffet line with me, shrank down into a house cat.Histail was puffed up like a feather duster as he bolted away, leaving behind only the acrid smell of his fear.

Thewoman with the three kids had dropped her plates.Brokenglass and food splattered across the floor.Shehad the wrists of two children gripped in her hand and was reaching under the table for her third.

Wherethe fuck wasJake?Iscanned the room.Hewasn’t there.Fuck.Washe still in the kitchen?Myheart pounded in my chest like it was trying to break free.Mydemonic magic surged through me, butIneeded to findJakebeforeIunleashed it.

“Jake!”

Peopleran, pushing at one another, knocking over anyone who was smaller in their rush for theFrenchdoors at the back of the room.Thewoman with the kids ran deeper into the building, ushered that way by some of the other locals, andIhoped they were going to the front door.Butwhat if they panicked and got confused?Itwas a straight run to the door, but people didn’t always act rationally when they were scared.

Underother circumstances,Iwould have gone after them, but not now.Ihad to trust the locals would get the woman and her children to safety.Theyknew this place better thanIdid.Theywould be fine.

ButJakestill hadn’t returned.

Wherewas he?

Ihad to find him.Ihad to get him out.Thelittle oracle couldnotbe injured.Iwouldn’t allow it.Ipushed through the panicked people toward the kitchen.

“Whereis the fire?”Jakerushed out of the kitchen brandishing a fire extinguisher.

Ididn’t have time to explain.Iyanked the extinguisher from his hands, grabbed him, and threw him over my shoulder, holding his legs tight to my chest.Jaketwisted and struggled in my arms.Iignored him and ran for the closest set ofFrenchdoors.

“Stop.We’vegot to—” he shouted.

Boom!

Anythinghe was going to say was blown away by the force of the explosion.Thewall of windows covering the full length of the dining room shattered.Glassflew at us like shrapnel.Jakecried out.Idropped low to shield us behind the tables, but it was too late.Mybody was already cut and battered, which meantJakewas injured too.

Fuck.

Mydemon energy, ignited by fear and anger, whooshed through me like a burning match thrown into a puddle of gasoline.Allthe energy from those presents, which my magic had identified as unfinished negotiations, snapped into place andIthrew out a portal the size of the room—I’dnever created anything so large.Theforce of my magic shoved whoever was still in the room into the portal and dumped us on the other side of the road by the lake.Ihadn’t even thought about the destination, but my magic had sorted it for me.Witha portal that size,Icouldn’t carry too many people too far, and this location was better than other places it could have chosen.

Assoon as we were all clear, the portal snapped closed on a pop.

Istaggered, weak after expending so much magic.Anysurplus energyI’dfelt earlier was gone.Allthose open negotiations were now closed and sealed.ButJakewasn’t safe yet.Icouldn’t stop now.