Chapter 418: Rescuing Princess

Kiara cracked her eyes open inside Princess’s car. Mid sunlight streamed through the tinted glass, cutting across the leather back seat. A heavy weight rested against her thighs. She looked down. Beamer Frost lay curled up, her cheek pressed flush against Kiara’s lap, her breathing slow and even.

"Okay, this is definitely... what the fuck?" Kiara muttered. Her face stayed flat, completely unbothered by the sight of the girl sleeping on her.

They had spent the entire night parked in the dark vehicle, refusing to drive away after Guru dragged Princess’s limp body out of sight. Leaving the Alpha alone with a cold-blooded killer was a bad idea.

Besides, Princess had forced them into a new agreement just days ago. The main rule was written clearly in their minds: no leaving anyone behind, no abandoning the group. Kiara had a bad habit of sprinting in the opposite direction the moment chaos broke out, and Princess was determined to chain her down.

There were plenty of other stupid rules they had agreed to, but that one stuck out.

Kiara raised her palm, aligning her fingers to deliver a sharp smack right across Beam’s face. Her hand hovered in the air for a second.

The faint memory of older mornings flashed through her mind.... waking up in a quiet room, laying completely still on her side just to watch Beam sleep peacefully on her mattress. She remembered how she used to squeeze her eyes shut the second Beam stirred, terrified of showing even a tiny shred of softness toward the girl.

Those days were long dead. Both of them had moved on to different people now.

Slap!

Kiara brought her open hand down hard across Beam’s cheek.

"W-what is happening?" Beam jolted awake, bolting straight up. Her head slammed hard into the felt ceiling of the car with a dull thump. She rubbed her crown, her eyes darting around the interior until she realized where she was. She turned her glare toward Kiara. "What are you doing here?"

"We spent the night inside here. Nothing biggie," Kiara said smoothly, turning her hand over to admire her manicured nails.

Beam sat up, her cheeks flushing red. "You... what did you do to me? Did you take advantage of me?"

"I don’t know," Kiara drawled, tilting her head. "You happened to be drooling on my lap. I bet you were having a great dream, probably about me."

"That is the last thing I will ever dream of, you adulterous Medusa!" Beam spat, her voice tight with disgust.

"I don’t remember Medusa being unfaithful," Kiara replied without missing a beat. "And if I were her, you probably would have turned to stone a long time ago."

Beam’s jaw tightened. She didn’t take the taunt sitting down. In a split second, she lunged forward, slamming Kiara back against the leather seat and pinning her down by her shoulders. She leaned over her, her breathing heavy, raw anger burning in her eyes.

Kiara looked up at the girl hovering over her. Slowly, she brought her arms up, wrapping them around Beam’s back and pulling her tight against her chest.

Beam flinched, her body freezing instantly.

"You’re the strongest one," Kiara whispered right near her ear, "and yet your muscles betray you every single time you’re close to me." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Your lovely girlfriend is going to be so heartbroken when she realizes that you bend your knees for only me. Do you two do threesomes?"

Slap!

The sound cracked inside the quiet cabin. Beam’s hand flew back as Kiara’s head snapped to the side from the force of the strike.

"You truly are a disgusting moron," Beam hissed. She shoved herself off Kiara, yanked the door handle, and tumbled out of the car.

Kiara lay back on the seat, a low laugh rising from her chest. It quickly turned into a dry, breathless chuckle. She reached up, touching the red mark blooming across her face. "Still in love with me, huh...? Hahaha."

Outside the car, Beam leaned against the rear fender, taking deep, rugged breaths. Cold air hit her lungs, but her pulse was still hammering in her throat. She gripped her elbows, trying to scrub away the lingering feeling of Kiara’s arms around her. It bugged her to her core. She hated how quickly her body melted the second that girl pulled her in.

"Egg sandwich," a voice called out.

Rolex stepped around the bumper, holding out a crumpled plastic wrapper with a wide grin. Beam stared at the greasy wrapper, then looked up at the boy’s cheerful face.

"No thanks," Beam said, pushing herself upright. "Are they back yet?"

"No. Guru and Sister-in-law are still out."

"Sister-in-law?" Beam raised her eyebrows, staring at him like he had grown a second head.

"Yes. Faye is family, and her mate is also family," Rolex explained cheerfully, taking a massive bite out of his own sandwich. "Do you want to be my family? I’m just Guru’s apprentice, but soon I’ll be a big boy."

"No. I have a girlfriend."

Rolex blinked his bright eyes and gave her a heavy wink. "I can be the third girlfriend."

"If you don’t shut up and eat that sandwich, you won’t have a tongue to speak with," Beam growled, stepping into his space.

Rolex grinned wider. "You talking about my tongue means you want it?"

Before Beam could grab the boy by his collar and tear his mouth open, a sharp chime cut through the air. A harsh, high-pitched shrill rang out from her coat pocket.

The anger vanished from her face. She pulled her phone out and tapped the bright screen. The display blinked in bright red text: DANGER.

The tracker implanted deep beneath their skin had tripped its emergency trigger.

One of the Trio was in trouble.

"Hey, go get your buddy," Beam yelled, turning toward the car... "Princess is in danger."

Minutes later, they slammed on the brakes in a clearing surrounded by dense pine trees. Guru’s Jeep sat parked near the treeline, its engine bay completely engulfed in bright orange fire. The ground around the vehicle was scorched black, smoke rising from the grass in thick gray spirals.

Rolex and Stevie opened their doors and stepped onto the dirt, pulling heavy handguns from their waistbands and racking the slides.

Beam stepped out behind them, her forehead wrinkled in confusion as she watched them check their weapons.

"Don’t any of you have werewolf powers?" Beam asked.... "Even without the full moon, you can still use your abilities, right?"

Stevie didn’t look up from his magazine. "We’re rogues. We are born without wolves, just like normal humans. Even our boss."

"Huh..." Beam muttered, staring at them.

Before she could process the thought, a high-pitched, agonizing scream shattered the quiet forest. It echoed directly from inside the small, dark wooden cabin.

Beam whipped her head toward the sound. Beside her, Kiara stepped out of the car with a faint, sharp smile stretching across her lips.

"You’re welcome," Kiara murmured softly, her eyes locked on the smoking cabin walls. "Come on, let’s go get the Alpha and get out of here."

Kiara brushed past the two armed men, taking quick, confident strides toward the wooden porch.

Beam fell into step right behind her.

Rolex watched them march ahead, then looked down at the iron in his hand. "Looks like we won’t be needing guns," he muttered, sliding the pistol back into the waist of his pants.

Inside the cabin, the heavy stench of burned meat and ash filled the room.

The witch was now dust..

With the magic spell broken, the enchanted rope lost its hold, slipping freely from the ceiling beam. Princess and Guru dropped heavily to the floor, shaking off the numbness in their limbs.

Guru stretched his arms, adjusted his pants, and unzipped his fly right over the chalk symbol drawn on the wooden floor. He let out a sigh as he began to pee directly onto the white marks.

Princess wiped soot from her forehead, staring at him in utter disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"Stopping whatever demon she was summoning," Guru replied without looking back.

Beam stepped over the threshold, her boots crunching on broken glass. She stopped dead in her tracks, watching the man. "And peeing on the floor will stop that?"

"Yes. It breaks the portal or wherever the demon is coming from," Guru said simply, finishing up.....

"That’s the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life," Princess grunted, rubbing her raw wrists where the hemp had chafed her skin.

Kiara leaned against the doorframe, watching the puddle spread over the chalk. "He’s doing the right thing. Urine does nullify magic."

Guru pointed a finger at her. "See? The crazy girl knows it."

"That’s because my family studies....."

"I praised you. That doesn’t mean you should act cocky," Guru cut her off sharply, waving his hand in the air to dismiss her. "I’m the boss here."

Kiara’s posture shifted instantly. Her eyes narrowed into thin slits, her breathing turning shallow as her hands balled into tight fists. She raised her right thumb, extending her sharp, pointed fingernail directly toward the soft skin of her index finger, ready to dig deep and draw blood.

Princess saw the dangerous flick of Kiara’s wrist and stepped forward quickly, catching Kiara’s forearm before the nail could cut the skin.

"Okay, let’s go have dinner or something delicious," Princess said loudly, forcing a wide smile as she pulled Kiara’s hand down.

Guru bent down over the pile of ashes on the floor, scooping up the golden ring that had fallen from the witch’s finger.

He wiped the soot off on his jeans, admiring the gold. That ring was worth a fortune. On the black market, a piece like this would fetch enough cash to repair his Jeep.

"Oh, good," Guru said, slipping the golden ring into his front pocket. "I’m craving Chinese fried noodles."

Rolex raised his hand eagerly from the doorway, waving his fingers. "I know a Chinese restaurant in this town!"

Without another word, the group turned away from the burned cabin, leaving Rolex to find a way to clear the cabin and bring Guru’s Jeep.