Free Demons Forever (Peachville High Demons #6) by Sarra Cannon

paid it any attention.
    Then, the figure stumbled out from the protection of the trees and fell to the ground.
    I sucked in a pained breath and brought my hand up to my mouth to stifle a scream.
    It can't be.
    I stopped pushing and walked as close to the dome's border as I could get. I squinted toward the bloodied figure and my hands went numb at the sight.
    It was Mary Anne.

A Hatred So Deep
     
    I took off in a frantic run. I had to get to her. To help her.
    The guards at the dome's entrance crossed spears as I approached.
    "I'm sorry, Harper, you know the rules," the first guard said. His name was Everett, I think. I'd seen him here before, and I knew he was one of the king's trusted guards. Strong and tall.
    "You don't understand," I said, out of breath. "I have to get out there."
    "The king said not to let you outside the dome," Everett said. He stepped in front of me. He was human with bulging muscles under his uniform. He clenched his jaw and didn't take his eyes off my face for one second.
    I didn't care if I had to lift this guy with my own two hands to move him out of the way. There was no way I was going to let Mary Anne suffer out there in the woods.
    What had she been thinking? Had she been attacked by hunters? Why didn't she contact me on the communication stones? I hadn't talked to her in a few weeks, but she definitely hadn't mentioned heading this way.
    Was Essex with her? Surely she wouldn't have left without him? Panic seized my heart. What if he'd been hurt?
    "I don't care what the king said," I argued, my pulse racing. "My friend is hurt out there, and I need to help her."
    The two guards turned to see who I was talking about.
    "I don't see anyone," the second guard said. I had no idea what his name was, but I recognized him as one of the hybrids on my father's guard. Half-demon, half-human. Just like me.
    "Here, I'll show you," I said. I moved away from the entrance and pointed toward the edge of the woods. "Come here. See her there by the trees? She's injured and she needs help."
    The two guards both lowered their spears and took a few steps toward me to get a better look.
    I seized the opportunity and shifted, turning to smoke as I zipped past them and through the city's gate so fast they didn't have time to stop me or even realize what was happening.
    I reached Mary Anne's side in a matter of seconds. I shifted back to human form and reached out to her, planning to pick her up and rush her back inside the safety of the dome.
    "Mary Anne?" I reached for her, then quickly pulled my hand back as if it had been bitten by a snake.
    Her face elongated, morphing into an entirely new face. It happened so fast. One second I was sick with worry. The next I was filled with fear.
    I recognized this person. Her amber-colored pixie haircut. Her dark green eyes.
    She snarled up at me, then shifted into an orange and black tiger, her fur matted and dirty, not at all like the sleek and beautiful animal I'd faced all those months ago when we'd first come to the shadow world. This tiger's eyes were filled with a hatred so deep and ugly it took my breath away.
    I shifted and headed for the entrance to the city. This whole thing had been a setup. How could I have been so stupid? I needed to get back to the safety of the dome.
    Before I could slip back through, a solid black barrier formed over the only entrance to the city like a door with no key. The king's guards ran up just as the wall formed, locking them in.
    And locking me out.

Lost Without Her
     
    I turned, prepared to fight.
    A trio of witches emerged from the trees to join the tiger. I didn't recognize them, but I had a good feeling I knew who had sent them.
    The orange tiger shifted back to her human form and the four of them surrounded me. My back pressed hard against the solid black barrier. I swallowed and tried to remember to breathe.
    "We have some unfinished business, you and I," the tiger witch said. Her amber hair stood straight up, wild as the look in