Free Unwrapped: An Urban Fantasy Adventure (Werewolves vs. Mummies Book 3) by J.A. Cipriano

sound.
    “What’s wrong? Don’t want to be all alone with me?” she asked, a hint of sadness tingeing her voice as she stepped close to me and wrapped herself around me. She was so warm, I could barely think past it. Somehow, I managed to reach out and grip her shoulders. She leaned down, pressing her lips to my neck. I pushed her away.
    “We’re not alone,” I whispered and motioned toward the kittens who were all watching us with unblinking eyes. It was really creepy.
    “They don’t count, Thes,” she said, leaning close so her words were hot on my neck before she nuzzled my shoulder with the top of her head. “I’m starting to think you’re making excuses.” Her fingernails trailed down the nape of my neck as she spoke. “Is there something else you’re interested in?”
    “Where’s Anubis?” I asked, trying to pull the conversation back toward where I wanted it to go. Bast was throwing me off, and not in a good way. She’d always been, well, aggressive, but not quite like this. No, she was like Bast gone wild, and I was reasonably sure I didn’t want to participate in whatever that was.
    She scowled at me before taking two quick steps back so her back was pressed against the orange door. “He’s gone. Vanished. Disappeared.” She dropped her hands to her sides, and a breath shuddered out of her. “I woke up, and he’d left without a trace. That was so long ago, I can barely remember it.” She looked up at me, eyes filled with unspent tears. “I’ve been taking care of the underworld all on my own. Cats aren’t meant for that kind of responsibility. We’re meant to roam free, not attend meetings on rigid schedules.”
    “Anubis is gone? Like Osiris?” I asked, feeling a cold sweat start to form on my skin. How could both gods of death be gone? Who could pull off something like that? Not the destroyer, he supposedly wasn’t in his body yet. So who?
    “Yes. They’re both gone. I’ve tried to keep it under wraps, but it gets harder by the day. Weird things are starting to happen.” She gestured pathetically at the kittens. “I don’t even know where they came from. They just showed up one day all mewling and needing food.” She leaned close to me, covering her mouth with her hands conspiratorially. “I don’t even really like other cats. They get hair everywhere.” She shuddered in disgust, and I had to hide my smirk. The irony was palpable.
    I turned to look at the cats, and as I did so, Bast lunged at me, claws outstretched. I stumbled sideways, trying to dodge, but wound up losing my footing on the red rug and crashing to the ground like an idiot. The pain of the impact rattled up my tailbone as Bast advanced upon me, head like a black jaguar, mouth twisted into a snarl. I’d never actually seen a werecat before and was suddenly very glad because I instantly had a new appreciation for someone who could transform into a hundred and fifty pound feline.
    “What are you doing?” I cried as her claws raked across the space between my legs, tearing through the red fabric and gouging lines in the stone beneath.
    “Stopping you as per my orders.” She shrugged like that made perfect sense which it didn’t.
    “Who’s orders?” I asked, leaping to my feet and transforming at the same time. I caught her next swipe, wrapping my hand around her wrist and tugging her toward me. The distance between us vanished. I shifted my weight and slammed her downward into the floor. The sound of cracking bone and shattering stone filled my ears as the gaze of a couple thousand eyes burned holes in my back.
    I spun toward the kittens, only they weren’t kittens anymore. They were creatures hewn from darkness and flame with wings like bats and fangs the size of machetes. They leapt as one, taking to the air like a well-trained pack of falcons and zeroing in on me. Flame spat from their mouths as they converged like a single, horrible mass of hell-kitty death.
    My fist lashed out, smacking the first