Under Wraps: An Urban Fantasy Adventure (Werewolves vs. Mummies Book 1) by J.A. Cipriano

do is stay away from her because there’s only one way the Menhit’s stories end. One day something big enough and bad enough comes along and kills them. You do not want to be next to her when that happens.”
    “Um… I wasn’t planning on getting involved with her.” I shrugged. It was true. The idea of following Lillim around was, well, dangerous. I mean, come on. I’d known her for exactly twelve minutes before getting zapped into an alternate dimension with a minotaur. That didn’t exactly make me think she was safe to be around. Sure, it could be coincidence, but somehow, I doubted it. Instead, I had the sneaking suspicion that if she’d just picked a different little town to inhabit, I’d have been left to play football and drink beer. I was the definition of collateral damage.
    “Good. Now enough stalling, we need to get you home.” She reached out, taking my hand in hers and pulling me through the walkway. I tried to pay attention to where we were going and what was happening, but honestly, the only thing I could pay attention to was how her hand felt in mine and the way it made my heart thump in my chest. It was a feeling completely unlike what I’d experienced with Bast… in a good way.
     

Chapter 14
    “It’s really not a big deal,” Anubis said, one tanned hand sweeping out in front of him as he gestured at the walled gates of a huge city, at least I think it was a city. The margarine-colored walls surrounding it stretched up so high into the sky that I couldn’t see the top, much less over them. I wasn’t quite sure what awaited us inside, but as we approached the huge gilded gate, my wolf seemed strangely calm. Maybe it was because we were with Anubis and Bast, but I felt strangely invincible.
    “It’s a huge deal,” I said, swallowing. “Thanks for bringing us here.” When in doubt be polite. It was something my mother had drilled into me. Politeness costs you nothing, and sometimes, it gets you everything. Besides, he was a god, and he had found Connor’s soul, even though technically Aziza had helped him with the mummies instead of me. Still, how often do people tell stories about gods doing them a solid?
    “You don’t remember the name, do you?” Aziza asked, quirking her eyebrow at me. “That’s why you said ‘here’ isn’t it?”
    I nodded sheepishly. They’d told me the name, but because I couldn’t pronounce it, I’d quickly forgotten. Either way, we were here now, and that’s what counted. We were so close to Connor’s soul that I could feel it.
    And it was all thanks to Anubis. He had been waiting for us in a room just off the hallway we’d been in. Surprisingly, it was covered with paintings of swans. It was a little disconcerting. Still, Anubis had managed to locate Connor’s soul, and what was better? He had offered to take us to the location.
    “Don’t keep thanking him, or he’ll get a big head,” Bast said, smirking her cat smirk at him, and laying a hand on his shoulder. Evidently, they had made up. Which was good I guess… still, it left me feeling a little used and wondering how often things like this happened between them.
    “Once you’re through the gate, we won’t be able to help you anymore. You’re on your own with the soul. Try not to mess up and lose it, or destroy it. I had to pull in a bunch of favors to learn the location.” Anubis stared up at the sky, eyes sweeping over the tops of the walls. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it again.”
    That worried me. This was Anubis. Who the hell would be strong enough to hide things from him? No one good, that’s for sure. And for him to have used favors? That seemed doubly ominous. Still, I wasn’t planning on letting Connor’s soul slip through my fingers now that we were so close.
    “We’ll be careful,” Aziza said, walking past us and placing her hand on a small stone dais that sat inauspiciously next to the gate. The moment she touched it, purple light exploded from her palm,