Under Wraps: An Urban Fantasy Adventure (Werewolves vs. Mummies Book 1) Read Online Free
Author: J.A. Cipriano
Tags: Fantasy
Nas could even get to her feet, Aziza grabbed the writhing insect and yanked. The golden chain snapped free with a shriek that made me cringe. With a sound like cracking thunder, blue light exploded from a spot in the center of Nas’ forehead, filling the small cave like an arc flash.
“No!” Nas screamed, her words shriveled and dry sounding. Her clothes vanished in an instant, as musty wrappings snaked up her body and cinched down on her like an invisible spider was wrapping her up.
In the time it took me to blink, Nas was completely ensconced in mummy chic. Aziza tossed the wasp pendant to the ground and muttered a few words I didn’t understand. They were probably Egyptian.
The wasp exploded into a million scintillating shards of metal that circled Nas like spinning, whirring bits of sapphire shrapnel. It collapsed in on itself in a flash of color that made spots dance in front of my eyes.
I turned away, shielding my face until the glare died down. When I looked a moment later, a golden sarcophagus etched with a billion hieroglyphics stood in the spot where Nas had been. Aziza smirked at me. Her face was shrouded in amethyst light as she placed her outstretched hand on the metal lid. There was a shriek that reminded me of a clarion call. The entire thing vanished. No wisp of smoke, no flash of light. One second it was there, the next it wasn’t.
“Wow,” I said, a little too much awe in my voice.
“You’re more of a lover than a fighter, aren’t you?” she asked, glancing at me, cheeks flushed.
“What?” I replied, fire spreading along my own cheeks. “What’s that supposed to mean.”
“It’s supposed to mean you’re a pretty horrible warrior. You’re a werewolf. You’re supposed to be able to beat up one tiny girl without help.” Aziza put her hands on her hips and stared at me, amusement in her eyes. “Who trained you, a one-armed baboon?”
I sighed, shaking my head as I got to my feet and wobbled toward the wall, my family jewels still aching. I knew that in a few minutes I’d be all healed up, but right now that didn’t make me feel any better. Why? She was right. I was a pretty terrible fighter without my wolf.
My Alpha had tried to train me in the ways of Wolf-Fu, and no, it wasn’t actually called that. I sucked at it. I sucked at fighting in general when I wasn’t in werewolf form. To be fair, most werewolves did. When you can transform into an eight foot tall beast with near-unlimited healing, razor-sharp claws, and a mouth full of dagger-like teeth, you usually didn’t need training. You usually just ate whatever was trying to beat you up. Especially since you had twice your normal strength and speed in wolf form.
“It’s polite to respond when people speak to you,” Aziza said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve never fought a mummy before, and you didn’t change.” She grinned at me. “But don’t worry, you’ll get another shot.”
Chapter 4
Aziza was right, but don’t tell her I said that… ever. I had gotten pretty good at fighting mummies once I learned a couple things. They didn’t need to breathe, and they didn’t feel pain, not in the traditional sense. Unfortunately, that was where the similarities between them ended. Depending on how they had been mummified, they might have vastly different strengths and weaknesses. It made fighting the last twenty mummies a unique experience I didn’t particularly enjoy.
I smashed my fist down on the mummy’s face, shattering his snapping teeth into fragments that tore into my knuckles and left a crimson smear across his cheek. The mummy’s head snapped backward, bouncing off the stone entrance to the pyramid with a sharp crack.
“Stop struggling,” I growled, my voice low and feral as I thrust my hand into his mouth, trying to grab onto the pendant he had swallowed a moment before. Thankfully, I could still see the chain dangling from the corner of his mouth. I
“No!” Nas screamed, her words shriveled and dry sounding. Her clothes vanished in an instant, as musty wrappings snaked up her body and cinched down on her like an invisible spider was wrapping her up.
In the time it took me to blink, Nas was completely ensconced in mummy chic. Aziza tossed the wasp pendant to the ground and muttered a few words I didn’t understand. They were probably Egyptian.
The wasp exploded into a million scintillating shards of metal that circled Nas like spinning, whirring bits of sapphire shrapnel. It collapsed in on itself in a flash of color that made spots dance in front of my eyes.
I turned away, shielding my face until the glare died down. When I looked a moment later, a golden sarcophagus etched with a billion hieroglyphics stood in the spot where Nas had been. Aziza smirked at me. Her face was shrouded in amethyst light as she placed her outstretched hand on the metal lid. There was a shriek that reminded me of a clarion call. The entire thing vanished. No wisp of smoke, no flash of light. One second it was there, the next it wasn’t.
“Wow,” I said, a little too much awe in my voice.
“You’re more of a lover than a fighter, aren’t you?” she asked, glancing at me, cheeks flushed.
“What?” I replied, fire spreading along my own cheeks. “What’s that supposed to mean.”
“It’s supposed to mean you’re a pretty horrible warrior. You’re a werewolf. You’re supposed to be able to beat up one tiny girl without help.” Aziza put her hands on her hips and stared at me, amusement in her eyes. “Who trained you, a one-armed baboon?”
I sighed, shaking my head as I got to my feet and wobbled toward the wall, my family jewels still aching. I knew that in a few minutes I’d be all healed up, but right now that didn’t make me feel any better. Why? She was right. I was a pretty terrible fighter without my wolf.
My Alpha had tried to train me in the ways of Wolf-Fu, and no, it wasn’t actually called that. I sucked at it. I sucked at fighting in general when I wasn’t in werewolf form. To be fair, most werewolves did. When you can transform into an eight foot tall beast with near-unlimited healing, razor-sharp claws, and a mouth full of dagger-like teeth, you usually didn’t need training. You usually just ate whatever was trying to beat you up. Especially since you had twice your normal strength and speed in wolf form.
“It’s polite to respond when people speak to you,” Aziza said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve never fought a mummy before, and you didn’t change.” She grinned at me. “But don’t worry, you’ll get another shot.”
Chapter 4
Aziza was right, but don’t tell her I said that… ever. I had gotten pretty good at fighting mummies once I learned a couple things. They didn’t need to breathe, and they didn’t feel pain, not in the traditional sense. Unfortunately, that was where the similarities between them ended. Depending on how they had been mummified, they might have vastly different strengths and weaknesses. It made fighting the last twenty mummies a unique experience I didn’t particularly enjoy.
I smashed my fist down on the mummy’s face, shattering his snapping teeth into fragments that tore into my knuckles and left a crimson smear across his cheek. The mummy’s head snapped backward, bouncing off the stone entrance to the pyramid with a sharp crack.
“Stop struggling,” I growled, my voice low and feral as I thrust my hand into his mouth, trying to grab onto the pendant he had swallowed a moment before. Thankfully, I could still see the chain dangling from the corner of his mouth. I
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