Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
It took less than a heartbeat for Connal to realize the man being attacked in the alley was Luke. His Luke. The mating bond didn’t whisper to him this time.
It snapped into place.
Connal’s chest locked, hard and tight. His focus sharpened to a single point in the alley. There was only Luke, off balance against the brick wall, far too close to the threat.
Mate.
Danger.
Connal surveyed the area in one quick sweep. He moved without hesitation, his purpose clear.
Two attackers, close range.
Too close to Luke.
Exit blocked by a human vehicle.
Luke winced and rolled his shoulder. Connal sucked in a breath. These fools dared to touch his mate, to injure what was his?
Orders be damned.
His jaw locked as something much darker than mere anger unfurled beneath his skin. No, this was dark and absolute.
They had touched what was his.
They would die.
Connal charged, placing himself between his mate and the threat. His outraged roar tore through the very air they breathed. His fist connected with the first man’s face.
Connal barely felt the resistance as bone gave under the impact. His protective rage drove him, and he landed another solid hit to the man’s chest.
The attacker should have crumpled, should have flown through the air to land in a heap a far distance from Luke. A human would not have survived.
But this attacker merely staggered back a few steps.
They were not human.
Not even close.
Other.
Which meant the rules for the human realm no longer applied.
Connal grinned, fully releasing his feral fury. He changed his stance, ready to beat this creature into a bloody pulp.
“What the hell?” Luke appeared at his side, the brave fool.
“Get back,” Connal ordered.
Luke didn’t obey. He held his ground and fought as a warrior, adjusting his stance impressively as he jabbed the second attacker in the throat. “You get back. This isn’t your fight.”
Connal scowled. His mate had once more positioned himself too close to his attackers. Connal grabbed the first creature by the throat when it attempted to move closer to Luke. His options were limited with his mate in the path of danger.
Luke must not understand, otherwise it would mean his sweet mate had no sense of self-preservation. Impossible.
“I will protect you.”
Luke landed a well-placed kick between the creature’s legs. It groaned and doubled over in pain. “I don’t need your protection. I need for you to get out of my way.”
Connal admired his mate’s fighting prowess—and if he noticed the beauty of his mate’s form, well, how could he ignore such perfection?
The attacker pulled at Connal’s wrist, trying to detach Connal’s grip on his throat. Luke clearly wasn’t going to listen. Connal needed to take control of the situation. If only Luke would get out of his way.
Luke kept moving and shoved the second attacker, still-choking from Luke’s jab, back a few steps. “What are you even doing here? Did you follow me?”
How could Connal explain? Fortunately, he didn’t have to. The first attacker leapt, releasing an angry growl. Connal slammed his fist into the creature’s face.
“No.”
It was the truth. Technically, he’d followed the call of the Queen’s magic.
“No?” Luke once more moved to place himself between Connal and their enemy.
His sweet, perfect mate thought to protect Connal. Magnificent, if slightly reckless. Goddess be praised.
“I will handle this.”
Luke scoffed and landed another impressive strike. If their attacker had been human, it would have done some serious damage.
“Incoming.”
Asterius’s voice cut through the alley a heartbeat before he dropped from above them. The ground shuddered under the force of his landing.
Connal reacted instinctively, dragging Luke a half step back as Asterius straightened, rolling his shoulders as if he’d merely stepped down from a curb instead of crashed down from above.
Luke let out a startled yelp and leapt out of the way. Asterius flashed a grin—bright, eager, and entirely inappropriate for the situation.
“Apologies,” Asterius said as he turned toward the attackers who’d appeared in the entrance. “I believe I am late.”
Even more figures poured into the alley behind him.
Too many. This was not random. It was a coordinated attack.
Connal flicked his eyes over them, counting, analyzing angles, before dismissing any concern. Asterius would handle them. He always did. Connal’s attention needed to remain on his mate.
“What the—”
“Shh. Do not worry, my Luke. My brother will guard our backs.”
Asterius lifted the first attacker and flung him headfirst into the wall with a satisfying crunch. The man remained still. It should have frightened the others, slowed their attack. It should have scattered them.
Instead, they recovered too quickly and re-formed, driving forward toward Asterius.
Asterius’s delighted laugh echoed through the alley. “Oh, this is new.”
No, not new. Wrong.
Connal’s attention sharpened. Exactly who were these creatures and why were they after his mate?
“Your brother? Wait, what?”
The second attacker used the momentary distraction to attack, but Luke ducked and spun. So impressive, for a human. Worthy to be a warrior’s mate for sure.
Avaneel fluttered to the rescue, using her razor-sharp claws to stab at the attacker’s eye. That should have taken his eye, leaving him blinded and screaming.
Connal growled when the creature merely swatted at her and kept coming. No pause. No disruption. As if he barely even registered the attack.
These creatures were not reacting normally at all. They had no self-preservation. They would not stop, which meant the danger to his mate was even worse than Connal first feared.
Luke gasped and finally took a needed step back, which allowed Keir to emerge from the shadows and grab their enemy by the throat.
Keir’s black hair spun around him as he flipped the creature through the air and slammed it to the ground. The beast struggled under Keir’s hold, unable to break free.
“Holy shit!”
Unfortunately, Connal had no time to explain that Luke had nothing to fear from Keir. It didn’t matter anyway. Luke wasn’t paying attention to him. His eyes scanned the alley, searching for an escape route.
His mate was so impressive. His brothers would be envious of his good fortune.
“We must—”
“Look out!” Luke grabbed Connal’s arm and tugged him back as one of the new arrivals managed to slip past Asterius.
Really? Asterius couldn’t manage five puny creatures on his own? Connal sighed and grabbed the feral beast around the chest before he could get near Luke. He squeezed then headbutted the creature for good measure. It went limp in his arms, and he dropped it to the ground.
Luke’s eyes widened as Connal stepped over the beast to get back to his mate’s side. “You are safe now.”
Zer stepped into the alley, eyes already tracking every moving piece. “Block!”
Connal immediately responded to Zer’s command. He grabbed Luke and spun, raising one arm to stop the blade flying toward them.
Zer’s arrival sharpened Connal’s instincts further, honing the conclusion Connal himself had reached. This was indeed a coordinated attack. They’d been contained easily within the alley. If Luke had been alone, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Another confounding human vehicle appeared at the alley’s entrance, blocking their path. The roar of a one-eyed beast filled the air from the opposite end of the alley. Motorcycle—Connal remembered the name as the rider dismounted and charged toward them.
Keir moved to block it, giving Connal a split second to reassess the situation. He tightened his grip on Luke’s arm, pulling him back into position behind his shoulder.
“Stay behind me.”
It wasn’t a suggestion.
Luke twisted sharply, breaking the hold with practiced ease. “Not happening.”
Instead of obeying, Luke reset his stance as he moved. He angled himself back into the fray instead of away from it.
Why wouldn’t his mate fall back? Any sensible human would have.
Connal stepped into Luke’s space again, forcing the angle this time while giving his mate a stern glare. Once he was squarely between Luke and the attackers, he restated his command.
“Do not move.”
Luke didn’t even hesitate. He moved away from Connal and slipped out of his reach as if he’d anticipated the command.
“I said I’ve got this,” Luke replied.
He moved cleanly and decisively, striking the nearest attacker again before Connal could redirect him. Connal stilled for half a heartbeat, recalculating.
This wasn’t panic or confusion.
Luke wasn’t reacting. He was choosing.
Choosing to fight by Connal’s side. His mate would not yield, and neither would Connal.
“Zer.”
Connal didn’t need to turn when he spoke his brother’s name. He waited for his brother’s take on the situation. Connal couldn’t see the bigger picture with his focus narrowed solely to Luke’s safety.
Zer surveyed the attackers before answering, his voice low and controlled. “The Queen's magic led us here. This attack is tied to the breach.”
Connal’s fists tightened. His mate was somehow connected to all of this, which meant the danger for him was much worse than Connal had first feared.
Nothing about this was random.
This place was compromised.
Winning the fight mattered less than getting Luke out.
These creatures would keep coming. The alley was already far more dangerous than a contained skirmish. It wouldn’t end cleanly.
Connal didn't hesitate. He stopped driving forward and angled back toward Luke. He had to get his mate out of danger.
“I’m ending this.”
Connal didn’t give Luke time to argue. He closed the distance in a single step and caught him, one arm locking around Luke’s waist and pulling him back against his chest.
Luke reacted instantly, twisting and trying to break free. He turned with practiced precision as he attempted to slip Connal’s hold. “Hey! What are you—”
Connal tightened his grip, anchoring Luke in place. “Enough.”
Luke drove his elbow back, sharp and controlled, forcing Connal to brace against the impact without losing his hold.
“I said I’ve got this!”
“You do not.”
Another attacker lunged toward them, forcing Connal to adjust his position. The creature hit hard. Connal braced, taking the impact and driving the creature off-balance, but more were already closing in.
Luke surged again, still trying to break free, but Connal held him fast, refusing to give ground.
“I’ve got to get him out of here!” Connal glanced over his shoulder and met Zer’s gaze.
Zer nodded his agreement.
The air thickened, pressure building in a way that had nothing to do with the attackers closing in. Sound warped, stretching too thin in some places and crashing too loud in others.
Luke stilled for half a second in Connal’s hold.
“What the hell—”
The ground beneath them seemed to tilt—not physically, but in the way distance stopped behaving correctly. The far end of the alley stretched, shadows bending where they shouldn’t.
Avaneel’s wings snapped sharp in the air, her movement turning erratic as she darted back.
“Connal,” Zer said, sharper now. “Now.”
Luke twisted again, more forceful this time. “What are you doing? Let go—”
Connal didn’t.
He pulled Luke tighter, locking his mate firmly against him, anchoring him as he stepped back into the portal he’d opened.
Another attacker lunged.
Keir intercepted and drove it sideways into the wall, but even that didn't slow the surge pressing in from all sides.
The pressure peaked—
Then the portal snapped closed.