Chapter 15 #2
“Ah,” I murmured. “So you do not know, either.” That did it, the tension snapped, and they moved in one big surge.
Most had approached from our left, where a row of scraggly bushes had partially hidden them.
They had surrounded us somewhat, but they did not care about Susie when she was no threat.
“Hide,” I warned her, and she darted away without argument.
The first came fast, too fast for a human, not fast enough for me. I stepped aside, redirecting his momentum with minimal effort, and sent him crashing into another. The second lunged low; I caught him by the throat and flung him back into the encroaching circle.
Noise erupted, snarls, shouts, the sharp crack of impact.
I moved through them like a shadow given form.
Striking with efficient blows, I did not linger; I definitely did not indulge, though this was my first good fight since waking.
Each motion served a purpose: disable, disarm, remove.
I only used my telekinetic ability if I absolutely needed to, and it caught them by surprise each time.
They were many, but they were not enough.
All the while, I was painfully aware of my mate’s presence, of her safety. I kept myself protectively between her hiding spot behind a large stack of crates and the attacking pack of shifters.
Slamming a fully shifted wolf into the pavement, I flung a bear in the middle of shifting—a glimmer of light—across the lot and into the warehouse wall. Then, suddenly, she was gone, her absence catching me completely by surprise.
It struck me like a blade between the ribs; Susie!
I stilled for half a heartbeat, senses flaring outward, but she was gone.
No, not gone. Someone had hidden her with magic.
Either the sorcerer had shown up and done this, or…
Rage surged, cold and immediate. Flinging my arms wide, I slammed the remaining shifters to the ground with sheer power.
I’d held back, because I didn’t need to show my full hand, but if Susie was missing?
This fight was over, right now. Nobody got up.
I turned, scanning, and there, at the edge of perception, was a distortion.
A thread pulled taut where she should have been; it was the lingering trace of our mating bond, and I followed it.
I knew who had her the moment I turned the building’s corner.
He had dragged her behind the warehouse, around a wall; his magic wrapped clumsily around them like a veil.
It might have fooled a lesser creature. It did not fool me.
I stepped through it as though it were smoke, and Logan froze, his cold eyes widening with fear. Susie stood just beyond him, unharmed but furious, her eyes flashing as she yanked her arm free from his grip.
Relief hit first, then something far less forgiving. “Release her,” I said, my voice quiet in a way that made the air itself seem to still. Though she’d used his surprise to break his grip, he still blocked her path to freedom.
He hesitated, and that was a mistake, one he compounded by spreading his arms like he intended to hold my mate hostage. I closed the distance in an instant, catching him by the collar and slamming him back against the wall with enough force to crack the concrete.
“Listen carefully,” I continued, leaning in just enough for him to understand the gravity of his position, fangs descending, my eyes flashing with barely contained fury. “You will not touch her again. You will not speak to her. You will not so much as acknowledge her existence.”
His breath came sharp, panicked. “You don’t…” He was scared, and it wasn’t me who made fear seep from his pores, sickly and sour. He feared whoever pulled his strings just as much.
“I am not finished,” I drawled. The words were soft because they did not need to be louder. My threat carried far more weight as I delivered it with the precision of a master surgeon. “You have involved yourself in matters far beyond your comprehension. Walk away now, and you may yet survive.”
He swallowed hard, but stubbornness—or stupidity—flickered in his eyes as he glanced past me toward Susie. “She deserves to know what she’s tied herself to,” he said, his voice rough. He aimed his next words at her as if he had any right to. “You think this is a fairy tale? He’s a...”
“Oh my God, Logan, stop.” Susie stepped forward, exasperation cutting clean through whatever dramatic speech he’d been attempting.
“Just stop talking. Please. For once in your life.” His mouth dropped open, and he stared at her in confusion.
Though it was tempting to snap his neck, letting Susie get a few licks in seemed worthwhile, too.
“You lied to me, tried to use me to smuggle some creepy rock, and now you’re here playing henchman for someone you don’t even understand,” she continued, arms crossed. “You don’t get to give me warnings.” Mon Dieu, she looked glorious with her hands braced on her hips and fury riding in her eyes.
“Susie…” he whined, his magic flaring in faint pulses beneath his skin. Not magic with direction, magic that surged in fear, and could be easily shrugged off.
“No. We’re done. We’ve been done.” Her voice sharpened. “And whatever this is? This is just embarrassing for you.” Silence fell. I watched him as the words settled, watched the fight drain, not entirely, but enough.
I released him with a shove, and he stumbled back, only barely catching himself.
His eyes darted between us with calculation, fear, and a good dose of pride.
I braced myself for a last attack, but in the end, survival won.
He gestured sharply to the others, the shifters that had crawled back to their feet and came around the corner.
I’d sensed them, but I’d also sensed their sense of defeat; nursing bruises and worse.
“This isn’t over,” Logan muttered when his backup did not attack like he’d hoped.
“No,” I agreed calmly. “It is not.” They left quickly after that, shadows retreating into the hollow skeleton of the district, their presence dissolving as abruptly as it had formed.
Gone, with only the evidence of the fight left behind: broken branches and windows, cracked concrete and pavement, and the mild splatter of blood where I’d broken a nose or clawed through skin.
I turned to Susie and, for a moment, simply looked at her. My eyes scanned her form: the jeans over shapely hips, the black shirt with a strange emblem on her chest. Her skin was unblemished, though a flush of excitement rode high in her cheeks. “You are unharmed.”
“I’m fine,” she said, though her pulse still raced beneath her skin.
“He just grabbed me. I was more annoyed than anything.” That was no surprise; I didn’t think Susie would be terribly frightened by her former lover.
Truthfully, his magic was so bad he probably didn’t have much more ability in him than that cloaking magic.
I exhaled slowly, tension easing in increments. Then, more quietly, “I shouldn’t have allowed this.” I’d been cocky to think I could handle a possible ambush, a confrontation with a sorcerer, and keep her safe at the same time.
She stepped closer, her expression softening as she reached up to touch my cheek. “Hey. You didn’t ‘allow’ anything. They jumped us.” My eyes swept the empty lot and the obvious signs of the fight again. Ten to one, they had brought numbers and still hopelessly failed.
My mouth twisted in distaste. “I should have anticipated…” I’d been worried about the sorcerer, not an ambush. How had they even found us? Did they follow the car? Did the warlock scry Susie’s location? He might still have a lock of hair or other personal item to do so.
“You can’t anticipate everything, Raoul,” Susie said calmly. I looked at her, slipped my arms around her waist, and drew her closer.
I noted the steadiness in her gaze and the defiance; her refusal to be fragile. So Susie, so my mate. The word settled into place with a weight that felt both inevitable and profound. “No,” I said softly. “But I can ensure it does not happen again.”
She huffed lightly, her body leaning into mine. “Well, next time, maybe we pick a less murder-y meeting location.” Ah, that humor, it was so impressive, the way she bounced back after a confrontation like this.
I glanced back at the bleak expanse of concrete and steel. “Agreed.” When she rose onto her toes, I leaned down to meet her, and our mouths met. I’d never get enough of this, of her kiss, her taste, and her bravery.