Page 25 of Tethered Magick

He was an elder, but I wasn’t sure if the position garnered enough respect in the face of these guys’ one chance at finding a true mate, even though I’d already told them as truthfully as I could that we weren’t destined for each other.

“Yeah, that’s not fucking happening.” Axel was angry, his fisted hands already glowing orange with his magick as he prepared to defend my honor.

Dason growled in agreement.

Syler wrapped his big arms around me, pulled me away from Dason, and held me close with my back to his chest. I covered his arms with mine, clinging to him as the crowd became more riled, everyone insisting I bleed for them.

“Lorn,” Dason rumbled, and he shared a look with Jolon.

“Go with Syler,” Jolon concluded.

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m not leaving you here.” Dason didn’t like when I talked back to him, but I wasn’t going to run away and leave him to fight my battles. “This is getting insane.” There had to be a way to stop all of this.

I glanced around the crowd, hoping there was someone else who would step in and help talk some sense into these guys. Where the hell were their mothers who were supposed to teach them manners? If this had been my son, I’d have already smacked him upside his head and reminded him he was speaking to a woman.

Maple Syrup smiled at me, his sharp teeth bared. Cold dread shot through my abdomen.

I could just imagine those teeth sinking into my neck unwelcomed.

No fucking thank you.

I felt sorry for any girl who ended up with this douche canoe.

Fights broke out on the rejected side, some of the men trying to reason with the hot-headed rebels, but Maple Syrup and his buddies already had me in their sights, their unwavering attention like a vicious dog ready to attack.

“Lorn.” Dason’s voice was guttural, nothing more than a gruff bark.

“Okay,” I breathed, relenting as the group of rejected men shifted closer, ready to take what they wanted.

“Get her the fuck out of here.” Kota pushed Syler’s arm, and he didn’t wait.

Scooping me off my feet, Syler cradled me against his chest and took off.

Nine

Lorn

Growls and snarls sounded behind me, and I glanced over Syler’s shoulder. The jostling made it hard to focus, but I caught the flash of gray fur in the dark forest. Syler’s green magick was already flaring in his hands, and he shifted his hold, keeping me against him with one arm so he could throw a blast behind him. Vines sprouted from the trees, creating a tangled curtain that delayed the shifter coming directly at us.

Two more emerged from the sides, teeth bared. The one on my left lunged, trying to nip me and break my skin.

I screamed as the wolf’s warm breath washed over my leg. I kicked out, catching his muzzle. It only slowed him down for a minute, and then he was on Syler’s back.

Sy hissed, and his grip tightened as he stumbled from the impact of the attack.

I released a blast of magick, hitting the wolf square in the face. It released Sy, but the damage was done.

The strong scent of rainy earth and bourbon swirled through the air. My mate was bleeding. Teeth and claws raked down Syler’s back as another wolf joined the attack, then another. I aimed a second blast, but it went wide as the combined weight of the wolves took him down with me in his arms.

He braced himself as best as he could, taking much of the impact, but the jarring fall stole my breath the moment I hit the ground.

My lungs ached as I sucked in air. Between one breath and the next, Sy shifted into the largest bear I’d ever seen, throwing the wolves off his back. This close to him, he was humongous. Long gashes were slashed through his fur, the wounds he’d sustained not yet healed. Blood wept from his injuries to matte his brown fur, but they didn’t slow him down. He roared into the night sky, a long, low, lumbering sound warning the converging animals to stay away from me.

Syler and the wolves were vicious as they ran at each other. Their snarls were dark enough to induce nightmares, and blood coated the ground, sticking to the leaves and debris as they tussled. Coordinating their attack, the wolves barreled toward Syler, knocking him into a tree so hard it shook.

Tiny hairs along the back of my neck stood on end as they roared at each other. Using his considerable weight, Syler pushed off the trunk and bounded toward the wolves, flinging one of them through the air. A sickening thud filled the clearing as it crashed into the soil in an unmoving, crumpled heap.

I gasped in a breath, struggling to push off the ground. Nothing was broken, but my ankle had twisted in the fall, and I hobbled on it until I was sure it could bear weight.