Page 29 of Tethered Magick
It was loud in its emptiness, and tears fell unchecked as I dropped to my knees on a pained cry.
More empty howls rose into the darkening night, though I wasn’t sure if it was actually getting darker or if my vision was dimming from the amount of blood I’d spilled and the torture of my severed bonds.
Maple Syrup inhaled loudly, and his yellow eyes narrowed on me.
“You do smell fucking fantastic, but you’re right. You aren’t fated to be mine.”
I snorted, and then wept as a fresh wave of pain bloomed from my stomach.
Don’t laugh. Check.
“Doesn’t mean I won’t claim you anyway.” He prowled forward, and I scrambled back despite the agony.
Mara stepped into his path. Was she… protecting me? After she’d plunged a dagger into my body and left me to die?
I guess girl code had to draw the line somewhere. Being bitten without permission was a violation that seemed almost akin to rape.
Being tied to that asshat would be a fate worse than death. I’d welcome the void with open arms if it meant escaping a life as Maple’s mate.
So I wasn’t going to argue over her interference.
My men were coming. I knew they were. They’d never leave me. They’d felt the destruction of our bond as surely as I had.
The dagger began to glow an eerie red, and the magick in it crawled like ink through my veins.
“P-Poisoned?” My voice was reedy and barely audible, but Mara stopped her argument with Maple long enough to turn to me assessingly, her gaze settling on the dagger I was debating yanking out of my body.
Would I bleed to death faster and die, or would I be able to muster enough strength to magickally heal myself enough to survive and fight back? Instinctively, I knew I couldn’t shift with the blade still buried inside me, but if it was out, there was a possibility I’d be able to make it into my wolf skin to accelerate the healing process.
Darkness stirred within me, and my heart sank with her answer.
“It’s spelled to silence the mate bond. I just needed Dason to be able to think clearly,” she explained, pleading her case and shaking her head as she looked down at me with sad eyes. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but it was the only way. Dason and the others deserve to have the future they’d planned with me. They chose me. They got stuck with you. But everything is going to be okay now. Your body heals faster than a mundane’s. It will keep you alive long enough for the transformation. They’re already on their way.”
She rambled on, and my mind stuttered on the information. What transformation? Who was on the way? I tried to focus, but I hurt everywhere. My fingers were cold, and dots swam in front of my vision.
“You used dark magick.” It was the only thing that registered. I wasn’t sure if the words actually made their way into reality or not, but the growing darkness inside me reacted to the inky tendrils spreading throughout my body.
I tried to laugh, but it ended in a gurgling cough. With the last of my energy, I got back onto my feet, swaying slightly. One hand pressed carefully around the base of the dagger, and the other grabbed the hilt.
On three, I told myself.One, two…I’d never been a good liar, but apparently I pulled it off when I lied to myself. I yanked before three, and a hoarse shout rang through the rustling trees.
The shining metal was coated in crimson blood as it dropped into the grass, still glowing red.
“He’ll never…” I gulped air into my screaming lungs, bracing myself against a tree to stay upright. “Take you back… after this.” My words stammered out between each breath.
My pain started to numb.
That couldn’t be good.
“Lorn!” Dason’s shout echoed off the trees, and a sob of relief escaped me.
“Here!” It came out as a squeak, but he’d hear me. He had to hear me.
“No!” Mara growled at Maple as he made to move past her. “That wasn’t the deal,” she insisted. “You wanted to scent her. You didn’t say anything about biting her if she wasn’t yours.” He pushed her out of the way, tossing her to the ground as he strode purposely closer.
“Like you’re one to talk, bitch. You’re stealing her mates right out from under her, and I didn’t say a damn word. Time for you to disappear. Your job here is done.”
Mara cussed him out as she got up from the ground, but I lost sight of her after that.