Page 27

“Hey, watch it!” The young guard sneers at her. “For all we know, you could be working with the traitor, Cassian!”

“I want to see Erik!” Maya hisses. “I’m not dealing with you idiots.”

That pisses off the guard, and he takes a threatening step forward. “How dare you?! Grab her. Let’s teach the little bitch a lesson.”

My lips pull back in a snarl at the rudeness directed toward my fated mate. “Watch your tongue, boy!”

The guard sniggers. “What are you going to do, weakling? Look at you. Nothing but fucking skin and bones. You think you can take me?”

“He can beat your ass into the ground, you little shit!” Maya doesn’t seem to be as afraid of these shifters as she should be. But then, I’ve rarely seen her cower in the face of danger. “Do it, Griffin! Kick his ass!”

Reckless. My fated mate is a reckless woman. Of course, she can afford to be with me around.

I do feel a hint of pride at the confidence she displays in me. I’m also amused, watching her order me around.

The two younger guards lunge. The third hesitates for half a heartbeat before joining them. Tomas tries to hold one back, shouting something I can’t hear.

They’re fast, but I’m faster. Their movements are clumsy, adrenaline-fueled. They don’t know who they’re fighting.

Blades flash.

This is new. I never had the guards carry weapons. Not when their bodies were the most dangerous ones. I guess Erik has been making some changes while I’ve been gone. I don’t know how I feel about it.

I disarm the first one easily, ducking and spinning to slam him into the dirt. The second manages to cut my shoulder, but I twist and deliver a crushing blow to his ribs. Bone cracks beneath my fist.

A scream jerks my attention sideways.

Maya.

One of them grabs her by the arm when she tries to run to me. She swings at him—brave, stupid girl—and he throws her through the air.

She hits a tree with a sickening thud and crumples.

Time stops.

A sound tears out of my throat—low, broken, furious. I feel my body split, the shift crashing through me like fire.

They touched her. They touched my mate.

They don’t understand what they’ve done. But I do.

My bones snap, reform. My skin stretches, rips, reshapes. The world blurs red. When my paws hit the ground, I no longer think. I only feel.

And I feel rage.

I tear through the guards like wind through dead leaves. I don’t hold back. One of them screams. Another tries to run, but I slam into him, snarling, claws raking across his back.

Only Tomas doesn’t run. He holds his ground, arms raised. “Your Majesty! You’ll kill them!”

I bare my teeth, breathing hard. My body still hums with fury, my mind barely clawing its way back through the haze.

Then, I hear it. Maya groans, and it shatters me more than any wound ever could.

I shift back, stumbling as my legs reform. My knees hit the dirt beside her. She’s conscious, barely. Blood stains her temple. Her breath stutters when she sees me.

“Griffin…”

“I’m here,” I whisper, brushing her hair from her face. “I’ve got you.”