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But his magic radiated out as he studied us and the immediate area, looking all around.

He didn’t get to complete that before red teleportation smoke erupted, and then the almighty Jaxon Silver was materializing right beside him.

His blue eyes were narrowed fiercely and he was in a fighting stance, prepared to pounce and attack at any moment—the primality of his wolf side coming through clearly. He shoved a hand through his short, dirty-blond hair in distress as he studied the scene, and I saw him using his animal senses to do so, unlike Cornelius who was going the magical and, likely, Celestial-connection route. Ripped blue jeans clung to Jaxon’s muscular thighs, a leather jacket covering a white muscle tank beneath.

“He’s cloaking her and himself,” I heard Cornelius tell Jaxon. “I can’t follow the trail of Celestial magic. He’s stronger.”

“Being True Celestial, that makes sense.” Jaxon cursed. “He was supposed to allow us to make his introduction to her. Not fucking kidnap her.”

“This is him enforcing his dominance. Over us as much as her.”

Jaxon focused and scented the air again. “I can get around the cloaking, track Ari with my wolf senses.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. It doesn’t matter how great the power, nothing can override my natural connection to my daughter. I can find her. It’s just going to be a little slower than doing it via a tracking spell.” His focus landed on the three of us. “But first, her friends needyourhelp.”

Cornelius frowned.

I saw the moment he realized what was going on with Nyx.

He strode over and crouched down at his side, and Kai moved back closer to Nyx, standing like a sentry as he looked on untrusting of the two of them, clearly on high-alert should they do anything he didn’t like.

“He was wounded by Celestial might,” Cornelius uttered.

“I heard you don’t give people your magic or power. Not under any circumstances,” Kai spoke.

“And that is what the supernatural populace will continue to believe, sorcerer.”

Interesting.So he wasn’t as much of a hardass as everyone thought, then?

Jaxon walked over and laid his hand on Cornelius’ shoulder. “I’m scenting Ari all over each of them.” His eyes narrowed in warning at each of us, and he flashed them with the threat of a shift. But then I heard him whisper to Cornelius, “She’d want you to heal him. In fact, given what I’m sensing, I’d go as far as to state that she wouldn’t forgive us if we didn’t.”

“Relax,” Cornelius told Jaxon. “I wouldn’t let this boy die, regardless. Not to mention, this Celestial wound happened because of our family situation. He was merely unfortunate enough to be in the firing line when Cassius arrived for Ariana.”

Cassius.

He didn’t waste any more time, and he removed Nyx’s shirt entirely with a flick of his fingers to get down to work.

Kai and I exchanged a look of utter fucking shock as we took in the black veins all over Nyx’s skin.

It didn’t faze Cornelius, though, indicating he’d dealt with this before.

His silver magic, like Ariana’s, glowed vibrantly from his palms, and then he hovered them over Nyx’s wound. As he began uttering an incantation in a tongue even I hadn’t heard of, I saw Kai arch an eyebrow, perhaps recognizing it,ormaking a mental note to look into it.

Within seconds, the silver glow turned a blinding white.

The nasty bubbling ceased, and then the wound began to heal, bit by bit.

When he’d sealed it completely, a five-inch-long jagged scar remained in its wake.

He pulled his magic back, then told Nyx, “You’ll be fine now, gentle hybrid. Something the love of my life will be overjoyed to learn.” His eyes shone kindly at him. “He holds you in high regard. Just like my granddaughter does, apparently.” He smiled, then rose back to his feet.

And then Kai was there alongside me, helping Nyx up.

“He’ll need to take it easy for the next couple of hours,” Cornelius told us.

“Thank you,” Nyx said.