Page 44

43

WREN

Brix set me down in a flash as he moved through the trees, reaching into a stump and pulling out two blades. He handed one to me and then scented the air. A curse slipped free. “They shouldn’t have been able to make it through the wards.”

“They’re dark mages. The price they pay for their magic can get them through most magical barriers.” I’d studied them as much as I could after coming up against one in New York. I’d almost lost my life because I hadn’t been prepared. The only thing that had saved me was the early warning system I had built into me, thanks to my caster half.

Brix let out a low growl. “The guys are coming.”

Oily, dark magic pressed against my skin. The weight of it told me we’d need all the help we could get. “There are a lot of them,” I whispered.

Brix turned to me, fury making his eyes bleed silver. “Run. ”

Shock slid through me. “No.”

“Wren, this isn’t the time to argue. You will keep yourself safe, and that’s an order.”

I scoffed. “You might be my mate, but you’re not my keeper. We’ll keep each other safe. How about that?”

A snarl ripped from Brix’s throat. “Stubborn.”

“Damn straight.”

The branches on the other side of the creek rippled in a breeze I knew wasn’t natural. On instinct, I threw up a magical shield. Being next to the water would help since that element was my closest affinity.

The mages materialized then, all dark robes and shadowy features. One stepped forward, and I recognized him as the one I’d fought a few weeks ago—the one I’d injured.

A smile spread across his too-pale face. It was the kind of pallor that made me wonder if blood even ran in their veins. He gnashed his teeth as he took me in, his head cocking to one side. “She doesn’t hide her scent anymore.”

I didn’t. Hadn’t since the mate discovery. It had felt too painful to keep the shield up.

Brix stiffened at my side, his grip tightening on the blade he held.

“A caster,” the mage cooed. “But also a shifter.” His smile widened. “What a sacrifice she would make.”

My stomach hollowed as true fear slid through me. Brix growled, dropped his blade, and instantly shifted into his wolf form. I understood why. He’d move quicker in that form and possibly be able to take out our opponents easier.

It wasn’t the same equation for me. If I shifted, I wouldn’t be able to hold the magical shield because I couldn’t access my caster magic while in wolf form. I’d be able to watch Brix’s back better if I stayed as I was.

The mage laughed, his head tipping back. “You think one single wolf will save you? ”

I pulled on my magic, calling water from the creek and forming it into rope-like tendrils. “He’ll have help.”

Anger flashed in the mage’s eyes, and he called out an order in a language I didn’t recognize. The robed figures charged.

There weren’t as many as the night in the parking lot, but there were only two of us now. It made me wonder where the others were. Worry gnawed at my stomach, but I didn’t have a chance to wonder if the guys were under attack, too, because two mages flew at me.

They skated across the forest floor inhumanly, like ghosts hovering. I whipped my water magic, encircling their necks and pulling tight, cutting off their oxygen supply. They clawed at my water ropes, but it was no use.

A blow hit me from behind, and I sliced my blade across a third mage’s torso. This one was female. She shrieked in pain, but her cry was cut short as the black wolf leapt into the air and grabbed her by the neck.

He whipped her to the side, the movement snapping her neck as she landed in the creek. Another of the mages screamed in rage, his magic blasting my shields. They wavered, crackling for a moment as the blow sent me staggering back, even if it was only against my shield.

Brix snarled, leapt across the creek, and ran straight for the mage. When he charged forward, the mage’s eyes went wide. The mage lifted a blade to defend himself, but Brix simply clamped his teeth down on the mage’s arm and snapped it in two.

The mage howled in pain until Brix tore out his throat.

“Caster wolf,” the familiar mage whispered, his voice taking on the same oily quality as his magic.

I whirled, lifting my blade for protection.

The mage grinned at me, a disturbing look of glee in his eyes. “Such a unique blend. It’ll be so fun to make that power mine.”

Smoky magic swirled, its oily tentacles battering against the magical shields I’d thrown up. As I fought on the metaphysical plane, the mage darted forward, his blade raised .

“This doesn’t have to hurt, caster wolf,” he sneered. “I can make it quick.”

I struggled to hold my magical shields in place. The weight of the dark magic pressed against them as I heard Brix taking on at least two other mages. My opponent sliced out, and I just barely dodged the blow.

My blade came down hard against the mage’s sword, the clang of metal ringing out in the forest. We traded blows, matching each other almost evenly. But then more magic pressed down on my shields, and I felt the rest of the mages organizing in an effort to take the shields down altogether.

My focus slipped, only for a split second, but that fraction of a moment was too long. The mage’s blade sliced across my stomach, and white-hot pain seared through me so much I started to crumple and fall to my knees. I knew if I fell now, here, there would only be one thing left for me. The end.