Page 19 of Magic & Secrets (Twisted Magic #1)

AFTER CENTURIES ON the hunt, I had gotten to know Varema Territory well.

If I kept traveling for a day, I was bound to reach the glorious Elven city of Elatalora.

From there, I could negotiate transportation back to Mt.

Elysium. No doubt my packmates had devised similar plans.

Ditching Calla and continuing in this direction would solve many problems for me.

I became agitated the farther I moved away from the troublesome warrior.

A growing unease crawled over my skin, nearly forcing me to shift.

Hesitating, I scanned the quiet woods and searched for predators.

Nothing moved in the forest’s shadows. Why did I feel as if death itself was wrapped around me?

My thoughts flashed to Calla somewhere alone. The warrior showed solid skills on the day we met, but she was a flustered mess against the Sorcerer and Wolf Shifters. She also likely didn’t have experience facing off against enemies without her sisters.

A violent image seared my mind. I saw creatures tearing Calla limb from limb. I could barely breathe. I smelled her blood. I saw the light leave her eyes.

Shaking with rage, I looked around and snarled at an unseen threat. Would I even hear Calla’s cries for help before it was too late?

Changing directions, I shifted into my tiger form and raced back to the spot where I had left her behind. I caught the scent of other predators in the air. Ugly images again flashed through my mind.

Panicked over her impending death, I roared for Calla.

The trees shook under the weight of my rage.

Birds left their nests, fleeing into the sky.

I also spotted small creatures scattering in the forest ahead of me.

I sensed they were once human. The magic in this forest transformed all those who remained in its bosom for too long.

Chasing Calla’s scent, I felt nearly drunk on its sweetness by the time I located her in a clearing as small creatures scattered.

She held her swords at her sides. Her green eyes weren’t devoid of light.

Instead, they shone with annoyance. She frowned at me before turning away and walking in the opposite direction I had come.

I shifted into human form and joined her. Calla didn’t react to my presence. I’d injured her precious feelings.

Laughing at my mate's idea was probably a mistake. Females were known to get emotional over such trivial matters. No doubt apologizing would calm her ire, but I refused to bow when she was in the wrong.

The silence between us lingered. I knew we were traveling in the wrong direction. Elatalora was our best option for reuniting with our allies.

We arrived at a human-made clearing in the forest. Large machinery sat abandoned. The Murade designed these outposts in distant lands and filled them with humans. The idea was to spread their kind rather than allow magic to reclaim territory after territory.

Near the bulldozer rested a pile of neatly stacked trees. The humans had been busy until meeting their demise. I found tattered and bloodied clothes near one piece of machinery.

“Varema Ghouls,” Calla said behind me as she found bloodied boots. “They’ll eat everything, bones and all.”

I scanned the woods around this wide clearing. The Murade was foolish to devise a settlement amid Pandorium. They thought their weapons could defeat anything, yet they were destroyed by simple monsters of claws and fangs.

Ghouls likely watched us from the woodlands. I could almost smell them despite Calla’s overpowering scent. She focused on a spot near a tree, where a clawed hand slipped back into the darkness.

“We should keep going,” I stated and walked past the abandoned machinery.

Slow to follow, Calla ambled around the machinery, picking up supplies and playing investigator.

“Come along,” I insisted, gesturing for her to hurry in my direction. “The growing darkness will no doubt encourage the Ghouls to become more brazen.”

Calla’s emerald gaze scanned the wall of dense trees surrounding this clearing. The sun was already low in the sky. The Ghouls were likely imagining a delicious meal of tender flesh and golden hair.

When Calla lingered for too long, I worried her bruised ego might blind her to the palpable danger. To keep her alive, I chose to pacify her hurt feelings.

“You shouldn’t take things so personally.”

Flashing an irritated glance in my direction, Calla muttered, “I’m uninterested in speaking with you.”

“Nothing I said was wrong, but I shouldn’t have laughed in your face. You must show me mercy. I spend most of my time in animal form. I never need to be charming when alone.”

Calla stopped watching the woods and glared at me. “You behaved as if I wanted you to be my mate. What do I gain from this situation beyond exasperation and distraction?”

“Well, I would make a superior mate,” I announced proudly before quickly adding, “Not that I think I’m yours. But you’d be fortunate if I were. After all, I’m nearly impossible to kill. I know how to hunt. I’m still in great shape despite a century-long retirement. I can also be charming.”

“I doubt that.”

Scowling, I asked, “The charming part?”

“No, that you’re in decent shape. You were sloppy with the Sorcerer.”

A growl erupted from deep in my chest. I was unaccustomed to criticism. Calla’s comment hit me harder than it should. Somehow, she had dug her way under my skin. I cared too much if she lived or died.

Calla heard my growl and studied me. Her gaze was filled with hurt. My rejection had truly bruised her ego.

“Bane Shifters have no mates,” I said when I sensed she viewed my growling as a sign of aggression. “This entire discussion is pointless.”

“You were still cruel.”

“Though I’m capable of charm and kindness, cruelty flows more effortlessly from me.”

“Because you lived for so long in animal form on the mountain?”

“Yes, and I was also trained to disregard the safety of the Shifter at my side. They might be my brothers, yet I shed no tears when they died. It’s not in my programming.”

Calla tilted her head, studying me. “You truly view yourself as an android, don’t you?”

“I might be made out of flesh and bone, but I learned to ignore my emotions.”

“Then, why were you growling?”

“You irritate me.”

Cocking an eyebrow, Calla pointed out, “Irritation is an emotion.”

“You know what I meant.”

Calla nodded before staring down at the ground and sniffling. Ill-equipped to deal with her emotions, I waited for her to explain herself. Finally, she lifted her chin and wiped her wet eyes.

“I wish you weren’t my mate. These feelings distract me from what matters. I need to learn my sisters’ fates and complete the mission.”

“Your mission is over, and your sisters are fine.”

“How can you be certain all the attackers from Haven Junction are dead? Also, you can’t possibly know the fates of my sisters or your packmates.”

“Why would we be alive and they wouldn’t be?” I asked, circling her. “Use your logic, Calla. We were the same distance from the explosion as they were. Whatever magic dropped us here did the same to them somewhere else.”

“We were dropped into a safe location. They might have found themselves in the middle of the ocean or a fiery volcano. Magic is unpredictable.”

“You’re working yourself into an emotional frenzy. This feels like self-sabotage. I can’t have that mentality on my team.”

“There’s no team. We’re here together because the magic recognized our mate bond.”

Rolling my eyes, I couldn’t believe she kept harping on something so clearly preposterous.

“Bane Shifters don’t have mates!” I hollered.

My voice echoed in the nearby forest. The Ghouls mimicked my words. Though I growled at them, they only tittered in response.

A pouty Calla watched me fail to intimidate the forest creatures. She wiped her eyes before again searching the area for supplies. I watched her climb into each massive machine. Finding a radio, she tried using it, only to be met with unending static on the other end.

“The nearest Murade base is too far away for them to hear you,” I said, walking around the clearing and stepping over bloodied tools and broken weapons.

“Humans are a curious species,” Calla said as she shoved a small blade into her pack. “They feel superior to all others, yet they treat their kind with so little care.”

“Quick breeding allows them to be reckless.”

“I guess, but the Murade dropped these people into hostile territory and left them to die.”

“Your sister claimed the Murade was focused on traveling the seas. If I know anything about the humans, they’re impulsive. They might have come up with this outpost idea one day, sent people here a week later, and have forgotten about the entire project by now.”

Calla stood on one of the excavators and studied the forest. “Pandorium is a magnificent beast. Its magic created regal creatures like the Elves, yet also hideous monsters like the Ghouls and Meiwia. Is there any sense behind it all? Or is ancient magic simply unleashed chaos?”

Dropping down from the excavator, Calla began walking in the direction we had been traveling.

Rather than follow her, I recognized the benefits of creating distance between Calla and me. Her beauty acted as a distraction, leaving me swooning when I needed to be alert.

Standing in the clearing, I let Calla create more distance. She followed a path cleared through the woods. I heard the skittering of the Ghouls keeping pace with her. If she were a true warrior, Calla could handle those vile flesh-eaters.

As she disappeared around a curve in the path, a creeping sensation brushed across my heart. I saw a flash of her dead and dismembered. The pack of Ghouls feasted on her beautiful body. Her lovely eyes were missing. Her mouth hung open in a silent scream. The image was so vivid in my mind.

Calla was driving me mad, and I didn’t trust her. However, the thought of her life ending forced my feet to move.