Page 14 of Magical Midlife Rescue (Leveling Up #11)

EIGHT

Austin

Aurora met Carlos’s lunge with a calm and fluid dodge before she twisted.

He chomped into her rear, and Jess gasped.

He scratched at Aurora’s flank, opening up minor gashes.

Wolves were better as pack animals, working together to take down an adversary.

They couldn’t latch on with their claws like a tiger could.

Aurora knew that. An alpha’s daughter, she’d trained for this her whole life, and she’d been taught by one of the best. This would be a tough fight for her because of Carlos’s size and strength, but she was smart enough to compensate.

Besides, she had size and strength of her own.

She might’ve been smaller in her human form, but her animal was one of the biggest around, and she had more power and dexterity.

Frankly, the odds were tipped in Aurora’s favor.

But Jess didn’t know any of that, and Austin wanted to see how she’d react to a loved one in a bloody fight.

Aurora spun and launched herself at Carlos, landing on his back and digging her claws into the sides of his neck. Her big-cat power kept him from throwing her off as she bit and released, bit and released, fighting to stay balanced and work her jaw closer to his jugular.

He was too smart, experienced, and powerful to let her win so easily, however.

Carlos dropped and rolled, more flexible than even Aurora was.

Her hold loosened, and then he was up, taking advantage of her on the ground and biting the base of her neck.

He jerked his head back and forth, ripping her flesh. Blood splattered onto the dead grass.

A pulse of energy cut through Austin’s middle, a warning.

“Keep your power contained,” he murmured to Jess, leaning closer to brace his arm against hers. “Keep your cool. You can’t interrupt the challenge. Aurora has a long way to go before she’s in danger.”

Jess’s hands balled into fists, but the feel of her magic deadened.

“Good,” he said. She needed to relax her body, to show she was unaffected even if she wasn’t, but for now, they’d just work on her magic. Austin should probably battle Cyra again to give her some practice…but he’d really rather not. Fighting that phoenix hadn’t been at all pleasant.

Aurora was up and after Carlos, bleeding but showing no sign of pain. Neither did Carlos. They were both impeccably trained shifters, and they wouldn’t show pain until they were almost dying.

He backed off to keep her from jumping on him again, and she stalked toward him.

He tried to circle, but she cut him off.

Tried to circle back, and she cut him off there, too.

She was on the attack. He’d riled her up, and she was about to fully unleash her beast and let the darkness consume her.

It was a trait she’d gotten from her grandfather—one she shared with Austin.

In a blink, she was all action and big-cat power.

Wrapping her forearms around the wolf, Aurora wrestled him, crashing her heavier body into his.

He struggled to stay on his feet, fighting against her grip, then faltered.

She was at his throat in a moment, but she didn’t just grab and hold on, cutting off his air.

Instead, she tore at it, ripping left to right, essentially chewing his throat open to do maximum damage.

Blood gushed, and Carlos struggled weakly.

Aurora wasn’t in control of herself anymore.

She settled on top of him, still ripping.

It looked like she was trying to kill him, and equally like she would succeed.

This hadn’t been much of a fight at all, just like every challenge before.

When Aurora lost herself to the darkness, as when Austin did, she boosted her power—her effectiveness, her unbridled viciousness—in spades.

Unlike Austin, she’d never been afraid of the darkness. He wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

But Brochan, tensing at Austin’s side, realized the danger. It was time to stop this.

Austin nearly turned to Jess, but she held up her hand as she stepped forward. “Enough, Aurora,” she said calmly, and a pulse of magic hit them all. It felt…almost peaceful, tranquil, but was a command nonetheless. “It’s over.”

Ignoring her, Aurora kept at it. Carlos barely moved. He’d thrown in the towel and needed the challenge to end before it turned fatal. They were in the red zone, almost to the limit…

Austin stepped forward this time. “Jess?—”

She shook her hand a little, and another shock of magic cut through him.

Peace…with an edge. A warning to calm down.

It wasn’t for him—it was still directed at Aurora—but everyone felt it.

Jess was being transparent in her leadership.

“Aurora, enough. It’s over ,” Jess said, violence ringing in her voice.

The magic changed, a countdown now, hard and stinging.

Aurora tensed but didn’t relent. Fights that went this far, especially when someone lost themselves to their beast, often had to be forcibly ended.

If the shifter had a lot of power, people could get hurt in the process.

This was why Austin wanted Jess to get used to this—he needed her at his side in case the worst should happen.

He needed her to protect others if he should lose himself and not be able to come back, just as they were witnessing with Aurora.

“Je—” he started, ready to handle it himself.

Aurora yelped, then flew, rolling through the air. She slammed into the ground ten feet away, nearly hitting a spectator. The great tiger righted herself with a snarl, then lunged forward, aiming for Jess.

Austin tried to intervene, but he bounced off a wall of magic that gleamed around the challenge area.

Calm as could be, Jess gracefully stepped over the prone wolf in a protective posture. “It’s over, Aurora. You need to claw your way out of the darkness. Come back to me.”

He realized she was talking to Aurora like he had once spoken to Jess when her gargoyle weighed her down. She was trying to guide Aurora as he had once guided her.

Aurora bunched and lunged, but Jess thrust her hand forward, magically batting her away. The tiger flew again, this time to the right.

“Climb out of the darkness, Aurora,” Jess said in that calming tone, this time with a command worming through it. “Your beast does not rule you—it helps you. You control it , not the other way around. Fight your way back to the surface.”

“I’ll be damned,” Tristan whispered. Austin would have to ask him later what he was responding to.

Carlos’s throat began to mend, and his bleeding slowed. Jess was healing him as she worked with Aurora, a protector and a teacher at the same time.

Austin’s pride swelled. He couldn’t have picked a better co-leader or mate. This would get out to the rest of the pack. This was why they were all concerned about her well-being.

Aurora lunged once more, but her heart wasn’t in it.

“Claw your way to the surface,” Jess commanded, and this time, power roared in her words.

“Come on, Aurora, you’re more than a mere beast. Prove it.

” She waited a beat. “Austin had to find his balance as well. So did I. You have to have balance when you’re flirting with the darkness.

That side of you is a great asset…until it’s a danger.

Stability should not come with a warning label. ”

“That’s something a gargoyle would say,” Tristan whispered, leaning toward Austin. “Language like that appeals to the cairns.”

Good to know.

“She’s blossoming as an alpha,” Brochan murmured. “Looks like she needs to be in the action to really own that part of herself.”

“I agree,” Tristan said. “It’s something I’ve learned about myself recently.”

Austin kept himself from huffing out a laugh. Tristan had learned that by taking over a schedule, of all things. He needed to buy Niamh a beer, or perhaps a whole vat of basajaunak special brew.

A flare of light preceded Aurora’s rising to stand in her human form, her gaze acutely focused on Jess. She didn’t speak or step forward. She didn’t posture with the victory or even give a cursory glance to get reactions, something most shifters did.

Jess nodded at her as though there had been a silent exchange. “Good,” she said. “Work on it. Eventually, it won’t be such a struggle. I should know—I went from a Jane to a violent, dark-dwelling death machine. If I can do it, anyone can.”

“Kind of extreme,” Tristan muttered, laughter in his tone.

Jess pulled her foot from over Carlos before kneeling at his side and putting a hand on his shoulder. “How do you feel? Better?”

He let his tongue roll out.

“He’s good,” Austin translated, because Jess would have no clue what that meant. “He just needs more time to heal.”

“I’m letting him feel most of the pain to keep him from shifting or moving too much.” Jess rose. “His throat needs to be better stitched together, or it’ll tear. Blood loss could still kill him if he’s not careful.”

The magic winked out from around the challenge area. Aurora lowered her gaze, contemplative, before making her slow way to Carlos. She knelt beside him as someone brought her clothes. Austin couldn’t hear what she said, but it was customary to thank the other shifter for the fight.

“Okay.” Jess stopped in front of Austin with her hands on her hips. “What’s next? Tristan?”

“Give me a minute. I just need to jot down your thoughts and hopes in your diary really quick,” he replied.

She rolled her eyes as Austin nearly turned back to see what he was talking about. Jess grimaced at him, though, stealing his attention. “Sorry,” she said. “Hopefully, with practice, I’ll get better.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her toward the car. “You did perfectly. I’d never thought to coach Aurora on the darkness. She always seems much more together than I ever was. I didn’t realize it was a concern.”