Page 83 of The Bookseller and the Alpha (Witch Twins #1)

Luc

I’d lost sight of Caly. I could feel her through the bond, but I couldn’t see her.

I didn’t like it, even though it had been my plan.

My roar had incited the final few and they’d all piled onto me, trying to overwhelm me through sheer numbers.

No longer trying to kill me they’d decided to go for one final push.

To get the journal. Logically, if they were swarming me, then Caly was safe, unnoticed.

But the hairs on the back of my neck prickled.

Beast’s senses were telling me that something was wrong.

Automatic gunfire sounded behind me. On instinct, I hunched my shoulders, ready to take the rain of bullets, even as I struggled with the men trying to hold me down.

The expected pain didn’t come and in that moment of distraction, when I paused, manacles tightened around my ankles.

Manacles. Ha. As if manacles could stop me.

But they could slow me down until I broke them. And if the gunfire hadn’t been aimed at me… Fuck, fuck, fuck. Caly. My mate. They were shooting at my mate.

A guttural sound tore from my throat as Beast pushed extra power into me.

My muscles bunched, and I threw two of the men off my body, tossing them into the building.

More arms reached for me. I grabbed an arm, pulling the torso towards me until I could pick the man up, lifting him above my head.

I tried to turn, but my movements were hampered by the short length of chain between the manacles.

Caly. I was taking too long. I was too slow.

Every heartbeat felt like an eternity. I barely felt the snap of the chains as I flexed my legs.

Throwing the man like a shotput into the remaining men rushing me was almost an afterthought.

I needed my arms free. If Caly was in danger, it was time for us to leave.

I should have grabbed her the moment I’d seen her peer around the corner of the building.

Just grabbed her and run. But I’d been caught up in the bloodlust, wanting to kill every one of the men who’d been involved.

Feeling like I was operating in slow motion, slow, too slow , I finished the turn, my eyes cataloguing every horrifying detail. Two men with automatic weapons trained on my mate. Firing on her. Firing on my mate. A man between her and me. Blocking my path. Soon to be a dead man.

Beast had no more power to give me. He couldn’t push me any faster.

My legs moved automatically even as I continued taking in the scene.

Twenty paces until the man trying to block my way.

Twenty more paces from him until I could reach Caly and pull her away.

She was on one knee. Apparently unhurt. One arm moving in a violent slash across her body.

A horizontal sheet of orange flame burst from her fingertips, following the movement of her arm. Holy fuck. She was a pyromage as well as telekinetic. Beast howled in primal satisfaction as our mate burned her enemies to a crisp.

Mate, you are MAGNIFICENT.