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I understand that Ry wants an advantage, but there’s no way to get one. Amber sent this woman to kill whoever she could, so that Amber could get to me easier. It could easily have been one of my mates who’d been blown up. And I will not give her a chance to do that again.
I’m not sure how, but I can sense her. I know that she’s coming closer, and that she’s not alone. I won’t let my mates try to shield me or protect me. I’ll be the one doing that for them. Almost as an afterthought, I create a dome shaped shield around us. It will alert me if anyone tries to attack and will keep anything magic from hitting my mates.
“She’s close,” I whisper. Then I turn in the direction I feel her and yell, “Amber! I know you’re there. Show yourself.”
Her laughter echoes through the trees, and for a moment, I think I’ve mistaken the direction she’s coming from. I turn to see magic hit my shield. It’s not Amber’s, though. How can I tell that? It’s almost as if my power is growing with every step I take. That’s not possible, is it? I would ask my father, but I can’t. That reminder sends a pain through my heart, and I double over for a moment.
Maybe I should just give up. I’ve lost so much already. It’s going to hurt so badly when I watch my mates die because I’m not strong enough to protect them. The words are in my head, in my voice, but they aren’t my words. I see what Amber is trying to do, and I refuse to let it happen. I shake her words away, pushing those doubts aside.
“She’s trying to get in our heads. Don’t listen to anything she says, even if it sounds like your own voice,” I warn my mates. We have to stay strong or she’ll win. I can’t let that happen. There’s too much at stake. Trevan and Grammy didn’t give their lives for me to give up now.
I can’t help thinking we should have had an army of our own, but it was safer for Ry to send everyone away. I know there are still wolves guarding the village, but most of them are somewhere else, safe with their families. And that’s my comfort. If I fail here, it will take her longer to find them. Hopefully she won’t.
No. She won’t find them, because I’m not going to let her win this. I will defeat her. Do you hear me, Amber? I will take you out.
I hear her laugh echo through the trees again, and I know that she can hear me. “Are you scared, Amber? Is that why you’re staying so far away?” I don’t yell this time, instead, I lower my voice to nearly a whisper. I want her to strain to hear me. I need her to come closer.
“Do you really think your false bravado will defeat me?” she asks, and I know that she’s taken the bait. Amber is closer now, and I know exactly which direction she’s moving in. As long as I can keep her moving toward us, I’ll be able to attack her before she can reach us.
“It can’t hurt. Besides, who says it’s false? I have every reason to feel confident in my ability to defeat you. I have more power than you do. And you’ll never get my power, so there’s no way you can win.”
A wave of freezing cold washes over us, and I wonder how she got past my shield. Then I realize that I let myself get distracted when I started taunting her. I dropped the shield. Fuck. I curse in my head.
Another laugh echoes. “You can’t even hold a simple spell while you have a conversation. Tell me again why I should be so scared of you,” she taunts me. I mentally kick myself and put my shield back in place.
Then I warm our bubble up enough so that no one ends up with frostbite. “Are you okay?” Luca asks quietly.
I nod. “Are you sure we shouldn’t move into the clearing?” Orym asks next.
“I’m sure,” I reply. I don’t wait for anyone else to distract me further. I start walking toward the direction Amber is coming from. “Come on.”
I don’t look back to see if they’re following; I know they are. They want to take Amber down as much as I do. The moment I have a visual on her, I throw a lightning bolt. It hits next to her feet and she jumps. “Didn’t see that one coming, did you?” I ask with a chuckle.
“How did you do that?” she answers my question with a question of her own.
“I’m half Fae, remember?” I shouldn’t justify her words with any response, but I do. I need to catch her off guard, and I think this is the only way.
I don’t expect her to fight fair, so I’m not surprised when her minions surround us. They can’t get past my dome with their magical attacks, so I think we’re safe. I know it won’t last, and I have to maintain concentration or we’ll be vulnerable again.
What I failed to consider was that the witches would attack with physical weapons. When arrows start to fly, I realize that my magical shield isn’t going to protect us from that. “Guys, watch out,” I warn as I feel another arrow fly past my face.
The tide is turning, and I’m worried.
JAMES
When the arrows start to fly past us, my fangs snap into place. There’s no magic protecting Amber or her followers from me. Perhaps I can use this blood lust to my advantage. I can smell the witches who surround us. All I need is for one of them to get too close. As far as we know, Amber isn’t aware of my change. As long as that’s true, we have an advantage. But how do I use it to defeat her?
I’m only going to get one shot here, then they’ll know to stay away from me. I can’t reach Amber, so it’ll have to be one of her followers. It’s too bad I don’t know who her favorite is. That’s who I’d like to go after.
I watch as magic hits near me. Good; Garnet has a shield around us. I’ll probably have to step out of it in order to grab this witch, but with my increased speed, that shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll grab the witch and zip back in the shield before I drain every drop of her essence from her body and throw it at Amber’s feet.
I hate the dark urges that course through me, but I understand now why my family trusts me. I don’t have those urges toward them. And I’d expected to. Sure, they all smell delicious, and I would love a taste, but I don’t have the desire to drain them. Since that’s what I was so scared of, I’m feeling much more relaxed now.
Take your time, James. Let her think you’re getting tired and you’re still a weak human. That’s it. Oh, yes, let’s trip and stumble. Perfect. I have her attention now. I wait a moment, then dash over and snatch the witch, racing back into the protective bubble. Her scream is cut short by my fangs flashing in her eyes before they sink into her neck.
The metallic tang of her blood coats my tongue and I swallow greedily, sucking her life force out along with her blood. I drink every drop, licking my lips when I finish.
I glance over to see Garnet watching me with lust in her eyes. Who knew my girl is so kinky? I wouldn’t have expected her to be the type who likes to watch. My dick twitches as she stares at me. I lick my lips again, making sure to send her an image of exactly what I want to do to her later. She shivers and her cheeks turn pink before she finally looks away.
