Page 88 of Magical Midlife Conclave

“Tristan, get him out.” I pointed at the limp gargoyle. He was alive, but he was not feeling so great.

Aljoe barely bothered with the remaining challenger, his bite to his favorite target—the jugular—nothing more than proof he would’ve won. I was confused by that for exactly one moment.

Then the big beast turned to me.

19

Jessie

“Do you really want to end up in a cage again, bro?” I asked him, backing into the center of the space.

“Jessie—” Sue frantically hurried to my side.

“Get out of here.” I shoved him away. “He’ll take you out just to get to me. Leave the path clear. Let’s teach this bastard a little humility, shall we?”

I had a beast, too, and she didn’t feel fear.

Those golden eyes locked on mine. The lion circled.

I yanked off my muumuu and tossed it to the side. I shifted and threw up a wall of blistering magic because now I knew how this lion worked. He was used to ending a fight as quickly as possible. Kill shots were his survival mechanism, because when in combat, survival was all that mattered.

Before I finished shifting, he was leaping at me. He hit my wall of magic and a sound like a huge bug zapper rent the air. He grunted even as he flew to the side, a pretty tame response, because that had to hurt like hell.

I pinned him with magic that I was pretty sure he’d eat or scratch through. This spell wasn’t at the top of my power, but I wanted to make a statement. And maybe—just maybe—get a little payback for Aurora.

I landed on him, attacking with claws and teeth and spells, scratching and tearing and ripping at him. I yanked out chunks. I cut him deep. Then, as the last shred of my magic was ripped away, I flew into the air.

He jumped at me like a feral beast, his teeth snapping right next to my toe.

Good God, this guy was powerful. I didn’t think he could jump so high.

I hammered him with spells. He crouched, watching me, handling the pain while he waited for me to get closer. He knew I would.

He was right.

I dove to the side. He launched.

“Olé, fucker,” I tried to say. It came out a jumbled mess, but it didn’t matter because I flung my hand up like a matador.

I wrapped that lion in a spell and then dropped down onto his back like he was my pony.

“Ride, sparkle farts!” I hollered, scratching him anew.

He pivoted, rolled, did some other beautifully graceful thing—I couldn’t tell; I was suddenly slamming against the ground—and then he was on me, trying to return the damage.

I had the wind knocked out of me and reacted in a way I shouldn’t have.

Magic exploded, ballooning in all directions, and I knew the second I’d loosed it that it was a doozy.

This time he did howl. The spell flung him off, and I had a flash of pure panic that I’d done something I couldn’t take back. That I didn’t have a way to stop.

I shifted as quickly as I could. “Oh God, I’m so sorry.”

He lay on his side, panting and bleeding freely. Red puddled under him. I’d paid him back for Aurora and then some.

“Oh no. It’s okay.” I slid into the dirt beside him.

“Jess, no!”