Page 18 of Autumn L.A.W

Sahara was on the ground, Lioness braced behind her, Spirit Lion looming protectively with his mane flared. Desert Fox circled Sahara in anxious loops, his tail puffed out like a bottlebrush.

And beside them, Ezra. Kneeling. Hand still glowing faintly, jaw tight, looking shaken in a way he probably didn’t want anyone to see. He didn’t chase the fading energy. He let it go, breathing carefully until his hands steadied.

Rayna exhaled through her teeth. “Oh, hell no.”

Joell was right behind her. “What happened? Is she hurt? Is the thing still here? Why is he here? Why is he kneeling like that?”

Lioness looked up, wild-eyed. “Rayna—help!”

Rayna was already moving. She dropped to her knees beside Sahara, then began assessing her pulse, her skin tone, and her breathing. “Are you with me?”

Sahara nodded shakily. “Y-yeah. Mostly.”

Ezra shifted back an inch to give Rayna room. Just an inch, not more, and Rayna noticed. She also noticed how his attention stayed locked on Sahara. He grabbed a small black leather case and opened it as if the rest of them were background noise.

Rayna’s eyes narrowed.

Lioness was vibrating with adrenaline. “Rayna, it tried to grab her again. Not like the first time. It’s getting stronger. It was pulling both of us.”

Ezra spoke quietly, still focused on Sahara. “It wasn’t trying to pull Sahara. It was trying to separate you.”

Lioness choked on outrage. “That’s even worse!”

Rayna whipped toward Ezra. “And you! Why are you following my witches?”

Ezra met her glare without flinching. “I told you. If the resonance flared again, I’d feel it.”

Rayna jabbed a finger at him. “Feeling it is one thing. Interfering is another.”

Lioness muttered, “He did help, but appeared out of nowhere. Like he walked out of the ether.”

Ezra ignored that. His gaze never strayed far from Sahara. “She needs to be somewhere safer. This ground is still unstable.”

Lioness snorted. “Understatement of the century.”

Sahara lifted her head slightly. “He’s right. I can still feel it.”

Rayna bristled. “Feel what?”

Sahara’s voice was small, unsteady. “Like… someone whispering sweet nothings through a wall. Someone who knows I’m on the other side.”

Ezra’s jaw tightened at that. Very slightly. But Sahara saw it, and something warm flickered low in her chest before she could stuff it down.

Lioness saw it too. Her eyebrows shot up.

Rayna, thank the gods, was too busy panicking to decode any subtle sexual tension.

Joell crouched beside them. “We need to leave. Now. Preferably before whatever-that-was tries to make another grab.”

Ezra nodded once. “Agreed. Even small stressors can escalate quickly.”

Rayna whirled on him. “We didn’t ask for your agreement.”

Ezra’s reply was maddeningly calm. “I’m not here to control your team. I’m here to keep her alive.”

He nodded at Sahara. Romance had nothing to do with it. It was just true.

Sahara looked into his eyes, gratefully.