Page 3 of Mage Massacres

“Either someone here is strong enough to control us, or we’re here to control someone.” The wolf sighed. “I’m not happy with the second option. What kind of creature would need this much force to be controlled?”

“I can think of one,” the vampire muttered.

“It’s not a bad guess, Novak. I just don’t think there’s any proof to back up your suspicions.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to believe him. I needed more to go off of than a hunch. This wouldn’t be the end of the conversation, though. I could see the chaos brewing in the vampire’s golden eyes.

He shrugged, carefree as always. “I might be wrong, but I could be right. I suppose we’ll find out. I’ve asked a friend to help me find her.”

1

Sloane

Tuesday, June 9th

Early Morning

My body shook as the adrenaline of the night left my system in a rush. I felt deflated, like all the air had been sucked from my body. I’d never been so exhausted that I couldn’t even stand, that I just wanted to curl in on myself.

But if it meant saving one of my mates, I would deplete the last of my power and energy again. I’d do it every time, without thought.

Had they made me soft?

Or were they bringing out stronger emotions in me?

Empathy had been a weak point in my arsenal of tricks, and it wasn’t something I had cared to understand within strangers.

My mates were a different story, though.

I could feel so many more emotions now, some I couldn’t even put names to. I hadn’t experienced them in... a long time, if ever. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have kept that part of myself locked away for so long.

I’d felt excitement, joy, and several of the more broad-ranged emotions, but I’d forgotten just how many feelings a person was capable of.

I wasn’t a fan. I knew that much for certain.

The chaotic state of my mind was more draining than anything I’d ever felt. I needed some time to myself to sort all this shit out. I also refused to leave Palmer’s side until I knew he had been restored back to full health.

His body was still covered in raw, pink patches of healing skin. His russet hair wasn’t quite as long as before, but it grew before my eyes. It was weird to witness, though I’d been on the healing end of burns before too.

Immortality was returning him to his normal appearance, and that made me think.

I glanced down, quickly yanking my shirt away from my chest in time to catch the fading white glow of a new mate mark. Two small, swooping lines adorned the top with a slightly curved stem.

“How did that work?” I murmured to myself. “I don’t know what I did.”

“What is it, Love?” Palmer questioned me, curiosity and worry morphing his voice into something too soft to be coming from my mage.

I pushed myself onto my knees and stretched the neck of my t-shirt down, trying to show Palmer the mark. When it wouldn’t reach, I snatched the material over my head, balling it up as I tossed it to the side.

“This isn’t really an appropriate time for orgies, Trouble. Maybe give him a few more hours.” Novak grinned, offering me a little humor. “He’ll be fussy if he misses out.”

“Devil, give me patience,” I pleaded to myself.

“I don’t think we offer that,” Stone smarted.

I scrubbed my left hand over my forehead as I pointed to the new mark with my right. “You didn’t give me time to explain why I was stripping down. I have a new mark. See?”

“I know, Love,” Palmer stated. “That’s what brought me back.”