Then he crashed onto the hardwood floor.
AUSTIN
The sound of something breaking near my head jolted me awake. I was on Pandora’s wooden floor, pieces of a shattered vase inches from my face.
As I pulled myself upright, I remembered I was in bear form and what had happened. Bolts of light flew across the room, and I had to duck back down. With the destruction of broken household goods around me, I wondered how long I’d been out.
Pandora shouted something in Latin. White light shot from her wand as it reached for Marius. She appeared fierce and incredibly powerful with a determined expression and tousled hair. My heart thumped with pure love and admiration.
He blocked the rays of magic with some sort of defensive shield. It was invisible but caused the light to fizzle into rivulets before disappearing. He stepped forward with his wand like a fencer and threw a fiery red bolt at her.
Protect mate. Anger rose in me faster than an avalanche. I sprang for the man so fast he didn’t see it coming. As I tackled him to the ground in a bear hug, the air whooshed from his lungs.
Before he could recover, I raised my paw with extended claws, ready to maul him from chin to naval. He stared at me with wide, frightened eyes.
“Don’t kill him!” Pandora pleaded.
Although every cell in me wanted to destroy this man who’d hurt my mate, I couldn’t ignore her plea. I didn’t want to bring her any more pain.
“I’ll get restraints. Hold him!” she insisted.
It took all my willpower not to kill him. I focused on breathing through the crimson glare.
Pandora returned several seconds later. “You’re under arrest for the illegal use of magic on others and attempted kidnapping.” She mentioned love potions, memory charms, and others while she bound him with silver handcuffs behind his back, dissimilar to the restraints I’d shredded from her wrists. Then she threw a silvery mesh over him.
“That will prevent him from using magic,” she explained.
He howled and struggled against it. Once it became clear that he couldn’t get out of whatever magical net this was, I shifted back to human form.
“Shut up.” I punched him in the face, knocking him out cold.
Pandora called the Network and told them a brief version of what happened, telling them to come get him from her house. I grabbed a pair of shorts that I’d left in her bedroom from the many nights I’d spent over here.
Once she ended the call, she turned to me. Her determined expression fell as so many other emotions swam in her glossy eyes. “I’m so sorry, Austin. I should have told you about Marius. We were together in the past, but that’s long over.”
“That’s okay. We can talk about it later.”
“Forget everything I said about ending it.” Tears swam in her eyes. “It was out of fear.”
I gulped. “I understand.”
She raised her arms and moved toward me. “I do want to be with you. I hope it’s not too late.”
I rushed toward her, meeting her halfway. “Never.” Then I embraced her. A rush of exhilaration flooded me. My mate was in my arms. No matter what else happened, everything would be okay.
CHAPTER25
PANDORA
Cassandra, Zoe, Lucas, and Nova arrived at my house with two gargoyle guards. I had to sweep a walking path through all of the destruction Marius and I had caused when we’d fought. Anything that had been in the line of fire had been damaged if not broken. I’d rather deal with cleanup and redecoration over the alternative of being Marius’s puppet. I shook off that sensation with a shudder.
He came to while still bound, groggy at first, but then spat a string of swears and threats as he glared at me.
Austin strode over and growled, “Don’t threaten my mate. Don’t even look at her or I’ll make that punch feel like a tap.”
Marius seethed and then said, “Mate?”
“Yes, mate,” I said as I stepped beside Austin and hooked my arm through his.
