“Feel what? Foolish for allowing this trite conversation? I shouldn’t have allowed this to go as far as it has,” he murmured, as if to himself.
He rambled something else, but the energy surrounding me made it hard to hear.
“Tessa.” I saw Cadmus mouth my name. “Don’t worry, it’s only?—”
“Get down,” I yelled at Temita’s golden boy, my once-in-a-lifetime lover.
Mentally shoving him to the floor, I teleported to the dark wall coalescing across the room and psychically attacked with all my will.
Chapter 15
Marcus
“By the Light’s own heart,” Aerolus said in awe. “She’s attacking Arim.”
I pushed myself to my feet and saw Tessa attacking Arim’s still-materializing shape. And she was doing a decent job of it.
The wily sorcerer couldn’t fight as effectively between planes, for which I was—at this moment—eternally grateful. I had no doubt were Arim at his best, Tessa would now be dead.
I hurried between them, shielding her with my body and forcing her to back away with my mind.
“It’s okay, Tessa,” I repeated. “Arim’s a friend.”
Her efforts had slowed Arim’s materialization but didn’t hinder his eventual shift. Willing it to be enough, I threw up a wall of water between us and Arim and enforced the shield with my mind.
The blow, when it landed, shook me enough that my focus faltered, and water drenched the entire room.
Fortunately, I had Tessa protected when the water came down, allowing me to intercept Arim’s follow-on attack with my body. Pain, the likes of which I hadn’t felt in years, feathered up and down my spine, like fingers of fire whipping my flesh.
Yet I refused to release Tessa until the danger had passed.
“Enough,” roared Arim in the wake of my brothers’ hasty explanations. “What’s going on? Marcus?”
The pain in my back faded, replaced with a glowing warmth. Finally free to ease my hold on Tessa, I relaxed my arms around her.
She’d gone strangely still, and I just hoped she wouldn’t try to attack again.
“Arim, meet Tessa Sheridan,” Aerolus said calmly. “Marcus’ friend.”
Tessa squirmed, and I reluctantly gave her more space, though I kept myself between her and my uncle.
Arim cocked his head, his dark eyes blazing with barely fettered power. “Have I you to thank for my welcome?” he asked her dryly.
She blushed and glanced from Arim to the rest of us. “I’m so sorry. It’s just that the last time I saw something appear like that, we were attacked by wraiths.”
He held out a hand to Tessa and nodded in deference. With a soft voice, he said, “My apologies, then, Tessa Sheridan. I am Arim, and I mean you no harm.”
“Yeah, I get that, now.” She hesitantly shook his hand, then quickly turned to me. “I didn’t realize what you were doing when you came at me.”
She paused while I rid the bedroom of water and used my mind to pick up pieces of a shattered sculpture from the floor. “Marcus. Your back.”
I had no idea what was bothering her now, so I wasn’t prepared when she yanked me to her using my telekinesis. Scowling, I tried to turn, but she held me in a mental grip so strong she was likely unaware of her psychic thrall.
“Your clothes are shredded, and your back is bright red. Are you all right? What happened? What can I do?”
Aware of the others staring at us, I did my best not to flush. “I’m fine.” I had to push through her will to face her. While I couldn’t help feeling gratified by her concern, I was a little embarrassed.
The woman had no idea of her own strength when emotionally charged.
