After a brief look around, the bear loped out of sight.
I shook the blood off my knuckles and aimed a hot glare at the men. “Go crawl back under the rock you came from. We’re here on official business. If you want the higher authority up your ass, that’s up to you. Just keep in mind that I’m a Mage.” Static flickered at my fingertips.
“Since when does the higher authority give a shit what we do out here?” he spat out.
The woods came alive when at least ten more men emerged from hiding spots behind the brush.
I looked over my shoulder at Blue, deciding this wouldn’t end well. “Take off. I’ll meet you at home.”
She glowered. “I’m not leaving you here alone. We’ll fight together.”
“You’re unarmed. You can escape. I have no choice,” I said, noticing the men had spaced apart so that I’d never make it back to my truck.
“Have you got enough fang to take down fourteen men? Because it’ll take a hell of a lot of Mage light to drop a bear. I’ll fly if you promise to run.”
I gave her a regretful smile. “I can’t leave my truck. My father gave me that truck, and I’ll bet they’re stealing the tires as we speak.”
Blue sighed. “Go for the dagger. I’ll get the axe.”
“We require compensation,” Skeleton Man called out. “Tit for tat.”
One of the men slid his gaze down Blue’s body. “Yeah… tit.”
Once I spotted the knife, I flashed to it. One man made a wild lunge, but I spun around and sliced his arm.
Blue ran past me toward the axe, the ground thundering beneath her feet. She skidded to a stop when Skeleton Man reached it first.
He approached her with a menacing stride. “Are you a bird? Because I sure have a taste for fried chicken.”
I gasped when he lifted the axe in a sharp movement and brought it down.
One minute, Blue was in the line of fire. The next, a tall figure appeared in front of her and stopped the axe midair. He gripped Skeleton Man’s wrist, standing like a pillar between Blue and certain death. The stranger’s boots were as dirty as the ground beneath him, his long hair unkempt. When he turned his head to look at the other men, I saw his full profile.
Oh shit.
It was Matteo.What the hell is he doing here?
The men backed up when they saw that Matteo had gone primal. Chitahs weren’t Shifters, but they had something animalistic living inside them that was ruthless when it took over. Ruthless enough to take on fourteen bears? By the looks on the men’s faces, they didn’t want to take that bet.
I joined Blue’s side, uncertain how this would end.
Matteo bared his teeth, all four incisors in view. The venom inside was only poisonous to a Mage, but they could probably do serious damage. Skeleton Man stood frozen, his wrist still caught in Matteo’s clutches, his hand turning purple. When Matteo inhaled deeply and audibly, the man whimpered and let go of the axe.
Blue wasted no time collecting it. “What kind of depraved men chain up women? Go back to your cave now unless you want us to call our boss.”
“Don’t get any bright ideas,” I added, using my most authoritative voice. “If we don’t report back in an hour, they’ll send in Regulators to find us.”
That was enough for most of the men to retreat, but three lingered behind. “Let him go,” one guy demanded.
Ignoring him, I glared at Skeleton Man. “You better tell your goons to back off. Have you ever seen a Chitah rip out a man’s throat with his teeth?”
A low growl rumbled in Matteo’s chest. He slapped his hand behind the Shifter’s neck and yanked him so they were nose to nose. And Matteo had to bend down to meet his gaze.
The scrawny Shifter trembled, his eyes saucer wide as he looked at Blue. “I wasn’t gonna hurt you. I just wanted to—”
“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you,” Blue said as she circled behind him and put her mouth close to his ear. “He can smell a lie, and you know it.” She finally sidestepped and nodded at Matteo. “Let him go.”
Matteo drew closer to the man’s neck.
