“And how dareyouhumiliate me in front of everyone!”he roared while pointing his finger in my face.“You accepted my proposal and then let someChitahchallenge me in public!”
“You embarrassed yourself.”
He slapped me so hard that I twisted to the right.
I narrowed my eyes, and before straightening up, I closed my fist and punched him in the face.“You think I’m gonna let you walk into my house and knock me around like you own me?”While he cupped his nose, I kneed him in the groin and shoved him against the wall.
Bright lights beamed through the glass on the storm door when a vehicle sped into my driveway.
I kicked off my shoes and hurried to the back bedroom.When I opened the door, I found my father tied to his bedpost with white rope.Using my teeth, I gnawed at the tight knots until I was able to free him.
“What’s going on?”he asked in a panic.“Where’s that son of a bitch?”
“Dad, stay here.I’ve got everything under control.”
With my heart still racing in my chest, I sprinted into the living room and found Lucian.He still had on his black tank top and jeans as if we’d never parted.
He stalked toward me from the kitchen hall, his nose twitching as if he was tracking a scent.“Where is he?Where’s Hightower?”
After catching my breath, I hurried into the living room.“He was just here.”
Lucian closed in.When he noticed my bloody lip, he lifted my chin with the crook of his finger.His eyes darkened.“He hit you?”
Lucian softly kissed my bottom lip.It wasn’t a kiss of passion—he was healing my cut.
“Stay here,” he said before storming off.
I caught up with him at the back door as my father emerged from the hall.“Fuck that.I’m going with you.Dad, stay inside and lock the doors.”
Once outside, Lucian sampled the air—his cheeks puffing slightly before his jaw hung lax.“He’s close.”
“He might have driven off.”
“Think again.”Lucian pulled a key fob from his pocket.“Found it on the kitchen counter.He won’t get far.”After tossing it into a flowerpot, he stepped off the porch.“You should stay.”
I stripped out of my clothes.When I morphed into my tiger, she found Henry’s scent and took off.
My animal could run up to forty miles per hour but quickly tired.After my short burst, Lucian blurred ahead of me.Chitahs could outrun almost any Mage, but we were also at an advantage since Henry didn’t have night vision.While he could flash at the speed of a car, he was impaired by his inability to see plants, rocks, cliffs, holes, or even wildlife.The uneven terrain would slow him down.
I raced past a thicket of yaupon holly.The air was heavy with his scent.I only had a few minutes before I lost consciousness and hoped to hang on long enough to see this through.
My tiger growled as she tasted the heady scent of his cologne.Her paws padded across the grassy terrain as the crickets sang in unison.
A twig snapped from above.I steered my gaze up and spotted Lucian perched on a branch.He frowned, likely unsure if I was still conscious inside my animal.In a slow movement, he raised his arm and pointed to my right.
I spotted Henry doubled over by a tree, oblivious to our presence.Listening to the rasp in his throat as he panted for air, my animal moved stealthily through the brush and circled to the other side.
She immersed herself in what came natural: stalking her prey.A Mage could only flash for so long before draining their core light, and from the scent of blood in the air, he must have stumbled more than once.I prowled behind him like an ominous shadow, hungry for the kill.
My energy exploded like a cannon, and I shot toward him with enough power to knock him to the ground.Henry screamed when I sank my large fangs into his fragile little shoulder.With his good hand, he blasted my tiger in the face with energy.
When she reeled back, Henry scurried out from beneath me.But before he could flee, Lucian swooped onto the scene like a dark menace.
Blood coated my tongue.Rage gathered like a storm as my tiger shook off the residual pain from the energy blast.Lucian and Henry brawled, but Lucian had the clear advantage.Every time Henry put out his hand to blast him, Lucian pivoted out of the way.Henry couldn’t see clearly in darkness—only shadows beneath the light of dim stars.And his left arm hung limp at his side.
Lucian moved swiftly—a blur of exquisiteness as he ferociously beat Henry in the face.My tiger unleashed a spine-chilling roar when blood sprayed the earth like drops of justice.
“You’ll.Never.Touch.Her.Again!”Each word followed a brutal punch.
