Kara bit her bottom lip as the fear of being faced with Gustavo’s wrath, with no protector to stand between them, assaulted her. He would rip them toshreds.
Adam continued to throw magic at Gustavo, but each time a bolt of energy landed, the wolf rose unfazed. Adam jumped over his opponent and landed on his feet behind him. Gustavo whipped around, his arm swinging out, and his claws raked across Adam’schest.
Crina snarled and started to move, but Adam held up his hand and suddenly she froze. “ADAM!” She roared at him. “Releaseme!”
“Not a chance, babe, not a chance,” he said as he kicked Gustavo’s knee, causing the wolf to stumble. Gustavo’s fist connected with Adam’s jaw as he righted himself. Adam backed up a few steps, jumping on the balls of his feet. He moved his jaw side to side and smiled. “Is that all you’vegot,dog?”
“Crina, your mate has a death wish,” Heather said, no longer whispering. “Or he’s justintopain.”
“Second option, Helen,” Adam called out as he pressed his hand to Gustavo’s chest. Gustavo backed up quickly as he snapped his teethatAdam.
“What did you just do?” Crinaasked.
“Nothing detrimental,” Adam said nonchalantly. “He just won’t be able to phase into his wolf form for a bit. If I let him phase, his wolf might not ever let the man back in control. At least right now, there’s still a chance that he isn’t completelyferal.”
“Okay, so what’s your definition of completely feral,” Stella asked. “Because he’s looking pretty damn feral with the foaming at the mouth and incoherent speech and stuff. Justsaying.”
“Naw, he’s just needing an outlet for his anger at his lack of ability to protect his female. Once he wears himself out, he’ll chill,” Adam explained as he jumped back just as Gustavo swiped at him then swept his leg out and brought Adam down to theground.
Kara watched in awe as Adam just continued to move, never slowing down, rolling and flinging himself into the air doing a back flip over Gustavo. When he landed, he had a dagger in both hands. He wielded them, doing tricks with them, spinning them in his hands as if they were simply an extension ofhimself.
“Adam,” Crina practicallywhined.
“Hey, it’s only fair that I give him a few scratches for the ones he’sgivenme.”
And he did. Over the course of the next two hours, Kara and the others watched as Adam and Gustavo fought. Neither seemed to tire. Just when Kara was beginning to worry that they’d never stop, Gustavo fell to his knees, and his eyes becameunfocused.
“Anna.” He breathed out, all of the fight rushing out of him in a huge breath. “Anna.” Her name was a prayer on his lips. It was spoken with such affection, love, and need that it brought tears toKara’seyes.
“Damn,” Heather said. “I can’t even see him, but just hearing the way he’s saying her name is making me acheforher.”
Adam put his daggers away, and Crina was finally able to move. She flew at him, instead of wrapping her arms around him like Kara thought she would, reared her arm back, and punched her mate intheface.
“Now that was awesome,” Stellalaughed.
“What?” Heather asked. “Whathappened?”
“Crina just punched her man in the face. Not a girly slap. I’m talking jerked his head to the side she hit him so hard,” Stellatoldher.
Adam’s head turned back slowly. A grin so sexy that Kara’s stomach clenched was stretched across his face as he looked at hisgloweringmate.
“Foreplay, pussy cat,” Adam crooned and waggled his eyebrows at her. “I never knew you were a voyeur. You should havetoldme.”
Stella waved Kara over. “Come sit down, Kare Bear. This is about togetgood.”
Kara was still suffering from the aftershocks of the fear she’d felt while Adam and Gustavo had fought, but she forced her legs to move. She made her way around the log and sat on the ground next toStella.
“I expect a play-by-play,”Heathersaid.
When Stella didn’t say anything, Kara inwardly groaned as she spoke up. “Adam is looking at Crina like he’s about todevourher.”
Heather smiled. “Devouringisgood.”
“Now he’s circling her,” Kara continued. “Crina looks like she’s going to claw his eyes out. And Adam looks like he would get turned on no matter how she touched him, violently or otherwise, just as long as shetoucheshim.”
Stella turned to look at Kara. “You’re goodatthis.”
“What?” Karaasked.
