Chapter Eight
Macgrath
Iwas toolate. Too fucking late.
As I tackled Ava, I felt the hot breath of the explosion fly over our falling bodies. I did everything I could to cushion her, trying to twist my torso so she could fall on top of me, but we still hit the floor with a hard thump.
She murmured something I couldn’t understand and magic swelled around us. Tremendous pressure surrounded me. My ears popped and my chest compressed causing my breath to leave my lungs in a rush.
Then the flames and heat were gone and Ava’s body went limp beneath mine.
“Oh, fuck. Ava,” I said, rolling off her and to my knees. I bent over her boneless form, turned her over, and brushed her hair away from her face. Ava’s cheeks were pale and cool to the touch. Her eyes were closed but her chest moved with slow, even breaths. A large knot rose on her forehead, rapidly turning red.
I focused on the sound of her heart, relieved when I heard the steady thump of each beat. She was alive and she didn’t seem to be injured beyond the bruise forming on her head. I didn’t smell blood on her.
“Oh my Goddess, Ava!” Savannah cried as she fell to her knees next to us. She reached out, stopping just short of touching Ava. “What should we do? Should I call one of the witches in the local coven to heal her?”
“I can do it,” Harrison said, skidding to a halt next to us.
I bristled at the idea of him being near Ava, overwhelming possessiveness rising like a tide within me. Then logic asserted itself. The only way I could help her without giving away my secret was to give her my blood and that was an intimacy that I doubted she would welcome. At least not yet. The sharing of blood between us would create a bond that would last for at least a year or more.
I doubted that Ava would agree to that if she were conscious.
Harrison wielded strong magic. He would be able to heal her just as well as my blood could.
My eyes met the shifter’s and I nodded. I moved back just enough to give him room to kneel next to Ava’s prone form. I watched him closely as he leaned over her and held his hand inches from her chest. A golden glow emanated from his palm and spread from her throat to her upper abdomen. Then he moved it to her forehead, the light encompassing the bruise.
A few seconds later the bruise and the glow faded and the shifter relaxed. “You were right. No major injuries. Just a mild concussion and bruised ribs.” His brown eyes met mine. “She’ll be fine.”
“Why is she still unconscious?” Savannah asked, looking worried.
I was glad that she voiced my concern because the wolf likely wouldn’t have answered me.
Harrison sighed and sat back. “It’s the magic. Whatever spell she cast, it took a tremendous amount of energy. It’s going to take some time for her body and her power to recover.”
“How long?” I asked, staring down at the petite witch who’d somehow saved us all.
The wolf looked at me, his eyes flaring from dark brown to bright amber. He didn’t want to tell me. I could smell the hostility and jealousy radiating from his very pores. But he did answer me. “A few hours at the least. Most likely, she’ll be down until tomorrow morning.”
I leaned down and lifted Ava in my arms.
The wolf was in my face immediately. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m taking her somewhere safe.”
He growled, his eyes losing even more of their humanity. “Like you kept her safe just a few moments ago?”
I snarled and knew my eyes were likely glowing from my rage.
Savannah, both brave and foolish, stepped between us, putting a hand on each of our arms. “Please, calm down.”
Her sweet, soothing tone dampened some of my anger. I glanced at Harrison, whose eyes were once again dark brown and completely human.
The shifter was staring at Savannah, traces of ire still in his face and scent. “He can’t take her.” His gaze flicked back to me. “He can’t be trusted.”
When Savannah spoke again, there was steel in her tone. Something I rarely heard from her when I watched both she and Ava from a distance. “I trust him with my life and he threw himself on top of Ava when that spell exploded. He’s taking her.”
Harrison growled and suddenly a pissed-off Rhys was in the mix.
