“Raven, it’s going to be alright! Nova is calling Adam. He’ll sort this out!”
Raven. The name suited her. Then the rest of the woman’s sentence registered. Who the fuck was Adam? My mate better not belong to another male!
The bear within me surged forward, trying to force a shift. Fur rippled down my arms and my fingernails lengthened into lethal claws.
“Calm the fuck down, bear!” the mage dude yelled while pulling a stun device from his tactical vest.
A deep warning growl rattled my chest. If he tried stunning me, I’d happily disembowel him. Being stunned mid-shift hurt like a bitch and could cause irreparable damage to a lesser shifter. Not me, but still. If he knocked me out, I couldn’t protect my mate.
The fear of what might happen caused my bear to roar in anger. I grunted as the shift took hold, but a small hand reached up and stroked my cheek.
“It’s okay,” my mate whispered. “I’m fine.” The sweet musical lilt of her voice cut through my bear’s primal need to protect his mate. He listened. “Don’t lose control. They might hurt you.”
She was afraid.
I sighed.
My mate had nothing to worry about. Very few creatures were stronger than my bear. Certainly not these pathetic Mage Councilidiots with their stupid toys and superiority complexes. You could put an asshole in a uniform and give him a gun, but it didn’t make him a worthy opponent.
“Why are you here? She’s a fucking shifter!” I snarled at the man pointing a stun device at me.
“No, she’s not,” he explained through gritted teeth. I looked up to see a crowd of interested humans watching. Some of them had camera phones and were openly filming our confrontation. The mages noticed as well.
One of them flicked his hand. A shockwave of magical energy blasted out, and everyone but us and the girl with the brown hair froze.
What the actual fuck? My mate’s friend was a witch? I frowned. Shifters and witches rarely mixed; we had very little in common. I turned my attention back to the fucker with the stun device.
“What are you talking about? She’s my mate; therefore, she’s a shifter!”
The female in my arms stiffened. “Mate?”
“Mate,” I repeated firmly.
“She’s a witch,” the male insisted. “An unregistered one, according to our records.” His companion nodded while reading the results on a small handheld scanner.
The male turned to my mate. “How old are you?”
“Erm…nineteen?”
“You should be in school. We don’t allow uneducated witches to exist in the community. It’s too dangerous.” He pointed to the pile of smoldering canvas and melted glass behind us. “See exhibit A.”
“That wasn’t me,” Raven huffed. “Candles are supposed to burn! It’s why they’re made of wax!”
The mage rolled his eyes while tucking the scanner back into his pocket. “Our sensors detected a tremendous surge of magic. You’re next to the burn zone, and the magical signature all over the area belongs to you, witchling.”
“But…”
“No buts, witchling. With your power levels, you are legally required to attend Starfall Academy and learn how to control your magic. Refusing your place means being locked up to protect the humans.” He shrugged. “Sorry, but it’s the law now. There have been too many incidents involving dangerously out-of-control witches and other supernaturals.” He glared at me, clearly insinuating I couldn’t control my bear.
I growled at him, making it clear my bear would rip his fucking head from his shoulders if he pissed me off. He took a step back.
“I do not know what you’re talking about.” Raven struggled in my arms and I loosened my grip so she could stand on her own two feet. “Yes, I have a bit of magic, but I’m not dangerous! I’m offended that you believe I could or would even want to kill humans!”
“Raven doesn’t normally mix with humans,” the brown-haired female piped up while twisting her hands together. She stepped closer, her anxious gaze flicking between me and the mages. “She doesn’t need to attend a magic academy.”
The mage in charge pulled his scanner back out and aimed it at her. He grunted at the results and pocketed it again. “You’re registered, so explain to me why she’s not.”
“It’s complicated,” the female hedged while staring at the floor.
