Mathias tenses and glares at the tree. I know he’s sizing the situation up and wondering, Natural causes or magical?
I plaster myself behind the trunk, trying to figure out how the hell to stall Mathias now.
A moment later, I hear a gentle whoosh to my right. I tense, but Bram, Ice, Caden, and Ronan appear in the shadows beside me, against the wall. I whip my gaze around to see if Mathias heard or sensed their arrival. But the Anarki have already vanished, ripping the wrought-iron gates wide and stomping onto the grounds behind the brick walls.
I stand, thoughts burning through my head. I motion the others over. “We have to go in now. Tabitha is inside?—“
“We don’t know what we’re walking into,” Caden argues.
“I don’t fucking care. He can’t…” God, I’m so terrified of the possibilities, I can’t get the words out. “I will not let him touch her.”
Ice and Bram exchange glances, then nod. A shadow ripples beneath Bram’s expression—gone as fast as it appears—but enough to tell me the Devouring Shadow is riding him hard tonight. And a fight will only turn him darker.
“We’ll split up. Caden, you and Ice head to the east side of the house. See if you can determine where Mathias has gone and what he’s done. The rest of us will take the west side and do the same.”
No one is in sight as I and the others sprint across the expansive grass and approach the rambling house.
As we creep around the west side, one look into the windows proves to be my worst nightmare. Blackbourne lies face down on the ground, unmoving. Unconscious? Dead? And Mathias clamps a cruel hand around Tabitha’s arm, smiling with malice as he says something that makes her flinch. She’s terrified. Truly terrified. And I’m still outside the fucking house.
For a horrifying moment, my heart stops—no breath, no thought, just the awful certainty I’m about to lose her. Even the thought is killing me. I prepare to launch myself through the window. Mathias cannot touch her for another second without me losing my fucking mind.
Bram grabs my shoulder and forces me down. “Do you want to ensure her death? We need a plan.”
Mathias uses his free hand to rip the top button of her dress. She shrinks away with a scream. He laughs and reaches for the second.
A red haze detonates behind my eyes. All I see is Tabitha—and the bastard hurting what’s mine. I’ve never felt rage like this—not even in battle.
“We don’t have time for a plan.” I shake off Bram’s grip. “If you want to help me save her, come with me. Otherwise, leave me the bloody hell alone.”
This time, I leap through the window. Glass shatters everywhere, and Tabby turns away to avoid the spray. Shards pepper deep into Mathias’s face and chest. With a nasty scowl, he curses. His eyes gleam like sick, soulless pits—the look he gets right before he kills someone purely for amusement.
I reach for Tabitha to teleport her away—but Mathias steps between us. Glaring, he magically wriggles the glass out of his skin. The bleeding cuts heal an instant later.
“Coming to your encinta’s rescue? How touching.” He grabs Tabby tighter.
She fights and kicks, but Mathias slaps her soundly—a sharp crack of palm to cheek. Her head snaps back. Then she goes completely limp.
Seething bloody murder, I charge, only to see Mathias raise a hand—and an invisible shield.
I bounce off the force field and snarl, “What the hell have you done to her?”
“She’s merely unconscious,” Mathias drawls. “Until I deem otherwise.”
“Tabitha doesn’t have the information you want. I do. Leave her be.”
“Oh, it’s not the information I require. And you’re in no position to give orders.” With a menacing grin, Mathias hovers one hand above Tabitha’s throat, mimicking a strangling grip. Even in her unconscious state she chokes, turns red, and thrashes.
I try desperately to push past Mathias’s invisible barrier. But damn it, the wizard has centuries of experience on me.
Still, I refuse to give up. “Don’t hurt her. She can’t help you.”
“But you can. I know you, Bram, and that ridiculous Duke are hiding the Untouchable somewhere. Give her to me, and I’ll leave your sweet Tabitha alone.”
Duke will never allow that. He’s given up virtually everything to keep the woman safe. Besides, surrendering such a weapon to Mathias… I might as well hand all of magickind to him on a silver platter.
I shake my head. “You’d never turn Tabitha loose unharmed. You’d kill her for the mere sport.”
Mathias raises a brow. “It pays to know your opponent. Clearly, you do. Bravo!”
