“They’re trying to get in," I whisper.
31
Sabin grabs my waist as I try to shoot past him.
“We’ll go get the paladin, they’ll know what to do," he tells me, at the same time someone else asks, “Who’s trying to get in?”
He lets out a frustrated growl when I expertly yank my wrist from his hold. Ryker and Knox move in front of my bedroom door, blocking the only exit they see in the room.They’re not going to be happy when they realize that’s not the door I’m headed for.
I leap over my bed and fling open the french doors that lead to my balcony. I jump up onto the stone railing without hesitation and activate the runes on my legs and feet. Then I leap out into the cool darkness of the night. I call on both of my short swords from the runes on my ribs and grip them tightly as the wind whips past me in my freefall to meet the ground.
I land effortlessly, slightly crouched on the manicured lawn of the front yard. Swearing and shouts sound off on the balcony above me, but I focus in on the things I sense outside of the barrier. I realize then, that the magic I fed into the barrier the first time I crossed it with Lachlan and his coven, not only strengthened it but connected me to it.
I’m not the magical version of duct tape,I grumble to my magic.But apparently, it doesn’t agree. I can feel each move against the protective barrier as if it were against my body directly.
Something is slamming against the shield, trying to make cracks and access points. Other things seemed to be almost feeding off the magic of the barrier. The attacks feel malignant and cold against me. I can sense that the barrier is surrounded by an all-consuming darkness, the malevolence of which sends warning shivers throughout my whole body.
Magic swells up inside me in response, and a fierce possessiveness overcomes me as I think about anything breaking through and hurting what’s mine. A feral growl rumbles in my chest and I bellow a challenging roar at anything that would fuck with me.Whoa, where the hell did that come from?
Letting the magic guide me the way it always does, I let it continue to surge in me until I can barely take it. Just when I feel like I’m going to explode, I crouch and slam my blades into the grass-covered ground. I hold onto the hilts of my magic-forged weapons and feed power through the blades and out into the barrier.
The protective dome that shields us from the threats, throbs with pink and orange light and becomes more than a simple force of protection. It morphs into a weapon. The barrier strikes out at anything and everything attempting to breach it, and I’m rewarded with blood-curdling screams and roars of pain.
I continue to feed magic into the barrier, but suddenly the threat seems to blink out. Grass-muffled footsteps rapidly approach me, and I whirl around a blade at the ready. Silva stops abruptly, inches separating his throat from the end of my short sword. He visibly swallows, and I quickly drop my hand and calm my magic. He takes a step back, and the rest of Lachlan’s coven reach us.
I look past them searching for the guys, but I don’t see them anywhere.
“They’re inside. We told them to guard the house, as a second layer of defense," Lachlan tells me in answer to my unvoiced question.
“What theXena Warrior Princess,kind of shit is going on out here?” Evrin asks me, scanning my stance and the short swords in each hand.
I let the weapons go, the runes on my ribs reabsorbing their magic and then I stand up straight. I almost wobble as my suddenly tired muscles seem to be struggling to cooperate, but I mask it.
“Someone or something was attacking the barrier. They seem to be gone now, or at least I don’t feel them anymore," I explain.
I turn around to scan the darkness again, as I try to look and feel for a threat or any trace of whoever was just here. Silva gapes at me but snaps out of it as Lachlan organizes patrols. He sends them off to assess and collect clues, but he stops me when I try to join them.
“You’re in your underwear. Go get dressed while we figure out what the hell is going on.”
I dismiss his aggravated tone and take one more look around before I nod and make my way to the front door. I gently close it behind me, feeling drained from all the magic I just used, but I don’t manage one more step before the guys are on me. They’re all shouting at once, and I pick up on several--what the fucks--some--you scared the ever-loving shit out of me--and a whole lot of--don’t ever do that again.
Ryker pulls me to him and starts running his hands all over my body in search of injuries. It dawns on me that I should do something to assuage their concern, but instead I’m super focused on Ryker and his roaming hands.Down tiger.
“You just sparked up and jumped off the balcony, like you were Selene inUnderworld. I was terrified and turned on at the same time!”
Knox’s confession breaks through my yearning for Ryker and his magic hands, and I look up at him. He looks cautious and lustful, and it makes me chuckle.
“Oh, and now you’re going to laugh at me, Sparky…that’s it.”
Knox bends down and throws me over his shoulder. I squeak in surprise and start laughing even harder. He swats my butt playfully and then rubs the sting away, as he mumbles quietly about howI need to be taught a lesson not to literally leap into danger.
Knox carries me up to my room while I fill the others in on what happened. I don’t fight being carried around like an invalid because I’m seriously so tired right now. I laboriously pull on some leggings and zip up a hoodie over my tank top. I try to finger comb some tangles out of my hair, but I give up and have to grab a brush to tackle the windswept nest.
We all trickle back downstairs and wait in the living room for the paladin. I try to stifle a yawn, but it escapes and releases my inner Chewbacca. I expect to be teased about it, but instead, it seems to have set off yawns in all of the guys. I smile and slowly blink, my eyes feeling gritty and heavy. I lean into Bastien and Knox pulls my feet into his lap. Any traces of adrenaline in my body are now long gone, and I’m defenseless against the exhaustion.
* * *
Igroan as I close an old book that’s about six inches thick.
