His fear is much worse than his hatred, and I don’t blame him for it one bit. I lied to him, I manipulated him, and I betrayed his trust.
I deserve everything he can throw at me. And I don’t blame him for being scared. I’m pretty freaked out myself.
My powers activated the second Aaron came for me, but I held them in check until the men had Rhys completely helpless. I couldn’t just let him get killed or maimed, and my powers seemed to take over in a way I still can’t explain.
The sounds of Rhys following me are faint but still right there on my trail. Running even harder, I notice the trees pullingback for me, and the ground rising beneath my feet. It isn’t long before I lose him completely and run to the top of a small peak.
I’ve never been this fit in my entire life.
Tilting my head back, I look up into the stars. The sky is incredibly clear, and their glimmering lights look close enough to touch. A breeze sighs across my shoulders, cool on my forehead and on the back of my neck.
There’s harmony in my magic, and I can control it, I’m sure. Rhys doesn’t have to be afraid.
Looking at the stars soothes me even as I realize my body really doesn’t need much time to recover. I start to walk down the hill, my senses keen for any sign of Rhys.
I don’t know where he is or what happened back at the hut. I’ll circle back towards the parking lot and decide what to do from there.
***
I’m back in the valley, not far from the road, when I hear footsteps moving through the forest. Whoever it is isn’t concealing themselves very well, and I pause to listen. I can feel the person getting closer. It seems to be male, but other than that, I have no idea who it is.
My new and improved senses don’t come with a wolf nose, unfortunately.
I stand quietly under a tree, sunk into shadows as I wait for the person to come closer. I’m hoping it’s Rhys and that we can talk about this rationally and go home to work it out.
The noise gets closer, and I keep my eyes on the small patch of light nearby, waiting for the person to appear out of the woods. Just as someone breaks the tree line, I feel someone grabme from behind. Before I can react, a dark wave crashes through my vision, accompanied by a horrific flash of pain.
***
I come to with a horrible jolt, kicking and struggling. Immediately, the breath is blasted out of my lungs, and pain shatters through me again. I feel dirt between my teeth and realize that I’ve been hurled to the ground. A hard blow smashes into my guts, and I cough and choke as I try to draw a breath.
Someone grabs my hair and yanks my head back. My eyes are slow to open, and I can feel my face is horribly swollen. There is a faint glow of light, so it must be near dawn, but other than that, I have no idea what’s going on.
I try to focus my vision, and eventually, Aaron’s cold blue eyes are clear above me, almost glowing with malice. He’s saying something that I can’t hear as he yanks on my hair.
I’m too dazed to fight back. Can I use my powers to heal myself? Would that even work, and how would I do it?
The ringing in my ears starts to settle, and I can hear Aaron’s words.
“… Taking you to the council. Then they can decide what to do with you. It was bad enough that they brought a human into our pack—but you’re a fucking witch!”
“I’m not—” I protest, but Aaron and his goons just laugh. I manage to get my head up enough to look around and see that all of them are messed up and obviously struggling with their wounds, but they’re also healing and obviously strong enough to deal with me.
Well, I didn’t want to kill them. I suppose I got what I asked for.
“You'd better knock her out again,” one of them says. “In case she gets lively.”
Aaron kicks me in the guts again, and I curl up on the ground, pain like nothing I’ve ever known crashing through my body. Aaron picks me up by the shoulders and punches me across the face, and I’m vaguely aware of being thrown over his shoulder.
Time passes, I’m not sure how much. In my dazed state, I still notice the day brightening, and by the time the guys stop, it feels like mid-morning. Aaron throws me to the ground, all the air going out of my lungs as I make impact.
“Get some rope,” he snaps.
His buddies clear out, returning a few minutes later with some of the soft, inflexible rope Rhys used on me before.
It must bind magic and shifter power.
When Aaron drags me to my feet, I see the hideous shape of the manor rising above me. A short scream bursts out of my throat as I struggle against Aaron.
