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Desperation fuels me more than anything as I tap into my magic.

Kian struggles against me, rising and lifting me half off the ground with him. Because he could shake me off and potentially injure me, he isn’t going as hard. For once, his perception of my injuries work in my favor.

“No,” I snarl.

I release my magic, and we explode in light.

Chapter 31

Kian

It’s worse than a shift. My body compresses and pops, then there’s nothing for a split second. Just a white void. We float through it, bodiless. My wolf whimpers. And then we’re released, the pressure fading, and Astra is still clinging to my neck. She’s under me, holding so tight that she’s almost choking me.

And while I don’t mind her closeness, I want to rage against her effort to stop me.

I look around, and my heart hammers faster.

We’re not in California anymore.

“Shh.” She strokes my fur. “I think we’re back…”

Hotel.

Bed.

It smells like us in here. Us and air-conditioning. Everything is right where we left it.

“Shift back,” she says softly.

She transported us back to the hotel she disappeared from yesterday evening, and she did it like it was nothing. My wolf is just as speechless as me, although the smug pride in him is hard to stomach. He’s proud of picking a powerful mate, whereas I just feel… revolted.

And maybe a little impressed.

I shift, my muscles popping and skin stretching seemingly even more painful this time. Her arms are still looped around my neck, and she pulls me flush against her. I don’t have it in me to resist right now, so I let her hug me.

“You raced all the way across the country. And I refuse to believe it was because you feared the blood witch. You couldn’t have known I even got there until you were close enough. You did it to find me.” She buries her face in my neck.

I slide my hands under her back and grip her tightly. “I did.”

“And then you ruined it,” she adds. She pinches my side.

“Hey,” I snap. I capture her hand and pin it to the floor at her head. Our fingers intertwine on the rough rug.

She inhales, her nose touching my skin, and I stiffen. She’s smelling me? My wolf preens at that. If he was a cat, he’d be fucking purring.

“Astra,” I try.

When I rise on my forearms, she uses her remaining arm around my neck to pull me down again.

“Fuck off and just let me stop aching inside.” Her words are muffled by my shoulder.

I narrow my eyes at that and roll us to the side. It’s easier this way, so I’m not crushing her. Being in the bed would be even better, but whatever. The floor will do.

I brush my hand across her hair, sliding my fingers through the strands. She lets out a little breath at the contact, so I do it again. I stroke her hair until she lifts her head out of the crook of my neck.

“Are you hurt?” I finally ask. I mean—I know something happened. That’s why I wanted to get to her so badly. I barely slept last night, running straight through to get to her. No truck, no plan. It was the pain that stoked my fear. But now it just seems like a dream.

“You’re telling me you didn’t feel it?”