by M. L. Briers
“Look, lurky…” She was going to stand her ground, she had little choice. Her shields were in place and if he attacked she would gladly use her magic against him, but right now, even though getting the hell away from this guy was preferable, she really had nowhere to go.
“Do not test me witch, I’ve dealt with your kind before…” He was practically dripping venom with every word, and Darby wondered just how he had dealt with her kind.
“And I’m sure you enjoyed it, but don’t threaten me, because I’ll put your furry backside in a world of hurt.” Darby felt the rush to anger, not just for herself, but for the Fae that had been unlucky enough to cross his path.
Mike felt the need to teach this one a lesson that she would never forget. Reaching out towards her neck with a fast hand, she had only a heartbeat in which to deal with the attack. The energy of her magic was already bubbling just below the surface, called and held ready the moment she knew what she was dealing with.
“Tuitio.” She murmured. Sight unseen, the invisible force snapped into place around her body, unlike her shields, the protection this spell offered was offensive rather than defensive.
Mike’s fingers seemed to hit an invisible wall, the impact causing pain to shoot through his hand and up his arm, as if he had physically punched against it. The snarl was more than evident to her, the fact his fangs had elongated and his claws were now out gave her no pause for thought, no reason to worry now that she was protected, and a small wry smile turned the corners of her mouth.
“Back off.” She warned him, but it only served to stoke the anger within him. This time it wasn’t just his hand that came for her, it was him.
“Inpello.” She felt the surge of energy rush through her and leave her body an instant before he was swept backwards, his body literally picked up and tossed twenty feet through the air.
The sheer satisfaction of seeing the helpless Lycan deposited on his back close to the edge of the clearing was almost as sweet as the chocolate that she had come for. This wasn’t a fight that she wanted, but it also wasn’t a fight she was going to back down from.
It took a long moment for the man to shake himself back to the present, and when he did, she saw the fire within him consume him with rage. His whole body shivered with the transformation into his beast. His clothes were torn and shredded as his black wolf appeared, and she sensed the alpha within his beast as it stalked towards her.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Take the hint…” She bit out, “Praefringo.” The crack of the branch as it was ripped from the tree to the side of him caught his attention. The beasts head snapped around on his neck just in time to see the large limb coming towards him. The bough landed just in front of him, a warning, not a blow.
“You may have dealt with Fae before wolf, but I can assure you, you’ve never come up against someone like me.” She informed him. There was no gloating, she didn’t feel the need to. Her powers spoke for themselves, she could crush him with one word, and his wolf was getting that message, even if he wasn’t.
“Mike!” Doug’s deep tones shattered the silence between them as they stood facing each other, the large branch the only visible obstacle between them.
Darby didn’t take her eyes from the young wolf, she sensed his desire to attack, sensed his willingness to test her resolve and her power, and yet the appearance of the Beta gave him pause.
“What the hell are you doing?” Doug stalked towards them. His eyes were intent on the baying wolf. When the beast turned his gaze onto his friend, there was no softening of his stance, of his desires to rip Darby apart, possibly even to rip Doug apart if he got in the way.
“Careful, Doug…” Darby could sense the indecision within the wolf, calculating the odds of an attack against his pack member. Doug eyed the young wolf, taking in Darby’s words, he noted the way the wolf eyed him back. The feral power of the young Alpha as he took one simple step towards Doug, and Darby reached out with her magic, pulling on as much of her power as she could afford to spare, should the wolf attack again, she would need a reserve.
“Mike, what are…?” Doug’s words died on his lips as the wolf attacked. Pushing off the ground on powerful back legs, the beast cut through the air towards Doug, just as the Beta shifted into his wolf, readying himself for the attack.
“Inpello.” Darby felt the beast hit the invisible wall in front of Doug’s wolf. The force of her energy hitting him sent the wolf spinning backwards through the air. The yelp that cut the night air sent a chill through her body, as she watched the wolf land against the broken branch. The sickening sound of bone on wood sent another shiver through her, as she watched the beast roll across the top of the large branch and land on the other side.
Vaguely aware of Doug’s wolf still behind her shield, she concentrated her attention on the young wolf as he rose slowly to his paws; shaking off the impact of the blow on his body, he turned his attention back towards her. His eyes fixed on hers, the blackness tinged with red as his beast took possession of him completely.
“Rogue.” Darby spat out in disgust just a second before the animal turned on fast paws and speed away from the clearing. Darby’s eyes snapped to the right as the sound of fast paws came at them, but she knew that this wolf was not a threat to her. Her body hummed with the recognition of her mate before her eyes caught sight of him.
Darby dropped the protective wall that she had placed around herself and Doug. She didn’t want the Alpha hitting it at speed by mistake, as she saw the telltale signs of Doug’s wolf shifting back into his human form. He pulled himself up to his true height and stared back at her across the way, a tip of his head to one side as he regarded her.
“You just saved my arse…”
“And what a tight one it is, you people really need to find a way to shift back into clothing…” She groaned, leaning her backside against the boot of the car and wrapping her arms around her body. She felt a little weak, slightly drained by calling on so much of her power to protect Doug as well. She dropped her head forward and took a long deep breath to try to ease the thundering in her chest of a heart that had gotten a good workout tonight.
She felt Max shift, she didn’t need to see it. She could feel him getting closer to her until she sensed him right there in front of her.
“What the hell happened?” Max growled towards his beta, his hand tentatively touching her shoulder, and she felt the strength of Max’s character flow into her body, revitalising her own strength in a way that she didn’t understand but was grateful for.
“Mike just went rogue, I…” Doug’s voice was full of the disbelief that haunted him. He lifted a hand and rubbed it across his face, as if he was trying to wash away the reality of what he had just witnessed, a member of his pack going rogue. He’d never seen it happen before, and from what he knew it was a gradual thing, but then Mike had spent a lot of time as his beast.
“It must have been my winning personality…” Darby bit out, her body caught somewhere between disbelief and the mating pull of the Lycan standing before her.
“Are you ok?” Max’s deep growl told her that his wolf was still close to the surface, she imagined he was holding the beast right there in case he needed to shift quickly.
Darby opened her eyes and brought them slowly up his body, taking in every inch of his nakedness until she found his face and the dark eyes that searched for her emotions beneath her light shields. She nodded slowly, reassuring him that she wasn’t about to melt into a blubbering mess on the ground.
“How did you do that?” Doug walked towards her, still somewhat shell shocked from everything he had witnessed, but he needed answers. She was a formidable witch and this was his pack to protect, if she posed a danger…
“Magic, Doug…” The sarcasm was back in her tone and her words. She lifted her hand and rubbed at that spot on the back of her neck that said trouble was coming. Hell, it was already here, but she knew this wasn’t over. Rogues were bad news. That was something everyone, including Lycans could
agree upon.
“What did you do?” Max could feel emotions were all over the place, there wasn’t one specific emotions that he would be able to pinpoint within her, they were too jumbled, one flowing into the next, just to be replaced by another. Whatever she had done it had weakened her physically, he could feel it.
“I put up a barrier to defend myself, when I sensed the wolf was going to attack Doug, I pushed the barrier towards him…” Darby couldn’t explain the way it worked, she only knew it did.
“Mike’s wolf hit the damn thing like it was a brick wall, then he was just gone…” Doug was still coming to terms with it.
“Like what you did to me?” Max asked and Darby shook her head.
“No, that was you touching my personal shields. That took no real effort on my part. This was a push from within, a little shove…”
“Shove…” Doug balked.
“Look, it’s kind of disconcerting talking to two naked guys, could you get some clothes on at least?” Darby bit out. She wasn’t in the mood for this discussion now, she felt antsy and she would until she was stronger, but the fact she had two prime examples of beefcake standing in front of her, shooting questions at her, that she was having trouble thinking about, as her mind was elsewhere… Her mate’s impressive manhood for one thing.
“Warn the pack that there’s a rogue on the loose…” Max shot a look at Doug who swallowed hard at the realisation of what that meant, of who that rogue was.
“Do I tell them who it is?” Doug asked and watched his Alpha chew that one over for a long moment before he nodded.
“Yeah, there’s no choice. Everyone knows Mike’s wolf, they wouldn’t see an attack coming until it was too late.” Max hated the thought of one of their own going rogue, but he hated the thought of that rogue attacking his pack even ore.
“Bit like me you mean.” Doug bit out, the realisation was like acid in his blood. If Darby hadn’t of used her magic to protect him Mike’s wolf would have had the opportunity to clamp his jaws around his throat before he had even realised what was happening. He was alive thanks to her, and he owed her a debt of thanks.
‘She saved my life tonight, Max.’ Doug thought his alpha should know exactly what had gone down here before he’d arrived. ‘I’m mighty glad you didn’t eat her today brother.’
Max didn’t feel much like smiling, but he couldn’t help it. He nodded his understanding at his Beta, before turning his attention back to his mate.
“Let’s go inside…” Max offered, running his hand down her arm to her elbow for support, he didn’t know how weak she was, but he would carry her if she needed it.
Darby pushed away from the car and found herself leaning towards Max’s touch for support, or maybe it was just to be closer to him, there was no doubt that even after the events of tonight, she was still feeling the pull of him, her mate.
“Double the patrols, nobody goes out alone, and remember, Mike knows this land as well as any of us.”Max shot over his shoulder, and he felt his mate falter in her step.
“He’s a natural Alpha…” She offered up to Max and saw the muscles in his jaw working overtime as he took in that piece of information. He took a long moment to look at Doug.
“Nobody engages him unless they have no other choice. This fight is mine alone.”
“Max…” Doug took a step towards him, but Max wasn’t about to debate the issue.
“He’s an alpha rogue, Doug. He can only get stronger.” Max reminded him and waited for his Beta to assimilate that information.
“Yeah, got it.” Doug turned on his heels and started away, a moment later he had shifted and was moving on fast paws into the woods.
“Do you need me to carry you?” Max looked down on her and she snapped her head back on her neck and looked at him as if he had grown two heads.
“Over my dead body…” She ground out and saw the light of amusement touch his eyes.
“That could be arranged…” He growled out, turning her back towards the cabin.
“Not very easily…” She crowed, a small smile turning up the corners of her lips as she allowed him to steer her back inside.
“I’m sure I could come up with something…” He teased back, and she stopped just as they got to the door, looking up at him. She wanted to make sure that what appeared to be playful jesting between them was just that.
“Do you blame me for the rogue?” Darby reached out with her mind to feel his emotions. She wanted to know that what he said meshed with what he was feeling.
“No.” He offered down at her, adamant in his words. His brows rose up towards his hairline as he allowed her access to his feelings. He didn’t blame anyone for the rogue except for the rogue himself. This was all on Mike, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or perhaps, where Doug was concerned, she had been right where she needed to be.
“What exactly happened to the Fae that were in this town?” Darby needed to know, after the way Mike had behaved and the way he had spoken, she had the distinct impression that nothing good could have taken place here.
“They left.” Max used his strength to move them on again. Walking into the cabin he closed the door behind them, walking with her through the downstairs until they reached the kitchen, where he motioned for her to sit at the table.
“That simple, they left?” She knew there had to be more to that story, and from what she had experienced herself, both from Max in town that morning and from Mike just now, she wondered just how much there was.
Max walked towards the back door and opened a cupboard, reaching in and taking out a pair of clean denims she watched as he yanked them on, covering the lower half of his body to her gaze, and she felt a sense of loss.
“They were problematic…” Max offered, turning back towards her and seeing her gaze roll down over the hard muscles of his sculpted chest and follow the arrow of hair down to where he’d left his jeans unbuttoned, riding low on his hips, and saw her swallow as she forced her gaze back upwards to his eyes. It didn’t just amuse him, it made him harder than hell for her.
“Says who?” Darby found a rational thought floating in the deep dark depths of her lust. The need to find something to do with her hands was overwhelming, because right at that moment she just wanted to run them down his chest, unzip those jeans, and…
Max took a long moment to consider her question. It had been Mike who had noticed the Fae’s underhanded workings…
“Mike.” He acknowledged. What if everything he had told was wrong? Mike had been only too happy to take the lead and bring the pack anything he found on what the Fae were up to, what if they hadn’t been up to much of anything?
“Witch trials, alive and well in…” Darby bit out. The words were a sour taste within her mouth, her mind, and her heart.
“It wasn’t like that, Darby. No Fae were harmed…” Max protested as he started back across the kitchen towards her.
“Define harmed, Alpha?” She shot back at him, making him falter in his step, but he still kept coming. When he stood in front of her he crouched down and reached for her hand, the warm press of his skin on top of hers was like a jolt of pure awareness through her system.
“Hurt, physically hurt. I have never hurt a woman…” He assured her and she couldn’t help the snort of amusement that rushed out of her.
“There are more ways to skin a cat…”
“Darby…”
“You scared them, you forced them to leave their homes…” The accusation in her tone wasn’t as painful to him as the look in her eyes.
“I thought I was protecting my pack, I may well have been…” He offered his defence and she shook her head.
“Guilty until proven innocent…” Darby hissed and he closed his eyes for a brief second and nodded. She was right, he hadn’t looked further than what he was being told, and what if what he was being told was all lies?
“Yes.” He admitted and she snatched her hand back from beneath his, even though it pained her to
do it.
“How could you?”
“Perfect trust…” He offered her something that she should understand something from her own people, something that meant a great deal to the Fae.
Darby went to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. She looked down at her hands that she had tucked together on her lap, clasped together now, and she closed her eyes for the longest moment, allowing her anger to dissipate within her.
“With perfect love and perfect trust.” She let the words roll around inside her mind, let the wisdom and the light from those words fill her with warmth. Could she really condemn him for his actions when she would have done the same thing if one of her coven had come to her with the same intentions? Perfect trust in your pack, perfect trust in your Fae sisters. Without it everything would unravel. He had trusted in his brother, and she felt like a complete idiot.
“I’m sorry that it was the Fae that suffered by my hand…”
“His hand.” Darby corrected, Max was right, this wasn’t his fault.
“My decision…”
“His lies…”
“But ultimately…”
“Oh for the love of… I’m letting you off the hook here, can you not be such a dick about it?” Darby clapped her hand over her mouth and stared at him. He looked liked he’d been slapped in the face by a wet slimy kipper. She couldn’t help the snigger that escaped her lips, although she did press her hand against her mouth to try to stop it escaping further. But then he went and raised his brows as if he was questioning her sanity and the floodgate burst open. She couldn’t contain the little trickle of amusement anymore and it turned into a full blown chuckle.
She watched his lips twitch a couple of times, and it only made her laugh harder. His chocolate brown eyes narrowed on her, and then he grinned with a small shake of his head. His shoulders lifted and fell as he started to laugh, and those deep tones rumbled through him and then through her, and she had to admit, that he looked and sounded so damn sexy when he did that.
“What am I going to do with you?” He reached for the hand that was in her lap and covered it with his own and she felt that jolt like lightening through her body, and welcomed the feeling, even though it couldn’t last.