“Be careful,” he told her.
“I will,” Angel replied, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.
They faced off on the mat, and as Angel expected, Matt attacked first. Angel dodged, taking advantage of her small size to avoid his fists. She stayed on the defensive at first, getting a good sense of his fighting style, and any potential weaknesses. He was trained in a few forms of martial arts - Angel could see different elements of wrestling and karate - and he wasn’t the kind of opponent you could wait out and strike when he grew tired. But Angel had just as much endurance as he did, and while she wasn’t as strong, she was stronger than he thought, and that wasn’t even counting her magic.
Nearly every wolf in the building was watching them now, and it was so quiet, you could almost hear a pin drop. Everyone seemed thoroughly intrigued at the idea of a fight between a wolf and a witch, and Angel had no doubt some of them were hoping for a bloodbath. For a moment, she questioned her decision to challenge Matt, but she quickly pushed aside those thoughts. Wolves respected strength, and the only way Matt, and many of the other wolves, would respect her was if she earned it.
Steeling herself, Angel went on the offensive. She charged forward, ducking his arms and landing several blows to his ribcage. Hopping backwards, she caught a glancing blow to her shoulder; it stung, but it wasn’t anything she could handle. Angry that she’d managed to strike him, Matt upped his game. He drove her backwards with an aggressive attack, but Angel was ready for him. Intentionally dropping her guard, she savored the look on his face as he realized he was going to land a solid punch. She then teleported behind him and delivered a spinning kick to his lower legs.
Matt stumbled slightly, then turned to face her, a look of confusion on his face. It passed quickly, and once again he was on the attack. Angel attacked as well, teleporting mere inches to avoid his fists and landing a strong right hook to his jaw.
They continued like this for a while - Matt attacking aggressively, and Angel using her recently perfected teleporting ability to get the upper hand. He quickly realized she was using magic against him, but there was nothing he could do about it. Instead, he slowed his attacks and started trying to trick her. He would feint left and go right or purposely drop his guard to try and lure her into his reach. Angel managed to hold her own for a while, but eventually he caught her. Matt grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her tightly, pinning her arms. Angel struggled a bit, testing his grip, but it was solid.
“Yield,” Matt demanded.
Angel ignored him, and he squeezed her tighter. Her breath left her in a whoosh, and her ribs ached with the pressure. A growl came from the crowd, and Angel looked up to see Caleb standing in front of her. He was not happy. His eyes glowed brightly, and she could see a fine layer of fur had erupted on his arms.
Angel flashed Caleb a quick thumbs up, and he seemed to calm somewhat. She then returned her focus to Matt. Gripping his forearms in her hands, Angel lifted her feet off the ground, as if she were going to try and throw him over her shoulder. As expected, Matt leaned back to counter her weight. Moving quickly, Angel reversed her movement, throwing up her legs and propelling her body over his shoulders. As she completed the flip, she braced her knees and brought her heels down on the backs of his legs. The blow was harsh, and the movement unexpected, and Matt went down hard, sprawling face first on the floor. Moving quickly, Angel jumped on his back and bent one arm behind him at an awkward angle.
“Yield,” she demanded.
Matt growled at her, struggling against her hold, and Angel tightened her grip, bending his arm even further. He growled again, louder this time, and Angel had very little warning before he bucked her off and swiped at her with a clawed hand. Apparently, his wolf was none too happy about getting beat up by a witch. His change was completed in seconds, and now she faced a very large - very angry - grey wolf.
“Angel!” Caleb called out, stepping forward to try and get between her and Matt.
“Don’t!” Angel shouted, holding out her hand to stop him.
Keeping one eye on Matt, Angel saw Caleb hesitate, then step back slowly. His eyes blazed brightly, and his lips were pressed together in a tight line. He was not happy, but he was trusting that she could take care of herself. Turning her full attention to Matt, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She had been hoping things wouldn’t get this far, but now that they had, she had to end it quickly. Her own wolf was already itching to be let loose so she could show this big, dumb male who was stronger. That was something Angel definitely wasn’t ready for. She moved, slowly at first, circling Matt, assessing his mood. When he’d first changed, Angel had assumed it had been involuntary - that he’d been angry about her pinning him. Looking closely, it seemed she had been wrong. The wolf was calm, watching her closely, baring his teeth menacingly. The idiot was trying to scare her into submission.
“Did you really think that would work, Matt?” she asked him, relaxing her stance and putting her hands on her hips. “Like I haven’t been around a big ass wolf before?”
The wolf watched her for a moment, curious, before charging towards her, snapping and snarling. Angel teleported across the mat, and he turned quickly, watching her again.
“Very scary,” Angel mocked, “I can hardly contain myself.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Jesse hissed at her from the sidelines.
“Poking the bear,” Angel replied casually.
Matt charged again, and again Angel teleported out of his way. Turning to face her, he growled loudly, bared his teeth, and crouched low. He leapt at her, and this time Angel didn’t teleport out of his way. She faced him and watched the look of triumph spread across his face as he flew through the air.
“That’s more than enough, I think,” Angel told him, holding up her hand just before Matt reached her. He stopped in midair, then rose upwards until he was hovering fifteen feet above the mat. He glared down at her, growling in what Angel assumed was a demand to be put down. Glancing out at the wolves who had gathered to watch the fight, Angel saw a wide range of reactions. Some people were laughing at Matt, some appeared impressed at her abilities, and some seemed angry.
“Whoa,” Jesse exclaimed, “I didn’t know you could do that.” He turned to Caleb. “Did you know she could do that?”
“Uh, no, not really,” Caleb replied, looking just as surprised as everyone else.
A loud growl brought her focus back to the task at hand. Matt was not happy; he struggled in mid-air, trying to free himself. When he was unsuccessful, he shifted, and within seconds he was in his human form again - naked now - and still stuck. He stared her down, his gaze calculating.
“How long can you hold me up here?”
She shrugged. “Long enough. Ready to admit I’ve won?”
“What if I break your concentration? Would the spell fail?”
“Potentially. But I’ve got a lot of practice using magic in stressful situations, so you’d probably have to injure me to manage it, and I’m pretty sure you’re unarmed at the moment.”
She grinned at him and heard numerous chuckles from the crowd. Matt eyed her thoughtfully, then nodded.
“I yield.”
Angel lowered him to the ground slowly, and someone tossed him a pair of sweatpants. He pulled them on, then stepped towards her.
“Not bad,” he said, holding out his hand.
“Is that the best I’m going to get?”
He shrugged, but Angel was pretty sure she saw a hint of amusement in his eyes. She reached out and shook his hand firmly.
“You’re different than most witches I’ve met,” he said.
“Let me guess,” Angel replied, “you’re used to the ‘I’m better than everyone else’ kind of witch?”
“Yep.”
“I hate those people.”
Matt considered her for a moment before nodding. “I’m not too proud to admit when I’m wrong,” he said, “and it seems I was wrong about you.”
>
“Glad to hear it.”
Chapter 25
“Good morning, little witch,” Caleb whispered into Angel’s ear.
“Morning,” she mumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She looked so damn adorable first thing in the morning; Caleb found himself grinning like an idiot. He was doing that a lot lately.
“Sleep well?”
“Yeah,” she replied, stretching so she rubbed against him in the most wonderful way. “How about you?”
“I slept okay,” he told her. “To be honest, I was still a little tense after your fight with Matt.”
“You thought I was gonna get my butt kicked, didn’t you?” Angel teased.
“No,” Caleb replied, pushing himself up to look down at her, “I thought you were going to get yourself killed. But you definitely proved me wrong. You were holding back when you were sparring with me and Jesse.”
“Yeah, I was,” she admitted, “but I didn’t have anything to prove to you or Jesse. I needed to prove to Matt that I could handle myself, or he would have given me a hard time for the rest of the week.”
“Sometimes I’m surprised at how well you understand wolves.”
“It’s not like the information isn’t readily available to anyone who wants to learn. Besides, me knowing more about wolves means I don’t get weirded out when you do things like cover me in your scent before I leave the hotel room.”
“You noticed that, huh?” Caleb asked, worried that, despite her arguments to the contrary, his behavior had made her feel uncomfortable.
“Of course I noticed!” Angel exclaimed. “But I know it means you care enough to warn other males away from me, so I don’t really mind.”
Caleb smiled widely and reached out a hand, gently caressing her cheek. “I do care,” he told her, “I care very much. You mean a great deal to me.”
Angel blinked rapidly, then turned her head so he couldn’t see her face. Her body tensed next to his, and Caleb could smell the change in her mood. She was surprised, a little happy, and coming through strongest was the scent of fear. He should have expected that, given her previous reluctance to let him get close, but it bothered him that he caused her to be afraid. She could take on pissed off wolves and crazy black witches without a second thought, but personal relationships scared her deeply.
“Talk to me,” he urged, brushing the hair back from her face. “Why does me admitting I care scare you so much?”
“I’m not good at this kind of thing,” she answered.
“You’ve told me that before,” he pressed, “elaborate.”
Angel sighed, then sat up in the bed, wrapping a blanket around herself. Caleb stayed where he was, giving her time to think. She stayed silent for a few minutes, and Caleb was beginning to worry he’d pushed too much when she finally began.
“I’ve always had a hard time trusting people,” she explained. “People lie, they try to manipulate you, they let you down. It’s easier just to not expect anything, because then you won’t be disappointed.”
“That’s a little bleak,” Caleb noted.
“And lonely,” Angel added. She fell silent again, staring at her hands in her lap.
“There’s something else, isn’t there?” Caleb asked.
“I -” Angel began but snapped her mouth shut. “There are...things about myself I keep secret. Things I’ve never told anyone, because I’m afraid of what people will think. Or say. Or do.”
“I will never hurt you,” Caleb assured her, reaching out and resting his hand on her shoulder.
“Maybe not intentionally,” Angel said, “but without knowing my secrets, you can’t make that promise.”
“I couldn’t–”
“I’m in love with you,” she said, making eye contact for a moment before dropping her gaze back to her lap.
Caleb took a moment to let her words sink in, to understand what it meant, and to evaluate his own feelings. He cared for her - more than he had cared for any other female before - but did he love her? His wolf was elated at her confession and urged his other half to reciprocate, but the beast still had no clear answer on whether Angel was their Mate. She was right - he might not want to cause her harm, but he could do it very easily. If she wasn’t his Mate and Caleb committed himself to her, only to find his true Mate later on, it would devastate her. But he wasn’t even sure she wasn’t his true Mate! What if this was some kind of challenge for him to overcome? What if his wolf was being difficult on purpose, to see if he would be able to recognize his Mate on his own? It sounded crazy, but he was sick of not knowing. Here he had a strong, confident, beautiful woman who loved him, and he couldn’t make up his damn mind.
“I–” he began, intending to return the sentiment, but she held up her hand to stop him.
“I can see the wheels turning up there,” she said, tapping his forehead, “and I don’t want you to say something you don’t really mean. Think about it, and get back to me later, okay?”
Caleb wanted to argue with her, but she was right. He needed more time to think, and it wouldn’t be fair to either of them if he spoke the words without really meaning them. Taking her hand in his, he brushed a kiss across her knuckles.
“You’re amazing, you know that?”
She grinned at him. “I’ve been told so a couple times,” she replied. She glanced at the clock, then leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek. “I’m going to take a shower, then head downstairs for breakfast. You should take some time for yourself today.”
“I will,” he said, watching appreciatively as she climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
Chapter 26
Angel wouldn’t say she rushed out of the hotel room, but she certainly didn’t dawdle. When Caleb had pushed her to talk to him, she’d been so close to biting the bullet and telling him the truth. Instead, she’d chickened out and opted for a slightly less terrifying confession - that she loved him. When he hadn’t responded immediately, she’d experienced so many emotions - joy, hope, fear, sadness, anger, embarrassment - in such quick succession, she felt like she was going to explode. Thankfully, her rational brain had caught up just in time to stop him from replying. While it made sense for him to think things over and get back to her later, Angel was planning on using that time to prepare for the worst. The last thing she wanted was to hear he didn’t love her back and turn into a puddle in front of him and a hotel full of other wolves.
She entered the dining room, grabbed breakfast from the buffet, and claimed an empty booth against the wall. As she ate, she noticed something a little strange. Several of the wolves were watching her curiously while they ate, and a few even greeted her politely. When she went to grab another cup of coffee, the wolf ahead of her actually offered to pour her a fresh cup. She tried to ignore it, but it was just too weird after two days of being completely ignored or insulted behind her back. She was getting ready just to grab a couple pancakes and leave when Jesse flopped down in the seat across from her.
“Morning,” he greeted.
“Morning,” Angel replied distractedly.
“What’s up?” Jesse asked, proving that while he may act like a goof, he wasn’t completely oblivious.
“People are being nice to me,” Angel told him.
“And?”
“Let me be clearer - wolves are being nice to me. All week they’ve been pretending I don’t exist or throwing insults at me, or both - which really shouldn’t be possible, but they still managed to find a way. What gives?”
“Oh, I see,” Jesse said around a mouthful of toast. “It’s because of your fight with Matt last night. A lot of people saw it, or heard about it from someone who was there. They’re impressed; you managed to prove your worth without completely humiliating or injuring him.”
“But I didn’t prove myself against any of them.”
“No, but not even an Alpha has to beat up everyone to prove he deserves to lead. You managed to win a challenge against a very strong, very skilled wolf, and you’ve earned their
respect.”
“Whatever,” Angel said, shaking her head. “I like to think I’ve got most of this pack stuff figured out, but apparently I still have a lot to learn.”
“Yep,” Jesse agreed. “Don’t worry about it. You understand more than most.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“Look on the bright side,” Jesse told her, “you probably won’t have to deal with any more bigoted wolves this week.”
“True,” Angel acknowledged. “So, anything special on the agenda for today?”
“Not really. More meetings.”
“Well,” Angel admitted, “I suppose it’s better than the alternative.”
The day went fairly smoothly - or as smoothly as things can go at a werewolf conference. There was the occasional shouting/growling match, but Jonathan always managed to intervene before it got violent and calm everyone down. Angel had lunch with Jesse and a couple other wolves who were interested in meeting her. Most of them were actually quite nice. Matt still ignored her, only speaking to Jesse when he needed them to cover another meeting or do a perimeter check, but she was pretty sure he was still feeling a little cowed from the night before. She hadn’t been expecting him to change completely overnight and happily gave him space. Before Angel knew it, the meetings were done for the day, and she was free to do as she pleased. She headed back to her hotel room for a little peace and quiet, and to figure out her plans for the evening.
The room was empty when she arrived, though Angel hadn’t been expecting to see Caleb. Even though the formal meetings were done, a lot of the Alphas still had a lot of things to discuss together. Caleb would be busy late into the evening. Angel browsed the room service and takeout menus, deciding she didn’t really feel like eating on her own tonight. Jesse and a few of the wolves she’d met at lunch had made plans to go to the hotel bar that evening, and they’d been nice enough to invite her. Angel contemplated leaving her weapons in the room but decided she’d rather keep the new - and expensive - blades with her at all times. She then headed downstairs.
Burned: Wild Magic Book 2 Page 12