Kai claims Seb is his lion’s fated mate. Is Loxley mine?
Shaking my head, I hop up onto the front porch. It’s much too soon to be throwing things around like fated mate, or heaven forbid, a familiar. I loathe the idea of being anyone’s pet. We’re still growing into each other as boyfriends, and learning to master our powers.But would I want to belong to Loxley…?
After ringing the bell, I clap my hands together. “One day at a time,” I mutter to myself. Since there’s no answer, I look around. I’m aware I’m a little early, but Seb was willing to give me a ride, and surprising Loxley sounds great. The more time I have with my boyfriend, the happier I am. I really ought to have a conversation to ensure that he and I are “boyfriend” official.
Sensing magical activity in the backyard, I make my way around the house. The fence is unlocked, so I quickly stride onward to find Loxley. The door to the cellar is closed, and I carefully dodge the tiny chicken coop. Turning the corner, my pull to Loxley grows stronger.
My smile falls when I see what’s going on: Loxley is sitting cross-legged on a blanket in the center of the yard. Flanking him are Anika and Lisbeth. Flashing lights of magic float from above Loxley into his ears. When I get close, the ladies glanceat me, but look back down. Loxley doesn’t even look at me?his eyes are closed and he’s concentrating, clearly focused on the magic flowing into him. His sleeveless shirt reveals that he’s not wearing the charm necklace, the thing that’s supposed to protect him.
Loxley looks like he’s struggling, and the blood drains from my face. Panic creeps in at the realization that he’s using his empath powers.
“Wha…what are you doing?!” I yelp.
“He asked us to help him use his powers,” Anika says quietly.
Ignoring her, I rush up to him and crouch down. “Loxley…” He still doesn’t react, and more and more flashes of multicolored light float into his ears. The obvious signs of pain on his face break something in me.“Protect our mate,”a voice says in my mind. A fervent rage blazes to life in my soul.
“How could you let him do this?” I bark at Lisbeth. She seems shocked, but before she can react, I turn back to Loxley and touch his wrists.
“Loxley, please, come back to me!” With a little shake, he blinks his eyes open. The lights die down, and all traces of magic disappear. Loxley seems confused for a moment, then focuses on my face. Meanwhile, I sob in relief.He’s back.
“Gordy?” he asks in a scratchy tone.
“Oh, thank the stars,” I lean forward and hold him close. “You’re okay.”
“I was okay,” he says. “What are you…?”
“I saw you using magic, and…” My eyes sting as I cradle him close. The very idea of him hurting again has rendered me a wreck. “And I needed to save you.”
“What?” he murmurs.
“Where is your charm, your magical dampener?” I look all over his face for any physical signs of damage.
“This?” He pulls it out of his pocket, and I sigh in relief.
“Good, use it.” I reach for it, but he pulls back. He glances at me, his shock turning into concern. My boyfriend looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, but all I’m doing is preventing him from being harmed.
For a tense moment, he doesn’t say a word and stands up. I get up as well, then brush off my thighs. As I gaze at him in the evening twilight, where I expect relief, I only see him scowling at me. What’s wrong?
“What were you thinking, hurting yourself like that?” I ask.
His expression hardens. “I…was t-trying…”
“He wanted to try to detect any magical threats,” Lisbeth says, stepping forward. “That’s why we were here, to help with group magic.” She and Anika look concerned, but not contrite enough.
“He’s an empath witch after all,” Anika adds.
I almost growl at them before turning back to Loxley. “I thought I told you not to try that anymore.”
Where I expected an apology, he continues to almost glare at me. Sure, he’s not happy, but I’m not backing down. My mate could have hurt himself!
After another tense few seconds, Anika says, “Um, I think I need to go…check some…house plants.”
“I’ll come with you!” Lisbeth says! “We’ll be right inside if you need us.” With that, the women are gone, and my boyfriend and I finally have privacy.
I yearned to see him again since we slept together, but this isn’t how our next date night was supposed to go. After taking a deep breath, I say, “Why would you do that?”
“To…protect us,” he says, still scowling.
