“Raven, call your power and shield yourself.” I grin. “Jayden, can you shield the others? I think it’s time to play.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jayden asks but his gaze is locked on the man in front of him. “She won’t go easy on any of you for threatening her friends.”
“Go easy on me?” He laughs.
“All right, baby. I got the others. Show this sexist jackass what you’ve got.” Jayden nods but the sword at his throat nicks his skin and a growl tumbles from my throat.
“You cut him,” I scream. “You will pay for the blood you spilled.”
I lunge for the man and launch the ball of white lightning at him. He dodges, just barely missing the lightning ball. It hits a tree at full force. The bark turns black instantly as it explodes with electricity and the men scatter to avoid chunks of the tree hitting them.
“Fall back,” the man who cut Jayden says and raises his hands in surrender. “I apologize.”
“You think I give a fuck about your apologies?” I laugh. “You hurt my mate and you think you get to live?”
My control over the power pulsing angrily in my veins snaps. My entire body lights up with white-hot electricity that crackles down my arms and a voice that doesn’t belong to me purrs in my head, seeking retribution.
End him. He doesn’t get to live for injuring ours.
What the actual fuck is that? Power leaks off me in crackling waves as I stalk closer to the odd-looking man who injured my love.
“Baby, what are you doing?” Jayden asks. “Something’s wrong. You’re losing control.”
“I have complete control,” I scoff but it’s not me.
I didn’t force those words from my mouth. I stalk closer to the man who hurt Jayden, who has threatened and harassed us. The man who scoffed at Raven and me being the strongest warriors we had and I grin. The man glances around as I approach.
Am I unsettling him? He deserves that and so much worse for the way he’s treated us. Wait, are those my thoughts orsomething else? He hurt Jayden yes, but does he deserve a worse fate for it? What is wrong with me?
“Jayden,” I whisper but my head aches as I do.
Whatever this lack of control is, it’s difficult to do anything else. I’m a puppet. A shudder rolls through me at the thought. Fuck no. I will not be a puppet to my own magic. Not going to fucking happen.
“Baby, you need to wrestle control back from your magic. I’m okay, it’s just a scratch. I’m fine.” Jayden grips my arms in both hands, turning me to face him.
“I… can’t,” I whisper.
Jayden points his sword at the man as he reaches for me and pulls me into his side despite the fact that I’m crackling like a lightning storm. Jayden shudders as my electricity shocks him. A groan escapes him as he adjusts his grip on me and moves me in front of him to presumably hide his raging erection that’s pressed into my back.
“Dial it back, baby. I don’t want to fight a battle with an erection,” he whispers in my ear.
Taking a deep breath, I attempt to center myself and push back whatever dark entity inside me has taken control over my magic.
“I’m trying.” I grit my teeth.
Lightning crackles even brighter along my skin as I wrestle for control. The man attempts a step forward but Jayden throws out a hand and his shield blocks him.
“I promise you don’t want to do anything to anger her again. I have never seen her lose control like this before and I promise you that she will destroy you if you take a step closer,” Jayden says with a growl.
“She’s feral,” another man says. “She needs to be put down.”
Raven slams the hilt of her sword into the man’s gut and he doubles over coughing and wheezing. “She is not feral and she will be put down over my dead body.”
“What is wrong with you Olympians,” the first man asks as Jayden’s shadows wrap him in chains.
“There is nothing wrong with us. Had you not attacked us, we would not be reacting poorly,” Jayden says.
“Attacked you?” the man scoffs. “You show up in our territory and expect us not to react? This is our home and you’re trespassing.”
