I look back at Jacob, who’s still holding my mother behind him. “Hold her back.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Hold her back?” The disbelief in his voice is clear.
I turn back to Ahmal. “Your lovely mate. What would you do if someone withheld her from you?”
Ahmal roars, the sound so powerful it vibrates through the ground beneath my feet. His tail goes rigid, standing straight up behind him like a flag pole, the fur bristling along its length.
I stand firm. “Mara will always be your daughter. But she’s my mate. Tell her it’s time to come home.”
“I’ve already told you,” he snarls, the words barely human. “When she’s ready.”
He looks past me to Jacob. “Get your warlock under control. We’re finished here.”
Ahmal turns, his back to me, and starts walking away.
“Aaron!” Jacob calls, but it’s too late.
I cross the territory line.
The moment my foot touches Solaris soil, the air changes. Ahmal stiffens, stopping mid-stride, then turns slowly to face me. The guards at the border yell “Trespasser!” and immediately roar, lunging toward me with their claws extended, their teeth bared. They take off running, their powerful legs eating up the distance.
I raise my hand, magic pulsing from my palm. The first guard hits an invisible barrier three feet from my face. He bouncesoff it with a yelp, the impact so violent I can hear the air rush from his lungs. He stumbles backward, disoriented. The second one leaps higher, trying to clear the shield, but I flick my wrist and the barrier expands upward, catching him mid-air. He slams into it and falls, landing hard on his side.
The first guard recovers quickly, circling to my left. I track his movements, keeping the shield between us. His pupils dilate, his muscles bunching beneath his skin as he prepares to strike. He feints right, then dives left, trying to get around the barrier. I spin, my magic moving with me, and catch him as he lunges. The shield hardens, condensing into a tight sphere around him. He roars, clawing at the magical prison, but he can’t break through. His tail lashes wildly, his face contorting with rage and panic.
The second guard attacks from behind, and I sense him more than see him. A shift in the air, the soft pad of feet on earth. I drop to one knee, my hand shooting out behind me. Magic erupts from my fingertips, catching him in the chest. The impact lifts him off his feet, sending him flying backward. He slams into a tree trunk with enough force to splinter the bark, a sharp crack echoing through the clearing. He slides to the ground, dazed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
I release the first guard from his magical prison with a flick of my wrist, then hit him with the same blast of energy. He joins his companion on the ground, both of them out cold, their bodies crumpled like discarded toys.
Ahmal roars, the sound so powerful it shakes leaves from the trees. His eyes blaze with fury, his claws fully extended at his sides. He charges toward me, a wall of muscle and fury barreling across the clearing. I throw up a shield, stronger this time, bracing for impact.
He hits it with his full weight, the force of it reverberating through my entire body. The shield holds, but I can feel the strain of it through my magic, a pressure building at my temples,behind my eyes. Ahmal claws at the barrier, his massive paws leaving visible scratches. Each strike sends a jolt of pain through my head, a direct connection between my magic and my body. His strength is incredible. Each swipe making the shield flicker and waver, threatening to collapse.
“Mara!” I call, my voice carrying through the village. “Mara, baby, please come out!”
I start moving further into the pride, the shield up, pushing against Ahmal. Through the translucent barrier, I can see his face contorted in rage, his teeth bared. His claws leave deeper gouges with each swipe. He’s incredibly heavy, his feet digging into the earth as I push forward, creating furrows in the soil. But I don’t stop.
The village comes into view.
My strength is fading. Maintaining the shield while pushing against Ahmal’s relentless assault is draining me faster than I expected. Sweat pours down my face, stinging my eyes. My arms tremble with the effort, muscles burning. The pressure builds until I can barely see straight. I won’t last much longer.
Finally, my magic gives out. The shield shatters with a sound like breaking glass, shards of magic dissolving into the air. Ahmal charges through the opening, his momentum unchecked. He catches me with a punch that lifts me off my feet, his fist connecting with my chest. The impact knocks the wind from my lungs in a rush that leaves me gasping. I go down hard, my back hitting the dirt, stars exploding behind my eyes.
Pain radiates through my chest. I can’t breathe, can’t focus. The world spins above me, and for a moment, I think this is it. This is how I die.
He leaps into the air, his massive body silhouetted against the sky as he prepares to finish me. His claws are extended, his teeth bared, his eyes locked on my throat. In that flash of clarity,my survival instinct kicks in. I throw my hand up, a concentrated blast of magic erupting from my palm.
It catches him mid-air, the magic hitting him with enough force to change his trajectory. He flies backward, his body twisting unnaturally from the impact. He lands hard twenty feet away, skidding through the dirt, leaving a furrow in his wake.
We’re both coughing, struggling to get to our feet. My ribs scream in protest as I push myself up, every breath a new lesson in pain. I manage to stand first, pushing myself up on shaking legs. Blood trickles from the corner of my mouth, and I wipe it away with the back of my hand.
More lion shifters are emerging from the cabins, drawn by the commotion. They circle around us, their tails lashing, their teeth bared. I throw up another barrier, encircling myself in a dome of my magic.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I shout, my voice raw. “I just want Mara. Please. I don’t want to do this anymore.”
Ahmal rises to his feet, roaring. His tail swings toward my barrier, a powerful blow that would have taken my head off if it connected. I catch it with my magic before it hits, blue-gold light wrapping around it, stopping it mid-arc. I twist my wrist, and Ahmal rises from the ground, suspended in the air by my magic.
“I was holding back when you came at me the first time,” I tell him, my voice steady despite the exhaustion weighing on me. “It wasn’t because I was afraid that you could kill me.”
