Page 71 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

Zaire worked and Henry knelt by her side. Vaughn put his hands on Henry’s shoulders, and they waited and watched. Then Henry lifted his hands as well and began moving them in a rhythm only he understood. But a cool breeze drifted into the room and washed over Sam, who opened his eyes with a groan a moment later.

“Henry,” he gasped.

“I’m okay. I’m okay, Sam. Alpha is here. And Meshaq and Zaire, too.”

“Good.” Sam reached for Henry’s hand and held it as his gaze caught Vaughn’s.

“Everyone else?”

“At the house. We’re fine.”

“Not fine yet,” Zaire said. “There’s other magic here. We need to move.”

Vaughn looked around the room and found Solomon and Teague standing inside the door. Meshaq was on the other side, an unfamiliar shifter squirming under the hold Meshaq had on his neck.

“Help me,” the man pleaded.

Meshaq snarled his reply. But then the man’s eyes faded to black and he began to tremble. A black smoke began to pour out of him and Meshaq flung him across the room with a roar.

“Shit!” Zaire yelled. “Meshaq, get them out of here. Solomon, Teague. By me!”

Before they could move, a dark cloud began to weave its way toward them and Henry scrambled into Vaughn’s arms. Zaire turned and gasped.

The hellhounds ran to her and she put a hand on each of their shoulders. Magic flared to life in the room, hot and bright and unlike anything Vaughn had seen before. Henry screamed and began to tremble as the cloud worked its way closer to them.

“Meshaq!” Vaughn screamed.

He had no defenses against magic, could do nothing as Henry’s eyes rolled back into his head. Sam rolled over and crawled to them, and they both held Henry tight as he shook.

Meshaq had been outside the room with the man, and he was trapped on the other side the door now. Pieces of the black cloud floated around him and kept him from moving forward.

Henry reached out his hand to Meshaq and Vaughn watched as the hellhound shifted to his animal form, howling in rage and finally bursting through the barrier.

Zaire continued to fight against the cloud surrounding them, trying to keep it from touching Henry. She couldn’t fight it completely, not even with the help of the hellhounds, and Henry let out a frightened, pain-filled scream.

Vaughn roared, but every swipe of his claws flowed through the smoke with zero effect. Sam rolled to his side and managed to plaster himself against Henry’s back. They sheltered him between them, but Henry continued to convulse.

“He’s having a seizure,” Vaughn yelled.

Meshaq finally reached them, his animal form fighting for every step forward. He roared once more, and this time everything stopped. Bright light filled the room and Vaughn bent over Henry and Sam to shield them from its effects. Everything dimmed and grew silent.

Meshaq huffed, his huge black head looking around the room, breath steaming in the air and his eyes a bright red-orange.

After a moment, he transformed again, back into his human form, and he knelt beside them.

“Henry,” Meshaq whispered.

Sam moved back, still shaking himself.

“We need to get them to the clinic. Now,” Vaughn said.

They were all shaking, but Vaughn could handle himself in this type of crisis.

Meshaq stood and reached out for Henry. It took everything in Vaughn to let him go. Henry’s arm slipped as Meshaq lifted him and dangled in front of Vaughn’s face.

“What the hell?”

“What is it?” Sam asked, his voice hoarse from screaming.

“He’s been marked,” Vaughn said.

He stood and carefully lifted Henry’s arm. A black circle was on his wrist, where nothing had been before.

Meshaq’s eyes flared, and he growled once more.

“Get your mate, Alpha. Let’s get out of here.”

Vaughn reached for Sam and helped him stand. His legs wobbled, and he clung to Vaughn, but he managed to keep his feet.

“What is it, Vaughn? What happened to him?”

“I don’t know,” Vaughn said gently. “Let’s get him home, and we’ll figure it out, okay?”

Zaire and the other two hellhounds were shaking as well, and the expression on Zaire’s face let Vaughn know that she knew exactly what the mark meant. And she didn’t look happy about it.