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They followed the eagle knight, moving forward as a unit, paying no mind to the scent of danger. It was dark, cloying, and stank of otherworld.
Julian glanced at Declan. It was an odor they knew too well. A shiver raced across his flesh as an eerie groan drifted across the breeze.
The bastards sounded hungry.
They approached a man-made tunnel with caution, and as soon as they were swallowed by its damp entry, Julian’s otherworld radar went into overdrive. The energy down here was thick, menacing. It mingled with Jaden’s scent, and that alone enraged his animal to t
he point that his skin itched and burned.
Another scream filled the tunnel, and the pain across his chest tripled at the sound. The four of them erupted into a chamber, and the sight that greeted him stopped him cold.
An eerie glow caressed the damp stone walls, enabling them all to see clear as day. For a moment he was filled with such blackened rage that his mind twisted, and he saw everything through a thick haze of red.
Deep red. Blood red.
The blood of whatever, or whoever the fuck it was that held Jaden like a rag doll.
He was aware of creatures, phantomlike beings that stood just behind Jaden, but it was the large asshole who gripped her by the neck that had all his attention.
Mist crawled up his legs as his body changed. His bones popped, and golden fur rippled along his flesh as the ancient magick took hold.
“Time to party, boys.” He heard Declan’s words echo in his brain and was vaguely aware that Nico was transforming as well, but his only thought was to get to Jaden.
The entity that held her turned eerie eyes toward them, and he sensed the madness that lay there as he shook the woman that he held.
Jaden’s toes dangled several feet above the ground, and her hands hung loose at her sides.
Was she dead?
He barked loudly and the power of his jaguar flooded him as his hind legs bunched tightly. He sprang forward with a roar and leapt into the air, his heavy, powerful frame carrying him forward with ease.
Julian snarled in pain as his body slammed into them. The man was not wholly corporeal in this plane of existence, yet, there was solid matter to him. It burned, an incredible flash of heat that enveloped his entire body as they connected.
Jaden was another story. He hit her hard but was able to shake her loose from the monster’s grip, and the two of them tumbled to the ground.
Nico was right behind him, the tall, powerful jaguar zipping by as he confronted whatever the hell these things were. An energy blast flew over top of his head, courtesy of Declan, and Julian positioned his body over Jaden’s limp form as his mind methodically processed the entire scene.
Declan was weaving a spell into the air, his hands making intricate patterns as energy flew from him in sporadic bursts. He was protected, a ward already in place, safe to do whatever the hell it was he was doing.
Finn, however, seemed frozen, his face set with disbelief.
And the tall man in front of him, the leader it seemed, ignored them all, his eyes focused solely on Julian.
“How perfect,” he said, and Julian shook his head as the man’s weird amplified voice hung in the air between them. “The little bitch has a mate.”
Julian snarled and faced him, his long tail waving back and forth as he prepared to fight. He’d tear the bastard apart before he let him touch the woman on the ground.
Behind him, a painful growl was torn from Nico, but Julian refused to turn around, though he was aware that Finn sprang into action as he swept by them in an effort to aid the other warrior.
Julian crouched low to the ground as he moved in front of Jaden, positioning his body in such a way that she was protected.
“You silly, pathetic animals. You know not what you deal with.” The creature smiled wickedly and showed off a healthy set of razor-sharp teeth.
Julian’s mind went still, and he pushed everything away, concentrating solely on the thing in front of him.
He bunched his powerful legs together, prepared to strike once more, and felt a rush of adrenaline kick in as he pushed off with a mighty shove.
The blackness inside him rose to the fore, and the dark power that lingered there exploded as he flew through the air, his jaws open wide.
