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“Take George and run to the cabin. I’ll watch your back.”
“No.” The fae stepped in front of me, his gaze darting to the animals then to me. “That’s a terrible plan and one that will get us killed. Take off my collar and those beasts will be dead.”
“That is not an option.” Walking past him, I nudged George to keep moving.
“Don’t be a fool,” Callum hissed. “What do you think I’m going to do? If anything happens to you or George, I’ll be living out my freedom on a mountain top and that’s not the future I want.”
He grabbed my arm and I ripped it out of his grip. “Do as I say. You do not give the orders.”
His jaw twitched and he glared at me. “Very well,master.I’ll be a good little prisoner and do as I’m told. Let’s hope you don’t get yourself killed.”
With that, he shoved past me, grabbing George’s saddle, and ran.
The moment he took off the cats moved, running around the lake. The cabin was on our side, but that meant Callum had to run faster and maybe he could if he didn’t have a bleating goat by his side.
I ran, my focus on the creatures heading our way. I’d need to be closer for my magic to reach them, but once it did, they would all be dead. Callum didn’t need a weapon.
He had me.
Sprinting, I caught up to the dark fae, moving as fast as I could. I needed to get ahead of him, quickly. Calling my magic to my hands, I let the blue flame cover my arms and build up, keeping the energy concentrated until I was close enough to attack.
The cabin was fifty feet away.
Now!
Casting out my magic, shaping the light into a spear, I reached the first cat, slamming into its chest with the polearms sharpened tip. It howled, sending the rest of the pack into a frenzy. Still running, I shot a hand out toward the two beasts flanking my left. Manipulating the elemental fields of force, I willed a hammer the size of a bull into existence. Its broad malleted face smashed into one of the beast’s sides crushing its flank. The two-hundred-and-fifty-pound projectile collided with the feline next to it as both cats were flung into the icy water.
From a large snow-covered bush to my right, I caught a glimpse of commotion. From its depths a spray of misty snow mixed with claws and fangs emerged. I rolled to my left, but the dodge wasn’t quick enough. Swiftly, the cat pounced onto my chest, pinning my back to the snow-covered terrain. My innate command of force enveloped my body in an energy cocoon, the cougar’s claws raking its adamant shell. I grabbed its neck with my magic tendrils, squeezing it as its jaws clamped on my shield. The transparent blue barrier, between me and a suffocating death, began to crack under its crushing bite.
A dark shadow hovered over me and suddenly the cat went flying with a whimper.
“Get up!” Callum reached out and yanked me off the ground. In his other hand, a crude tree limb freshly soaked in blood. “To your right.”
Swiveling on my heel, I swung my arm in a back handed strike. A large arc of energy slicing from my fingertips swept through the leaping mountain lion’s gut. The heightened sense of danger had amplified my magic’s fury, and the deadly pendulum cut through the cat’s torso, connecting with the next beast behind it. The blade transformed into a lasso, which acted like a leash around the lion’s throat. With a snap, its neck twisted wildly as the powerful whip swung its lifeless body into a massive tree.
A powerful arm wrapped around my waist, twisting me around where another beast launched at us. With a yell, I thrust my hands out to intercept the aggressive charge. A beam of blue light rammed into the cat’s chest, flipping it backward as it rolled out and broke for cover.
Two more cats approached from my back. Callum was already in motion. With a wicked grin, he dashed forward then flipped over the beasts before they fully stopped. Confused, the cats turned their heads, right into a vicious cleave that shattered the wooden limb. The first cat dropped instantly, but the second was still on attack. It lashed out trying to bite the fae’s neck. Callum caught the beast’s paws, wrestling with it while trying to keep its fangs from his throat.
Reactively, I conjured a blue sphere in the lion’s open maw, it could no longer bite down as the wedge prevented its jaws from doing so. Callum twisted and threw the animal off him, the beast shaking its head wildly as it ran off trying to rid itself of the magical muzzle.
The cat Callum had smashed with the club whimpered; its deformed face devastated by the powerful blow. It rose from the ground with bewilderment in its large eyes and limped off. The remaining members of the pride had already retreated to the edge of the thicker brush.
I fell to my knees, catching my breath.
Callum slapped a hand to my shoulder. “That was fun. I haven’t felt that alive in years. Great plan.”
Out of breath and a bit exhausted from all the hiking and the energy I just spent, I grabbed his arm and pulled myself back up. “Let’s get inside before they come back. Is George okay?”
The goat bleated and walked toward a trough near the cabin.
“He’s fine.” Callum kept a hand on my waist, keeping me steady. “And what about our little sparrow? You okay?”
There was no snark in his question, and his expression softened as if he actually cared. “Yes. I just need to rest.”
His lips curled into a grin. “Then let’s get you inside. I know just what you need.”
“I doubt that,” I replied with a grumble.
He laughed, that deep thundering noise that had an odd effect on me.
Why did hearing him laugh make me want to smile?
I was beginning to question my decision to be alone with him. If I had known this dark fae would make me feel anything, I would’ve left him back in that prison.
