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I know we’re hiding so he’s trying to be as quiet as possible, but I hear the vulnerability in his voice nonetheless. Slowly, I turn to meet his gaze. “It was the right thing to do.”
He usually gives off such a powerful aura that seeing him like this makes my chest tight. Stopping him from eating the poisoned food was the right thing to do, and the goddess gave me that ability. She didn’t warn me to stop the other competitors from eating the food who later died, which means she wants him alive for some reason. I don’t know what that is, and I won’t pretend to know the whims of the goddess, but what I do know is that I couldn’t let him eat that food, not once I knew it was poisoned. If he died because I didn’t say anything, I never would have been able to live with myself.
He narrows his eyes as though he knows there’s more to my answer than I’m saying. He doesn’t call me out on it, though, instead shaking his head as he glances away from me. “I’m not a good person, Laelia. You should stay away from me.”
He means it. He truly thinks that about himself. Yet, contrary to his words, he leans closer, shifting his weight towards me. Stopping just inches from the side of my face, he takes a deep inhale of my scent, breathing me in. Heat rushes straight to my core, even though I have no idea why. Werewolves scent each other all the time, and it’s not a sexual thing. However, when Syn does it, I want to reach out and pull him against me.
“I don’t believe that,” I whisper, my voice catching in my throat.
He pulls back just enough so he can look at me, his expression intense. Slowly, his tongue flicks out as he licks his lips, and I track the movement with my eyes. A low, amused laugh huffs from his chest, and a cocky smile pulls at his lips.
For a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me, but then his body stiffens, freezing in place. Something’s happening. Eyes wide, I glance around, trying to find the source of what’s caused him to become alert, but he grips my arm tightly and shakes his head, pointing at his ears. Closing my eyes, I try to extend my hearing, noticing that all other sounds of wildlife have now stopped, hinting that something’s coming. That’s when I hear heavy footsteps and snorting, like that of a bull.
Suddenly, Syn wraps his arms around me and closes his eyes, a frown pulling at his brow as signs of strain show on his face. I don’t understand what’s going on or why he’s choosing to press himself against me. Although, before I can say or do anything, I realise I can seethroughSyn to the tree behind him. Gasping, I lift a hand to see that I’m translucent too, my body almost flickering.
Syn has magic.
The dark aura that seems to surround him was his magic all along. If he has his own magic, then why did he look so furious when he first saw what I could do the night of my birthday? More importantly, why didn’t the council kill him? Is that why the council offered him the position in the first place? Because he has a useful skill and they thought they could control him? He’s not being branded as a witch and forced to prove that he’s a werewolf, not like what I’m having to endure.
I feel his eyes on me, and I meet his gaze. He stares back at me unapologetically, the truth of what I’m seeing in his expression. If he’s expecting me to react poorly, to shriek and pull away, then he really doesn’t know me. I’m angry, but not at him. I’m furious with the council and the way they bend rules for some. Staring into his eyes, I see there’s anger there too, but I’m starting to realise that it’s not necessarily aimed at me.
A grunt nearby pulls me from my musing, and I have to bite my lip to stop myself from crying out when I realise the creature is directly below us. I was so focused on the magic and the way our bodies have blended into the shadows that I hadn’t even noticed the minotaur’s approach.
Its torso is like that of a very muscled man, and its skin is covered in scars, but that’s where its resemblance to a human ends. Although it stands on two legs, it looks like a bull coated in short, dark fur, and a tail swishes angrily behind it. It’s the creature’s face that terrifies me though. A huge bull’s head sniffs around the base of the tree, its small, beady eyes squinting up into the shadows. A large pair of horns jut from its head, or at least one does, as the one on the right side of its head is broken and splintered.
Shifting around the tree, it makes a noise of frustration as it fails to find us. However, if I’d been hoping that it would give up and move away, then I’d be disappointed. It might not be able to see us, but with that huge snout, it can certainly smell us.
With a bellow, the beast wraps its huge forearms around the tree and braces the flat part of the top of its head against the trunk. My eyes shoot to Syn’s, and I find him already looking at me, glowing with the power of his wolf. He knows just as well as I do that we’re going to have to fight our way out of this.
The goddess’s presence suddenly settles over me, stirring the power within me, and I realise I have another weapon in my arsenal—my magic. I don’t have a clue how to use it, and when I do, thethinginside me tries to take control. I doubt the basic grappling training I had with Joel will work against a minotaur.
Scott and Star could have been injured today, and I could be about to put Syn at risk too by using my power. I was completely unable to control myself. The squid creature disintegrated under my magic, and I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if I’d hit Scott.
I’ve known about the presence inside me since I was a young child. I’d been playing with one of the other children from my pack. They were a little older than me, and when they had shifted into their werewolf form when they got a little rough, they bit me. Being young, I was so upset and angry that I lost control. Only, instead of shifting into a wolf, something dark and sinister rose within me. It wanted to teach the pup a lesson and put it in its place, and I would have if my father hadn’t stumbled across us and startled me.
The look on his face when he saw me was one of pure terror. I learned later that the fear wasn’tofme, but of what others might think of me. Of course, this was when I learned that not everyone has that pulsing power inside them, so I pushed that presence deep down and learned to lock it away, controlling my emotions and never letting it slip free. There’s no doubt in my mind that the pup who bit me would have been killed by the creature living in me, which is why I can’t lose control. It’s too dangerous. I was good at keeping it at bay, and because of this, it slumbered for many years, and I eventually forgot about it. It wasn’t until recently that it was awoken, and it seems to be getting stronger.
However, as the whole tree starts to move, and a sickening crack works its way up the trunk, I know I’ve run out of options. I won’t allow Syn to get hurt because he tried to help me.
As I reach for that power within me, I feel the presence rise with it. Gritting my teeth, I grapple for control, screwing my eyes shut to block out everything else. The atmosphere becomes electric, and I feel the air get staticky, my hair lifting with the power surrounding us.
The tree groans as the beast slams into the trunk, and my eyes shoot open, my power slipping from me as my concentration breaks. My chest heaves with each breath, and my palms are sweaty at the prospect of what’s coming. Syn doesn’t look worried though, oh no, he’s watching me with an intensity that says he could sense more about me than I previously let on. Raising my brow, I silently challenge him. Now is not the time to have this discussion, especially after my discovery of his magic.
“Laelia!” Scott’s voice echoes between the trees. Pushing away from Syn’s hold, I twist in my hiding place to see where Scott is. Why is he here? We were going to meet by the beacon. Has something happened?
Out of nowhere, I see a flash of a naked male before his body slams into the minotaur’s. I don’t think it would have been that effective if the creature hadn’t been so intent on toppling the tree we’re hiding in, but he also hits the creature’s open, vulnerable side as he barrels into it, shifting mid-air. With a shout of pain, the beast stumbles back, turning on its new opponent.
Syn grumbles beside me, cursing under his breath as we watch Scott try to take on the minotaur in wolf form.
“Stay here,” he snarls, his eyes flashing as he drops from the tree, shifting into a huge black wolf as he joins Scott.
Watching from above, I feel helpless as they snap their huge jaws at the minotaur. They are strong, and they work surprisingly well together as they jump at the creature, taking chunks from its side, but unfortunately for them, it’s stronger. Roaring loud enough to make the marrow of my bones quake, the minotaur lowers its head and charges at Scott, its remaining, terrifying horn aimed straight for him.
At the last moment, Scott is able to dodge to the side to avoid getting impaled, but he’s not fast enough to avoid the minotaur completely. The beast slams into him, throwing him back. My breath catches in my throat as I watch him try to get up onto his shaky legs, a rapidly growing patch of red soaking through his fur. I need to do something, but what?
My hand tingles, and I look down to find a dagger of starlight forming in my palm. I hadn’t even directed my magic, yet it createdthis. It’s beautiful, the hilt glittering, and when I tap my finger gently to the tip of the blade, it’s so sharp a bead of blood blooms on my fingertip. Sucking it into my mouth, I grip the blade in my other hand as I look down, waiting for an opening.
The minotaur backs up, its eyes locked on Scott. It knows he’s injured, and it’s going in for the kill. Syn snarls and jumps forward, locking his jaws on its arm, trying to pull it away from the injured wolf, but the minotaur’s focus is only on Scott now. Panic makes me lightheaded as I think about what I’m going to do, but when I look at Scott, I feel stronger, knowing I’m doing the right thing.
