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I groaned as pain shot through me and little white dots exploded behind my eyes, swirling in fast circles.
“Shit, Dannika,” he exclaimed, pulling me up to a standing position entirely too fast. “I wasn’t going to hit you.”
I teetered, feeling dizzy from the sudden motion. “Could have fooled me,” I mumbled, scrunching my eyes shut against the throbbing.
He cupped my jaw, and I leaned against it. Something to brace myself against while the world spun. Through my blurry vision, it looked as though he was checking me over. “Hold on. You have pine needles in your hair.” He picked at something, flicking it over to the side.
“Stop grooming me,” I managed to say, then I attempted to take a step. Nope. I wobbled, grabbing on to his arm as I stumbled into him.
The pounding in my head would heal. I just needed some time. Breathe in, breathe out. Nova whined, leaning against me for support, nudging my side so I knew she would help brace me. After a few minutes, the world came back into focus.
I took Markus’s hand off my face, stepping away from him. “I have a dinner to go to,” I muttered, removing myself from his proximity.
“I’m s?—”
A blurred body whooshed by before any other words could leave his mouth. My jaw dropped as I witnessed Elias’s incredible speed, just as he slammed Markus into a tree. Markus’s feet dangled off the ground and his face turned purple as Elias held him by his throat. Fur sprouted along his exposed skin and his claws lengthened.
“Stop it!” I shouted, running to Elias and grabbing his arms. I tugged, trying to pull him away, but he didn’t budge. “Please,” I said, my voice dropping as I pleaded with him.
Elias turned to me, and I gasped. His fangs were fully exposed, his hardened features turned razor-sharp and deadly. His eyes were filled with crimson rage, and it evoked a fear response in me that I couldn’t control. When I stumbled back, his eyes changed. “Why?” he asked, his voice hard. “I saw what he did to you.”
“It’s not . . . what you . . . think,” Markus managed to squeak out as Elias teetered on the edge of crushing his windpipe.
“You will not speak.” Elias jerked his attention back to Markus, squeezing tighter. “Shift, and I’ll end you now.”
I placed my hand on Elias’s arm. “He didn’t do anything to me. I tripped over a rock.” He looked at the top of my head. With his free hand, he stroked it, coming away with blood. His nostrils flared. Something feral and hungry flashed in his eyes as he stared at the liquid smeared on his fingertips.
“And this?”
“Apparently, I wanted to protect my head from the ground, so a nice, soft rock cushioned the blow,” I said dryly. He gave me a deadpan look in return.
“You expect me to believe that story?”
“I do, yes,” I answered. “I’d be happy to tell you the rest of it, but you’d have to let him go.”
Elias held my gaze, not nearly as amused. He dropped Markus, letting him fall to the ground unceremoniously. Coughing and gagging, the shifter held himself up on all fours while he gasped. Elias leaned down next to him and spoke in a threatening whisper. “Just this once, pup. Just the one time. If you ever put her in harm’s way again, I will rip the limbs from your body and beat you to death with them before I set your bloody stump on fire.”
Elias stood up, facing me. Nova nudged up against my side. His expression was hard to read. His jaw was set, but his eyes softened. “He doesn’t deserve your kindness,” he said, his tone still filled with anger, even if that anger wasn’t directed at me.
I shook my head. “No, he doesn’t,” I said. Elias raised his eyebrows in apparent surprise. “But he doesn’t deserve my vengeance, either.”
“Why not?”
Markus pushed himself to a standing position from the forest floor, wiping the dirt and debris from his pants. He looked at me curiously.
I considered not answering, but I couldn’t see the merit in holding anything back.
“I was his punching bag. He was Mathis’s.” The color drained from Markus’s face, and he looked away from us. “I won’t stoop to that level. I won’t continue that cycle.”
A faint smile crept up Elias’s face, and he huffed a small laugh. “You are something else, Danni.” Tightening his lips, he let out a high-pitched whistle. Ysabeau appeared in the distance. I had no idea where she’d been hiding out and watching our exchange, but it shouldn’t have been a surprise to me that she’d been nearby.
She approached us, surveying Markus with a venomous gaze. “Yes?”
Elias tilted his head toward my rejected mate without breaking eye contact with me. “Take him inside. He and I are going to have a chat.”
She dipped her head, signaling for Markus to follow her. For once, he looked ashamed. Where he usually stood proud, his shoulders now slouched. His haughty attitude lost its fuel. For the first time in my life, I watched him walk away with his tail between his legs.
Across the lawn, I saw the spectators. Oh, they appeared to be busy as they talked amongst themselves, pointing at papers or something equally unimportant. Elias and I both knew we had an audience.
