Page 14 of Jayce

“Could their mother have had it done to protect them from their father?” Jayce suggests.

“Maybe. I’d love to give the witch who did this a piece of my mind,” she says, shaking her head.

“Do you still need our blood?” I ask.

She shrugs. “Since we don’t know for sure what the marks are protecting you from, it’s still a good idea to do another one.

“The protection I’m casting will keep you hidden from your father, mother, and any other siblings. It will also keep any harm from coming to you as long as you wear them. The rest of that herd might find you, but they can’t take you against your will or hurt you physically. Don’t take them off. They won’t keep you safe if you do something stupid, like go with them willingly.”

“Don’t we have to sacrifice something?” I ask. Remembering that all magic requires one.

She smiles. “Your blood is a sacrifice.”

Willow pricks both my finger and Cill’s with a needle before mixing the drops together and rubbing the crimson liquid on all four charms.

I shouldn’t have expected a giant climatic moment after the lack of a casting circle and any other cliché practices, but I still thought it would be more thrilling than her whispering the one word, praesidium.

Willow hands Jayce and Anjal two charms each. To avoid sounding ungrateful, I bite my tongue when she didn’t give them to Cill and me to put on ourselves.

For the sake of politeness, I lift my hair while Jayce attempts to latch the leather strap into place. His large hands struggle with the tiny clasp. I’m painfully aware of his breath against my ear as he fumbles. My heart races in rhythm with the soft click of the necklace’s catch.

Jayce’s fingers delicately graze the nape of my neck. My cheeks warm knowing he had to see the shivers his touch sent running down my spine.

With every touch, I feel a surge of anticipation build. I’m like a Jenga tower. It’s only a matter of time before his touch collapses the walls around my resolve.

Our eyes meet in the mirror’s reflection on the wall. His look is unmistakable. He clearly feels the same magnetic pull, the same undeniable attraction that courses through my veins like wildfire.

I can’t look away from his reflection, which is staring back at me. The connection deepens within us. I remember how I felt knowing he’d show the entire world his secret to keep me safe from that creep.

There’s a silent exchange of longing and attraction that pulses in the air like a silent symphony. I drop my hair back in place when it seems Jayce is moving in to kiss the back of my neck. The move shakes me from the spell I’d fallen into under his gaze.

The reminder that I’m not his mate rests like an anvil on my chest. At any moment, another female could issue the mating call. And then he’s lost to me forever.

Chapter 10

Jayce

Once the girls lay tucked safely in their beds, Anjal and I have pent up anger to release. Frustrations that can only experience relief during a good training session.

With the moon high, the secluded clearing nestled deep within the labyrinth is our little sanctuary for preparing for battles.

Damian and Nikolaos are already there, lighting tiki torches to keep the mosquitoes away. I don’t know how the blood suckers manage to migrate into our portal away from the world, but they do.

The clearing resonates with the rhythmic thud of hooves against the earth as our entire herd of men gathers. Their powerful forms silhouetted against the night sky.

Anjal sent a text to the herd while I drove home. The call for help brings us all together.

The two of us stand as men before an army.

After I remove my clothes, I take comfort as my muscles prepare for the shift from man to bull.

Beneath my skin, my bones elongate and my muscles swell. Fur sprouts from every inch of my naked body in a bristling coat of midnight black.

Horns burst forth from my skull, curling upwards with razor-sharp points, glinting under the moonlight. I shake my head.

My face elongates into a fierce muzzle, and my teeth sharpen into deadly points. My eyes gleam with the ancient wisdom passed down through the ages. Raw power bursts from my chest.

With a primal roar from Anjal and I, our transformation is complete. In this primitive state, we’re no longer mere men but embodiments of an ancient might and untamed fury.

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