Page 4 of Taste of Danger

But Arion remained tense, clearly not trusting either of them. Jax wanted to know who had abused such a beautiful man. He wanted to track them down and put an end to their existence.

As he sensed a presence nearby, Jax’s head snapped up. They didn’t have time to convince Arion to trust them. They needed to leave this area immediately.

“I sense it too.” Elvine scanned their surroundings. “We need to get spirit.”

Jax grinned. “Ghost, buttercup. We need to get ghost.”

“I'm sorry, Arion, but I have to do this.” Elvine moved behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and spread her translucent wings, lifting them off the ground.

Arion let out a small cry, clutching her arms as he looked down in fear.

“It’s all right, honey bunny. I got you,” Elvine reassured him, tightening her hold on their mate. Then she gave him a quick kiss on his head.

“He isn’t too heavy for you, is he?” Jax tilted his head back and gazed up at them. Both of them were short, but Arion was at least five inches taller. However, he was very thin and looked almost small in Elvine’s arms.

She gave him an exasperated look. She was so adorable when she did that. “He’s light as a...” She paused before glaring at Jax.

“Feather,” he supplied with a smirk.

“Shift and run home. I’ll fly above you. I can keep pace, so haul butt.” She took off. Jax quickly shifted and sprinted after her.

Chapter Two

Arion groaned in frustration, loud enough for Elvine to hear. “This is so humiliating,” he complained. “I could outrun both of them easily.”

“Yes, but you might also run away from us.” Elvine tightened her grip on him. “You’re as slippery as—” Something hard collided with Elvine midair, causing her to spin out of control. She couldn’t keep Arion in her arms. He was flung out of her grasp then started falling toward the ground.

With a fierce snarl, she plunged toward the ground before arching her back and swooping upward, successfully regaining her grasp on her mate.

“Holy muffin!” Elvine had to spin again, this time deliberately, in order to avoid a tangle of branches that would have ripped her wings. When she looked ahead, she noticed the dense trees, which would make it impossible to fly safely. With no other option available, she had to make a landing. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she quickly folded in her wings and took stock of their surroundings, holding on to Arion tightly.

A fierce growl broke through the silence as Jax raced toward them, his paws covering the distance at an incredible speed. Her lips parted slightly as Elvine watched him. He was so beautiful and powerful. Jax launched himself off a boulder and crashed into a vampire, taking him down with savage force.

Elvine released her hold on Arion when she saw two more vampires closing in on them with blinding speed. She raised her arms above her, tilted her head back, and began to chant. A surge of energy whipped through her body, lifting her long blue locks.

Lowering her head, Elvine pulled back her arm before forcefully thrusting it forward, unleashing bolts of black lightning from her outstretched palm. The bolts struck both vampires, sending them flying backward and crashing to the ground in a writhing heap.

“You dare try to harm my mates!” she screamed. Her rage boiled over as she continued to rain down bolts on them, striking each vampire over and over again until they lay motionless on the ground. She unleashed her fury that they had dared come after her when she had Arion in her arms, furious one of them was fighting her wolfie.

“They’re dead!” Arion slung his arms around her from behind, trapping her arms at her sides. “You already killed them. Now you’re just being cruel,” he shouted at her.

The distress in his voice snapped her out of her fury, but she was still breathing heavily. One of them had lunged at her while she was midflight, attempting to take her down. If the vampire had damaged her wings, Elvine would have died instantly.

“I’m-I’m okay, Arion. I promise. You can let me go. I have to help our wolf.” She licked her dry lips, still in shock at how close she’d come to death.

Arion slowly lowered his arms and released her, dropping them to his sides. Elvine threw another black bolt, this one with less power. It struck the vampire Jax was fighting, knocking the stranger sideways.

With a snarl, Jax shifted and extended his claws before plunging them deep into the vampire’s chest. Elvine spun around and pulled Arion into a tight embrace, pressing his head against her chest. “You don’t need to see this, sweetie.”

“You don’t have to shield my eyes.” Arion shook in her arms. “I’ve seen much, much worse.”

Elvine hugged him even tighter, burying her face into his hair as she fought back tears. Judging from his scars, she believed him. “But it’s still my job to keep you safe, honey bunny.” She bit her lip to stop it from trembling.

“Are you two all right?” Jax approached from behind Elvine then curled his arms around both of them. She noticed the blood on his hand, but Jax kept it away from Arion. “Did either of you get hurt?” He kissed Elvine’s head gently. “I saw all three of them speed past me then one leapt at you.” His embrace tightened. “I thought he’d ripped your wings. The way you spun…”

Jax closed his eyes briefly, a look of pain on his face.

“No,” Elvine said with a shaky breath. “We’re both fine.” She leaned back into Jax’s solid chest, seeking comfort and safety in his embrace. She couldn’t tell who was trembling more, her or Arion.

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