Page 43 of Malcolm

“So, this is it,” Eliza said as she looked over the campsite. The area was sparsely covered with trees and was near a stream. “Is your family the only one who uses this land?” she asked Malcolm, who’d been looking along the edge of the site.

She’d been surprised when he’d told her how far away the place was from the compound. He’d borrowed his uncle’s truck, which was currently parked a few feet away. He was searching through grass when he looked up, his brow creased. “No, it’snot common for Packs to cross each other’s borders without an invite.”

The wind brushed her chin as she turned in a circle. Her skin prickled as she moved along, and her brow creased. She put out her hand, and a magic circle appeared over it, the center spinning in the opposite direction of the outer ring. “You were right about your assumption.” She closed her hand, ridding herself of the magic circle. “I can easily open a portal spell here.”

“I knew it,” he said as he walked towards her. She couldn’t help but appreciate how the man fit in blue jeans and a black T-shirt. However, she wasn’t averse to his previous outfit. He’d looked like a warrior from ancient days. She’d felt her stomach drop when she’d seen him; the urge to touch him had filled her, and her damn mind had rebelled against her attempt to pull herself together. Some part of her always felt as if he belonged to her already.

“Can you possibly track the spell that was used here?” he asked as she stopped by her side.

She frowned, her eyes narrowing in thought. She snapped her fingers and watched as the light dimmed around them till only a few glowing balls lit up the area. “There isn’t much Magic residue left here.” With another snap, the lit balls rushed into her hand, gathering until they combined and morphed into a white transport spell. “We can at least see where they spelled from with this.” She squeezed her hands together,

When her hand lifted on its own her brow creased. A line of black light escaped from between her fingers, drawing into a pentagram. She leaned forward and blew on the center. A blue light flashed in the center, and she plucked it up.

“If you have a map, we can place this on it, and the blue light will land on where it was ‘from’ and ‘to’,” she explained, facing Malcolm.

Malcolm’s gaze brightened before he frowned. “Can that last till we get back?”

She stared at the blue flame in her hand. She wasn’t the one who thought it up. She hated it when her body moved without her consent, and while a part of her wanted to let the goddess have it, she was glad she could be helpful to Malcolm.

“It should be fine,” she answered.

“How long will it last,” he asked as they approached the truck.

She closed her hands. “I will put it aside for now; once we get there, I can bring it back to place it on the map,” she said. She opened the door to the passenger side and got in.

Malcolm got in and started the truck. Soon they were on their way back to the compound.

Eliza said, “It looks like you’re going to be busy soon.”

“Yeah, it looks it,” Malcolm said, his voice holding a wealth of feeling.

She glanced at him. “I didn’t ask before, no time like the present. Why did you leave?”

Malcolm didn’t immediately clam up like she expected, though a dark emotion did flicker over his face. And for a second, she felt that she didn’t know the man beside her. Which was crazy because it was obvious that there was more to him than what he showed her. Obviously, he’d have some parts of himself she wouldn’t be privy to.

Yet, she couldn’t stop the feeling of ‘loss’ she felt at her realization.

“I won’t hide it. I fought the previous Alpha, and after killing him, my father banished me from the land,” he said. His voice held little emotion, only a tad bit of anger entered it. “The more I think of his reasoning for it, the more I get angry. He assumed I’d be unable to deal with the men left behind.”

Eliza sighed. “Isn’t that how parents are? Always trying to protect their children, even if that protection makes them worse?” She looked away. “So, will you become the Alpha? At least that’s what the women were saying at the creak.”

He snorted. “Yeah, I decided to become the next Alpha until my uncle finds a better candidate.”And they found out just who was behind the taking of their people.

She nodded, turning back to him. It was better for him to stay here; she could travel from this place much easier than from within the Veil. “You’ll have to prove your worth, huh?”

He glanced at her; at his look, she frowned. “What?”

“You don’t have to worry. I won’t ask you to get involved. It isn’t something you should worry about.”

She stared at him before she laughed. “Is that your way of telling me to ‘stay out of it’?”

He grimaced. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that, I just don’t want you to be putting yourself in danger.”

She laughed. “I don’t exactly have anything else to do.” She shrugged. “I'd rather be helping you than sitting around with my own thoughts. I like your people. They have welcomed me and let me get underfoot. I know you went out on a limb for me, and I want to repay you for it.”

“I didn’t save you for you to pay me back,” he growled, tightening his hold on the wheel. The words barely passed his lips when he realized what he had said. He whipped his gaze to her expression, but she wasn’t staring at him in terrified shock; instead, a thoughtful look graced her face.

Her eyes dropped to his lips. “Malcolm…I don’t—” She paused before sighing and meeting his eyes. “I know there is something else to why you saved me, but something tells me that that reason doesn’t matter right now. I only know two things: one, you saved me, and you didn’t have to. And two, you broughta weapon developed by your enemy to your home. You don’t know what I’m capable of; I could hurt everyone here, and yet?—”

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