Page 33 of Pledge Of A Bobcat

My stomach twisted at the mention of him, but I stayed quiet while Ellis continued to talk.

“Xander attacked us at Lucius’s grave. I should have thought to get one then, but I didn’t.” His jaw tensed as his gaze dropped to the table. “He got in my head.”

Dean sighed, and I noticed when Astrid reached over and placed a hand on his arm. “Shit.”

“Yeah. He’s getting stronger,” Ellis said. “He forced me to shift and then wanted me to hurt Rachel.”

All color drained from his face at the memory. My hand found his knee beneath the table, and I watched as he pulled a breath into his lungs and relaxed.

A tense silence settled over the table as everyone absorbed what he’d said. It wasn’t news to them that Xander could mess with a shifter’s mind—I knew that—but hearing he was getting stronger didn’t seem to settle well with any of them.

Rightfully so.

“Well, you made it out of there,” Sienna said, cutting through the tension. She was looking at Ellis, but then her eyes slid over to me. “How’d you manage that?”

“Rachel,” Ellis said, pride ringing through his tone. “Her magic surfaced during the attack. She slung Xander back before my bobcat could act on his orders. It surprised him enough to release me and jarred him enough that he gave way to his raven and fled.”

Everyone’s eyes shifted to me, and for a second, I wanted to disappear under the table.

Sienna leaned forward. Her gaze locked on mine as curiosity built within her stare. “Magic?” she echoed. “What kind of magic?”

I shifted in my seat, hating having the spotlight on me like this. “Telekinesis. I can move things with my mind. It’s not something I knew I could do until I needed to, though.”

Her eyebrows shot up, and a grin spread onto her face. “Telekinesis? Well, that’s interesting.”

“Actually, that could be useful,” Dean insisted. “Maybe we could use that to get the feather without having to confront Xander directly and put anyone else in danger. After all, you’re not a shifter, which means he wouldn’t be able to get into your head.”

Ellis stiffened beside me. “I’m not a fan of that idea.”

“I understand.” Dean nodded slowly.

“Also, I can’t control it,” I chimed in.

“Right. But, if you could, we might be able to grab the feather from a distance,” Dean said.

While the idea of using my power in such a controlled way felt a little daunting, I could see where it would be helpful.

“I can try learning to hone it,” I said. “But I’ll need time to practice.”

“Honing it isn’t what I’m worried about. You’ll get it,” Ellis said, his voice steady but tense. “What I’m worried about is you being involved in this more than you have been. Xander is dangerous—even if you’re not a shifter.”

The music inside the bar suddenly stopped and a female voice crackled over the speakers. “Up next, we’ve got Sienna!”

I looked at Sienna, noticing how completely unfazed she appeared, like she’d been expecting her name to be called any second.

“When did you put your name on the list?” Dean asked, raising a brow.

“Oh, a while ago.” Sienna grinned. “Why, you want to sing with me?”

He shook his head, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Not a chance.”

“I’ll sing with you,” Astrid piped up, already standing. “I promised I’d join you once before, remember?”

“Oh, I remember.” Sienna looked between Lyra and me, her eyes glinting with mischief. “What about you two? It’s more fun with a group.”

Lyra’s expression was a mix of horror and amusement. “Oh, no. I don’t sing. Especially not in public.”

“Come on,” Astrid said, nudging her playfully. “It’ll be fun. You’ve already had a beer.”

---