Page 37 of Dawn Unearthed

“Is it bad?” Sage asked, her voice steady. She had to be in shock. That was the only likely reason she could be this calm and controlled.

“It’s not,” I said, knowing it was the truth, even though my bear thought it was the end of the world. I wanted to rip this Faith limb from limb for even daring to harm Sage. Whoever the hell thought they had the authority to touch my mate didn’t deserve to breathe. “We’ll get you cleaned up.”

“Do you want help?” Rowen asked from the front door, her hair flowing around her, her eyes dark with magic.

I shook my head. “I’ve got this. You should go see who it is.”

“I can scent her. It’s the necromancer.”

“Her name is Faith,” Sage repeated. She was still in shock, but we also needed to ensure that she was unharmed in other ways.

“Other than the cuts, are you hurt anywhere else?” I asked, studying her face.

She shook her head and winced. “No, just a little rattled. I wasn’t expecting her to come here when I was alone.”

“And where are your helpers? Your aunt? You shouldn’t have been here by yourself.” My bear was in my voice, and I couldn’t help it.

Sage’s eyes narrowed, and I liked the fire I saw there, even if itwasdirected at me. “And you think I’d be okay with my aunt getting hurt? You don’t know me, even though you seem tothinkyou do.”

Laurel’s lips quirked, and I glared at her.

“Go help the others.”

“You’re not my alpha, bear. You would do well to remember that.”

“I remember enough,” I growled, my voice low and deadly.

“We will see.”

She moved then, and I watched her walk away as Trace came in, gave me a tight nod, and followed her.

I let out a low snarl. “Seriously, let me get this cleaned up.”

Sage shook her head again and then winced, looking around the room. “There’s so much water damage.”

“We’ll be able to clean it up,” Rowen said as she walked back in, her voice tight. “Faith is gone. Tell us what happened.”

I helped Sage stand. She winced again, and I glared at Rowen for making her move so quickly.

“I was here closing up. I thought I locked all the doors, but apparently, I left the back door open because Faith walked in.”

“She probably used magic or a spell,” Rowen said. “I’ll have to add another layer of protection that you’ll need to learn to deal with quickly. The only reason I haven’t yet is because you needed access to and from your place of business, and I thought I had enough wards on the town.” She rubbed her temples, and I saw the exhaustion there.

“I’m sorry,” Sage said. I growled again, and she sighed. “Stop growling. Iamsorry. If I knew more about magic or how to protect myself, Rowen wouldn’t be working herself to exhaustion, trying to take care of me. And I thought a simple lock would work. I was wrong.”

“It’s okay,” Rowen said before I could speak. “I’ll teach you the simple spell, but I don’t know if we’re ready for a stronger one if we need it.”

“How about I station one of my enforcers here?” I asked.

Rowen nodded, studying me as Sage frowned. “Why would you do that?”

“You know why,” I growled, my voice low.

Her cheeks pinked, and she nodded. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.”

“You’re going to learn how to use your powers. But you can’t do it overnight. My people protect this town, and you are part of it now. I’ll station someone here, you’ll learn the simple spell, and eventually, you’ll learn the harder ones. Give yourself some time. I’m sorry we didn’t think of doing this ahead of time.”

“If I’m not allowed to kick myself, you’re not allowed to do it either,” Sage added dryly.

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