Page 64 of Ruled By Magic

“Why?” My voice was an outraged squeak.

His lips curled up, and he stroked my hair. “I promised you’d pay for your remark earlier. Consider this punishment.”

I pressed my knees together and groaned. His eyes narrowed, and a thoughtful expression overtook his face. I yelped as he took my hand and placed it between my thighs. “I don’t have my magic. If you wanted, you could wait till I’m asleep and break my rule. You could pleasure yourself ten times before morning and I’d never know. Will you?”

I stroked my fingers through the slick sheen his teasing had left along my slit. It was tempting. Very tempting. But when I thought of doing it, somehow I knew I wouldn’t. It would feel like breaking an intangible trust. On some level, I liked him owning my pleasure.

“No.” I buried my face into his chest and said words that still embarrassed me as much as they made me happy. “I’ll be good.”

He landed another kiss on the top of my head. “I love you.”

Now, in the quiet, without the pressure of a decision to make and a friend to disappoint, I let the words sink in. They wrapped around me and lifted me up. I curled into him as tight as I could. “I love you, too.”

My eyes flew open and I jerked awake, blinking in the dim light. A single floodlight outside illuminated the tent with a weak glow. I checked on Leo—still sound asleep, his body working hard to replace his depleted magic. He estimated a day or two before he could access his power at all, and the same again before he’d be near full strength. A lot faster than most mages recovered.

I grabbed a flashlight, wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, and visited the bathroom. As I left the separate little tent, the back of my neck prickled. Something felt off. What was it? I froze, keeping my breathing shallow. A smell. A sickly, rotten odor in the air. Terror started at my stomach and crept out through my limbs. The wash tent stood alone, out to the side. Close to the looming trees.

Sounds caught my ear. A rustle and snap. A moment of silence. A low growl.

Fuck.

What should I do? Freeze, and hope the predator moved on, or run to the tents? What had my survival instructor said? My brain blanked, white fear obliterating all thought.

Another snap. My paralysis broke, and I ran. A yell tore from my throat. “Hel—”

Something heavy hit me between the shoulder blades, slamming me into the ground. A meaty stench, and hot breath against my neck. Nails dug into my back. I tried to push up, but the thing was solid. I let out a strangled scream—all I could manage with the weight of it pressing me down.

My mind, blank before, flew into overdrive. I was going to die. Right when I had freedom and a shot at happiness, it was over. I pushed up, managed a breath, went to yell—

“Get off her!” Leo roared. The creature on top of me growled again, a deep rumble that vibrated through me. Its weight shifted, and the breath disappeared from my neck. “Get—”

An increase of pressure, ripping pain against my spine, and the monster leapt off me. The camp floodlights came on in a sudden blaze and I jumped to my feet, blinking spots from my eyes. The beast—a wolf, emaciated but huge—had Leo pinned. It snarled and raised its head, a creature out of a fever dream, impossibly large. Leo’s body jerked as he fought to dislodge it. A scream tore from my lips.

A shot rang out, then another. I threw myself away on instinct, hitting the ground hard. The wind left me, and I gasped for air as I struggled to sit. Fear shuddered through me, slowing my movements as I hardly dared to look. Leo had to be okay. He had to.

Blood splattered the clearing. The wolf lay unmoving—half its head gone, bone and brain matter leaking out. Beneath it, Leo twitched. I shot to my feet and reached him at the same time as Damien. The big man gripped the animal’s body and heaved it off Leo. I dropped to my knees beside him. “Are you okay?”

He coughed, and I slid my arm under him, helping him to sit. Blood and gore streaked his face, and he wiped it away with the cuff of his shirt. “Fuck. Yes. I think so.”

“We’ll have to sterilize any cuts once you’re cleaned up.” Atalie joined us. “We’ve got med supplies.”

I sought out Damien, who stood over the body of the creature, examining it. “What was that? Will there be more?”

He straightened and shook his head. “No. They never attack large camps like this. It was starving, probably already injured. Attacked out of desperation. A section of my perimeter must be down. Just bad luck.”

Calm and businesslike, as if this sort of thing happened all the time. I slumped next to Leo as the adrenaline left my body. He pulled me against him in a tight hug, and I winced as my shirt tightened over the scratches on my back. He drew in a breath. “You’re hurt.”

“Just scratched, I think.” I glanced at the shower. It now seemed very close to the trees. “We need to get clean.”

“Go ahead. Don’t worry. I’ll keep guard, just in case.” Damien held up his chunky firearm and grinned. “First action I’ve seen in ages.”

Leo got to his feet and helped me up. Atalie fetched a bottle of antiseptic and we showered in silence, though he hissed when he pulled the shirt from my back and cleaned the cuts with gentle fingers. The cold water and the sting of the cleansing liquid cleared some of the panicked fog from my brain. Clean and wrapped in towels, we returned to our tent.

We lay facing each other, legs entwined, his hand a solid weight on my hip. I tried to lighten the somber mood. “That’s twice. You’re in the lead.”

His brow creased. “Twice, what?”

“Twice you’ve saved my life. And I’ve saved yours once. So, you’re ahead of me.”

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