Page 163 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

“Troll!” shouted Orion suddenly, and he snagged me around the waist to jerk me out of the way of a falling tree that had been knocked out of the troll’s path.

My wall of fire extinguished when I lost concentration, plunging the forest into darkness save for the silver light of the moon and stars.

I turned and looked up at the enraged beast that came tearing out of the forest, undoubtedly disturbed by all the noise from our fight. It was easily ten feet tall and ripped trees out of the earth with its swinging hands that seemed intent on tearing everything apart. The head was flat on the top with large, pointed ears that stuck straight out and angled down. The greenish hair blended into a beard like Spanish moss dangling down its barrel chest. The face was short and flat with a broad nose, a wide mouth, and a massive underbite with two tusks protruding high over the upper lip. It hunched over and seemed to prefer walking with its knuckles on the ground in a way that was similar to the Fuath. It was unclothed aside from a loincloth made from vines and bark.

It roared, and even the Fuath screeched as they tried to get out of its way. It sent a good many of them flying with a mighty swipe of the branch in its hand.

I had learned there were many different kinds of trolls, and some, like this Carnauch Troll, were not higher fey. That essentially made this poor thing little better than an animal that didn’t know any better, and I hated to harm it. Especially when we were the ones who upset it.

But I also couldn’t allow it to hurt my companions.

I flung my magic at it instinctively when it charged toward us, beating its fists against the earth. Only for my power to roll harmlessly off the troll’s thick skin before I recalled that they were naturally impervious to magic.

It came on so fast, and I knew Riordan was distracted, so I reacted on instinct again. I threw a blast of magic behind me thatwould be hot but did not burn, and it threw my friends out of range of the troll.

“Amira!” shouted Orion furiously, but I was already diving sideways and rolling out of the way when the troll swung its tree branch at me. The strike was far too close, and now I was in easy smashing distance for the creature and separated from my friends.

I felt Riordan in my mind as I rolled up to one knee and braced my hands readily under me. His concentration had been broken by my blast that had thrown him and the others beyond the troll’s reach. Now his awareness was rushing through me to ensure I was not hurt.

The troll whirled on me, brandishing his tree branch like a club as I tried to focus and work out a weakness. Which was when I realized that although the troll may be impervious to magic… his club was not.

I got this,I assured Riordan, urging him to calm down so his fear was not clouding my thoughts, and he could focus on protecting himself. And the rush of confidence he felt in me was a beautiful thing as I drew power faster and harder directly from the earth under my hands.

My next strike was aimed at the tree branch the troll was about to bring down on my head, and I willed the flames to sweep across the wood. The troll made a furious roar of surprise and threw the club away, shaking his hand with an offended snort before he roared at me angrily.

But now I knew that although he could withstand a direct magical attack, he could still be burned.

I felt Riordan’s pride swelling through me in response to my thinking as I set my sights on the dry grass and branches beneath the troll’s feet. Steam began rising from the earth under my hands as fire erupted around the troll. He roaredin confusion and terror, leaping back from me until he finally turned to retreat into the forest along with the last of the Fuath.

Someone hauled me up to my feet. I knew it was Orion before he began dragging me back to our companions by my arm. Both of them appeared so horrified and confused by his behaviour that they did not move until Orion shoved me at my mate. Riordan had to react quickly in order to catch me or the force of Orion’s push would have knocked me right off my feet.

“Yourmate!” Orion snarled furiously, and I turned to gape at him in utter disbelief.

“I told him I had it!” I shouted back, straightening and squaring up with Orion as steam began billowing off my clenched fists. “Iama fire witch, you know, I’m not some helpless damsel who needs to be—”

“Could have fooled me,” he interrupted, all rage and clearly no capacity for reasoning.

“She drove off a troll,” Helena argued, and her voice sounded subdued from her shock and discomfort.

“And almost died doing it. Just…Fuck!” Orion yelled before he turned and tried to stalk away from us.

Only to be instantly brought to his knees by a crackling wave of magic that rippled over his body and drew out a cry of pain from him.

“He was scared for her!” Helena tried to tell Riordan, but my mate tugged his arm out of her grip. He bumped against me as he stepped forward to slowly walk toward hisskiáwith menace in every stride.

“Amira!” hissed Helena, pleading for my intervention, but I was too shocked to move right away. He had put hands on me. He threw me at Riordan like I was trash.

Helena saw my uncertainty and turned to stalk over to put herself between Riordan and where Orion knelt.

“He was scared! Riordan, justthink!” she urged him.

“There can be no excuse for handling Amira like that,” said Riordan lowly, his voice deadly. “Not for anyone.”

“Hecaresfor her! Please, Riordan, just—”

“That is not how anyone willevercare for my mate!” Riordan shouted, losing his temper this time, but Helena held her ground with him admirably.

“He is anilíthioswho cannot get out of his own way, much less make sense of his own stupid feelings, but this will not fix anything,” she maintained.

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