Page 410 of Hate Mates

Kieran sighs dramatically. “Oh, sweetheart. That’s just embarrassing.”

Rage boils in me.

I move fast—too fast for them to stop me. I grab Vivienne and shove her behind me as I lunge for Kieran, my blade flashing.

He barely manages to block me in time.

Our weapons clash, sparks flying.

“You should have stayed loyal,” Kieran snarls, pushing back hard. “You could have had anything.”

I bare my teeth. “I already have everything I need.”

I shove hard, sending him skidding back.

But the others are moving now, closing in.

We’re outnumbered. They're surrounding her, and she's fighting back with everything she's got, but it's not enough. They claw at her, and something inside of me breaks. I unleash a fury of swipes with my blade against them, pressing them back, but it's not enough. And then, I feel something powerful surge through the bond.

She gasps.

I do too.

Our magic twists together, fusing, strengthening.

Kieran’s face goes pale.

“Oh, shit,” he breathes. “You actually?—”

I don’t let him finish.

I strike.

The bond between Vivienne and me shifts, solidifies, strengthens, and I feel her power become my own.

The air around us crackles.

Kieran’s eyes widen. He’s afraid.

He should be.

Because this time, we’re not running.

We’re fighting.

Chapter Nine

VIVIENNE HAWTHORNE

The night shatters around us.

The air is thick with magic—dark, pulsing, suffocating—and I can feel the weight of it pressing down on my skin, creeping into my bones. Orion is in front of me, his blade clashing against Kieran’s, the sparks from their fight illuminating the twisted trees around us.

I can’t breathe.

I should be stronger. I should be fighting.

But I can feel the difference between me and them—the raw power Kieran wields, the lethal precision in the way Orion moves, the sharp hunger of the warlocks circling us. I’m not ready for this.

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