Page 12 of Magic & Secrets
The pride’s leader growled, “Be gone or be dead.”
One of the figures announced, “We have warrants.”
The females wore Elven battle gear of black knee-high boots, leather leggings, and red cloaks. I spotted the telltale bows and arrows characteristic of the Elven Empire. Yet, these creatures smelled like no Elf I’d ever encountered.
Delta began growling next to me again. I silenced him with an uplifted hand.
“Warrants?” asked another Lion Shifter, laughing and wagging his genitals at the three females. “What can you do with warrants?”
“You’ve committed an unprovoked attack on Haven Junction,” announced a second female.
Their faces remained shadowed by their hoods. I scanned their gear for signs of magical affiliation. Were these human warriors? Had the Murade trained their people to hunt magic folk after the Bane Shifters were gone?
The alpha moved slowly, stepping to his right and then his left. He moved with the ease of a bored housecat. I watched the creature inch closer to the female warriors.
“Are your cuffs magical?” he taunted. “Can they hold our flesh while you bring us to a cage?”
The three figures hesitated, perhaps frightened by the aggressive stance of a predator ready to attack.
Though I considered aiding the warriors, I was unnerved by the magic lingering in the air. The world felt different away fromMt. Elysium. I didn’t trust that the females were any safer than the Lion Shifters.
Next to me, Delta’s nearly undetectable growling persisted. A deep rage bubbled inside my old friend. I felt his control about to slip.
“Will you cuff me?” asked the Shifter again.
The figures lowered their hoods and glanced at each other. I inhaled sharply at the sight of them. The females owned the fair beauty of the succubi from the Cape of Non, yet these warriors smelled nothing like those temptresses.
Strange markings covered their faces in red and black paint. I suspected these designs masked their magic. The Murade were known to hide the existence of their newest experiments. The Bane Shifters had roamed the Territories for decades before the government admitted to creating a new weapon.
The lithesome warriors seemed comically trivial when compared to the muscled Lion Shifters circling them now. I couldn’t imagine the Murade had designed the females for this kind of warfare. Such delicate creatures would be best suited for infiltration and assassination.
The young warriors looked akin to each other. Standing in the middle was a fiery redhead. At her right stood a black-haired beauty. Finally, there was the blonde female who shone as bright and invigorating as any sunrise.
The beast in me refused to allow these beautiful creatures to be torn limb from limb. Whether they were human soldiers or a new breed of Elven warriors, they would be no match for a pride of young, arrogant Lion Shifters.
“We don’t come bearing arrest warrants,” the blonde told the Shifter standing before her.
Magic crackled in the air. A breeze swept through the clearing. The Shifters prepared to take their lion form. The scentof cinnamon brushed against my nose, leaving me distracted even as I should attack the enemy.
The blonde warrior produced a small blade from her cloak. Moving impressively fast, she sliced clean through the Shifter’s wrists, still mockingly set out for the cuffs.
His pained roar set off the others. They shifted with ease. Quick and fearsome, they moved toward the females.
Without hesitation, the Elven-like warriors attacked, dodging swinging claws and snapping jaws. Each of their strikes held ferocious weight. Despite their skill, I went cold with dread and felt certain they would fail.
Without thinking, I moved out of my hiding spot. Koda and Delta were close behind me. Rather than focus on a target to rip to shreds, I could only see the blonde dancing amongst the madness. She spun around her opponents, dodging their attacks while slicing off limbs.
When her gaze met mine, the air burst from my lungs. I felt as if the world itself had dropped from beneath me. I was a creature trapped within a free fall.
The blonde warrior’s arms went slack as she stared at me. Her moment of weakness allowed a Lion Shifter to make contact. His powerful blow sent the female flying high into the air.
Rushing forward, I caught her as she descended toward the ground. The warrior’s face was impossibly perfect, like an oil painting come to life. I was surprised to discover freckles across her nose as if the artist carefully added them in the final touchup.
Her jade eyes stared startled at me. She seemed ready to fling herself from my arms. A moment passed. The magic in the air crashed down on me, leaving me lightheaded yet invigorated.
Nearby, the battle raged on. My mind demanded I set her down. Vengeance was owed to my kind. I needed to set aside this longing.
Despite my predator instincts, I choose to hold her close.This creature belonged to me.
