Page 49 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
He’d be safe.
He had come back last time without incident, so she had felt safe enough to take off her boots and tights and now wore only his oversized black T-shirt.
But this second wave had started over an hour ago.
He should have returned by now. She paused at the window and pulled aside the curtain’s edge to get a look. She saw only darkness and the sporadic flare of what must have been an explosion.
What if he was hurt?
Luna let the curtain drop back in place and started pacing again. She hated feeling powerless and imprisoned while others fought.
Another explosion rocked the compound, closer this time. Luna gripped the edge of the small desk to steady herself as dust shook free from the ceiling.
This wasn’t normal. The last one barely took fifteen minutes to handle; Dominic had returned from the previous attack within moments, barely winded.
She sensed that something had gone horribly wrong this time. Luna paused her pacing and closed her eyes, attempting to concentrate on the magic tendrils that had resurfaced inside of her since the binding ceremony. If she could simply get in touch with him, she could check on him, feel if he’s okay…
She extended her awareness outward, searching for that distinct energy signature that belonged solely to him.
Nothing.
Either he was too far away, or something was blocking their connection.
Or he was…
No. None of those options settled well in her stomach.
A noise outside the cabin door snapped her eyes open. Footsteps, heavy and purposeful. Relief flooded through her.
She said, “Dominic,” and started to head for the door. She hesitated with her hand halfway to the doorknob. A warning from her magic sent a chill down her spine.
Something didn’t feel right when the energy signature got closer to the cabin entrance.
Demon.
Luna backed away from the door; she could no longer find her knife. In her confidence, she had dropped it when she took off her boots.
She looked between the bedside lamp and the chair, trying to pick which one she should throw.
The knob on the door shook. Then a low and sickly-sweet voice called out, “I know you’re in there, little witch. Don’t worry, I shall be quick, but not painless. Open the door.”
Luna’s back hit the far wall. “Go away,” she said, her voice steadier than she expected.
A deep chuckle responded. “That’s not how this works.”
Wood splinters flew across the room as the door broke inward with a thunderous crack. Luna felt tiny pieces burythemselves in her forearm as she threw her arm up to protect her face. With its human disguise nearly flawless but for the strange glint in its black eyes, the demon entered the broken entryway.
It wore the body of a man, but the demon’s possession had twisted his features into something cruel and hungry.
“There you are,” it purred, lips stretching into a smile that showed too many teeth. “Xavier will be so pleased when I bring him your head.”
Luna’s fingers tingled with power. The magic swirled just beneath her skin, begging for release.
Now or never.
She thrust her hand forward, visualizing her power as a battering ram. A pulse of blue energy shot from her palm, hitting the demon square in the chest. It staggered backward, surprised, but then that terrible smile returned.
“Is that all?” it mocked, brushing at its chest as if swatting away a fly. “Xavier said you were powerful. I’m disappointed.
