Page 99 of Witch Unexpected
“Help!” I ran for the bar.
Liam’s eyes rounded in horror. “What the fu—”
A huge shadow flew over my head and landed on the bar in a mass of muscle, fur, and angry teeth. Tor shook his head and snarled, spattering drool everywhere. He made to lunge, then pulled back and made to lunge again, as if torn on whether to attack or stand down.
I took a slow step away, then another, gaze flicking around, searching for the closest exit.
Tor’s red-rimmed stare latched onto mine. I caught a glimpse of desperation, of the man beneath the beast, but it was gone too soon.
His body coiled, ready to attack.
There was no way I was outrunning him. I had to fight. My hands crackled and lit up with lightning.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Tor.”
He leaped at me.
A crack like thunder split the room. Light flashed in the periphery of my vision, then Tor was suspended mid-air, trapped in a blue sphere of energy. His eyes rolled, and he went limp, floating in the bubble of power.
The Elites stood to my left and right, crackling and fizzing with energy, dressed in black as usual. Fuck, I was happy to see them.
Sloane approached me. “You okay?”
“I am now.”
She looked at Tor then jerked her head in Jessie’s direction. “Find the source and neutralize it. Now.”
“What are you talking about? Wait, how are you here?”
She tapped the brooch pinned to my dress. “This. It went off, which meant you were under a magical attack.”
“What? No, Tor attacked me.”
“I know,” Sloane said. “And if my theory is correct, it’ll explain a fuckload.”
“Cora!” Leif pushed through the crowd and wrapped me in his arms.
He was butt naked, bits on display, but I didn’t care. I hugged him back, allowing the tension to drain from my muscles.
“Den’s closed, people,” Liam said. “Okay, everyone out. Thank you.”
Leif pulled back slightly and scanned my face, his expression grim. “Thank god you’re okay. I can’t believe he attacked you. It’s not who he is.”
“No, it isn’t,” Sloane said.
Leif released me, and I made a conscious effort not to look down at his crotch. The room around us was empty now, and only Liam remained with us.
Sloane walked toward the sphere that held Tor. “What we got?”
Jessie circled the sphere, hands up, palms outward. “Not witch magic.”
“Where’s the source?” Sloane demanded.
Jessie stopped and pushed her hand into the sphere. I noticed the silver band around Tor’s front paw for the first time. The bangle. How had it morphed with him?
She gripped it, muttering under her breath. The bangle glowed bright red, fell through the sphere, and hit the ground with aclink.
Jessie fell back, chest heaving. “Fuck. That was… Fuck.”
