Page 27 of Big Top Bear Raid
Still, what does it matter if I tell him, and how long will I have to play along?
Catching a flash of movement behind the four guys, Zion spotted Wraith peeking around the corner of the trailer at him.
“Th-There’s...”Zion began, pretending to fight the compulsion.He kept his mate in his peripheral vision as he peered in another direction.“Th-There’s...”
Wraith held up five fingers, then gave him athumbs up.
Zion wasn’t totally sure what that meant.He needed five minutes, maybe?Zion hoped his mate wasn’t planning something to put him in the line of fire.
“How many are alive?”Lawrance demanded, more command filling his voice.He scowled, clearly starting to lose patience.“Where are they?”
“F-Five,” Zion stuttered, making it sound as if the words were forced from him.“B-But I only know where f-four are.”Hearing Acadia’s distressed rumble, Zion took the opportunity to look at his cousin.“It’s one of the things I was going to explain.There weren’t many of us left by the time we were rescued from Priestess Amelia and her witches.”
Zion left out the fact that they’d been rescued by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse with a little help from a vampire coven.He would share all that with his cousin another time.While they’d lost a couple more of their sleuth during that battle, those fighting them had realized something was off and had done their best to incapacitate them instead of kill them.
“Hmmm, four more bears,” Lawrance mused, rubbing his chin in thought.“A half a dozen bears.”With a pleased smile, he ordered, “Where’s your vehicle parked?You will take me to your bear shifter friends.”
Yeah, that’s not happening.
As Zion hesitated, uncertain how to keep up his ruse, a new voice filled the area.“Lawrance Zindral.”A slender black male strode toward them.Gray at his temples and at the edges of his goatee betrayed his advancing years.“I always knew you wouldn’t change.”Shaking his head, the guy grumbled, “The Circle of Mages will not give you a pass this time.”
Lawrance’s eyes widened, then narrowed.“Urskin,” he hissed.“You have no business here.”
“Actually, I do,” Urskin countered, moving closer as a thickly muscled, blond-haired, bruiser of a man flanked him.“You’re using a bespelled shifter in your show, forcing him to perform tricks.”His dark eyes narrowed as he growled, “Naughty, naughty.”
“Who did you tell?”Lawrance demanded, rounding on Zion.“Who?”
With the way Lawrance roared the word, Zion almost missed the way the warlock lifted his hand.The warlock began to swing.Zion rocked backward, arching his back, forcing Lawrance to miss.
“Damn you,” Lawrance snarled, his face turning red.He used his lifted hand to point at Urskin.“Shift and attack him.”
Zion scoffed and rocked to his feet.“I don’t think I will.”He smirked as he stared down at the surprised-looking warlock.“I’ll never do anything for you.”Then Zion took a step backward as he glanced Urskin’s way.Shrugging negligently, he shared, “And I don’t have a clue what Urskin is doing here, who he is, or who the other guy is.”
Urskin moved closer.“You’re under arrest, Lawrance.”Then he glanced around the group.His eyes narrowed as he took them in, finally settling his attention on Kyle.“You.You’re his warlock apprentice.You’ll also be coming with me, and we’ll see just how deeply you’re involved.”Arching his brow, Urskin looked between Ringmaster Goldsteen and Steele.“You’re humans, but you know of paranormals.You’ll be detained for questioning and rehabilitation.”
Zion knew that probably meant vampires and mind-alterations.
While Kyle paled, his jaw sagging with his obvious shock and his eyes growing huge, Steele snarled, “Hell, no.”The heavy man moved surprisingly fast as he pivoted and started running.
The big guy with Urskin took off after him.
Ringmaster Goldsteen gaped as he glanced between them.“Circle of Mages?”he squeaked, backing up a step.“Lawrance, what’s going on?”
“What’s going on is this,” Lawrance declared.Grabbing Goldsteen, he shoved him toward Urskin.As Urskin dodged, Lawrance reached into his jacket as he began to chant.
Snarling, Zion lunged forward.He wound his arms around Lawrance, wrapping him up from behind.When the warlock bucked in his hold and tried to jerk free, he tightened his grip, not letting him go.
“Stay still, before I gut you,” Zion snarled.With a little concentration, he managed to grow short claws out of the tips of his fingers and pressed them against Lawrance’s stomach.Lowering his voice to a raspy growl, Zion murmured, “I’d love it if you gave me a reason.”
Too bad Lawrance stilled in his hold.
“Thank you.”Urskin had passed Goldsteen off to Wraith at some point, and the human stood in his mate’s grip.The dark-featured warlock was standing beside Kyle, snapping some sort of bracelets on his wrists.“Zion.”Urskin focused on him.“Right?”
“Yeah, I’m Zion,” he replied, eyeing the older warlock warily.“How do you know Lawrance?How are you here?”
Zion couldn’t help his questions, considering the confusion filling him.
“I’m Urskin,” the man told him, the corners of his lips curving in a small smile.“And I was en route to Alpha Declan’s place when your mate called him and let him know what was going on.”He indicated Wraith with a wave of his hand.“I was close, so I changed direction and came straight here.”With an eyebrow waggle, Urskin teased, “Perfect timing.Right?”
