Page 88 of Bound By Earth (The Nature Hunters Academy 1)

Tucker laughed but there was no humor in the sound. “Oh, believe me, he has killed and will keep onkilling.”

Her stomach turned at the idea of Elias murdering someone. She didn’t want it to be true. She needed to talk to him. To ask himherself.

“I hate to end this night early, but I really need to process this. It’s alot.”

“I get that. But I can’t let you go home,” hesaid.

Tara’s brow drew down. “I’m sorry,what?”

“It’s not safe, Tara. You need to be protected. If you come with me, I can do that. I can make sure Jax and Elias don’t takeyou.”

Tara was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. There was no way she was just going to up and disappear. She couldn’t do that to Carol orShelly.

“You’re good, boy.” A sultry voice filled the air. Tara whipped around, searching for the speaker, but she saw nothing except darkness. “Hell, if I was a vulnerable teenage orphan, I might even believe youmyself.”

“Dammit.” Tara heard Tucker spit a curse next to her. “It’s true,” saidTucker.

The voice laughed, a low, sultry sound. Suddenly, a woman came into view, as if she had simply materialized out of thin air. She was dressed in all black. Even her shoulder-length hair was pitch black. She did not look like the sort of woman who should be chaperoning a high school dance. Strapped to both of her thighs were knives, and in her hand was an honest-to-goodness short sword. She swung it in an arc two times in quick succession. She obviously knew how to handle thething.

“Things just got real,” Tara muttered under herbreath.

“Don’t move, Tara,” the womansaid.

How the hell does she know myname?

“Elias will be very put out if anything happens toyou.”

“Who are you?” Tara asked as she took a step back. The woman looked like she could take on an army by herself andwin.

“I’m a friend of Elias and Jax. My name is Zuri, and I’m about to save you from running off with this lying, oxygen-wasting, lowlife, pitiful excuse of anacolyte.”

Tara looked at Tucker, who had gotten to his feet. Now, he, too, held a sword in his hand and somehow, even in a tux, it didn’t look out of place.Where the hell did that come from?He stood with his legs slightly apart and his knees bent, and he bounced a little on the balls of his feet. He was ready for a fight. And by the look on his face, he was eager for it. In fact, the guy standing there staring at Zuri didn’t look like the Tucker she knew atall.

“She’s trying to confuse you, Tara,” Tuckersaid.

Well, it’sworking.

“I’m not going to let you have her,” Tucker practically growled to Zuri. “She’smine.”

“The hell she is,” Zuri said calmly and happened to take the words out of Tara’s mouth. Whether Tucker was the good guy or not, shewasn’this.

“We’ll see about that,” saidTucker.

“Do you really want to fight me, boy?” Zuri asked him as she adjusted herstance.

“I’m no boy,” Tucker purred. “And you damn well knowit.”

“I’m well aware of your age. But you’re still a babe compared tome.”

Tara’s eyes narrowed as they bounced back and forth between the two. What were they talking about? Tucker was only eighteen. Wasn’t he? And Zuri didn’t look a day over twenty-five, yet she spoke to Tucker as a matron might speak to an insolentchild.

Tucker opened his mouth to say something else, but Zuri didn’t give him the chance. She lunged for him as she said, “I’m done talking.” She swung her sword but Tucker was ready. The weapons clashed as they came together, and Tara jumped at the echoing sound. She glanced around to see if anyone else was watching the medieval battle happening right in the middle of their schoolgrounds.

“I’m not here to hurt you, Tara,” Zuri said as she turned away from Tucker, dodging his sword. “I’m here to help. Jax and Elias are not the bad guys. This jerk on the other hand? He’s nothing but badnews.”

“Isn’t that what the bad guy would say? It’s not like you are going to come and say that you want to kidnap me,” Tara pointedout.

Tucker kicked out a foot, trying to sweep the woman’s legs out from underneath her. But she’d anticipated the movement and nimbly leaped over his foot as it passed. Zuri rotated on her feet and swung her sword around. Tara thought it was going to make contact with Tucker’s back, but he whipped around faster than humanlypossible.

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