Page 21 of Sealed By Fire (The Nature Hunters Academy 2)

“What do you mean?” Tara asked him.

Aston turned those hazel eyes on her. “Elias, myself, Liam, and Ra knew from the first time we all hung out that we were stronger together. We’ve been practicing wielding our power together for the past two years. When we tried to tell our professors, they wouldn’t listen.”

“The sad thing,” Elias added, “is that they couldn’t even really give us reasons for not working together. There was just such a strong sense of division between them.”

“The demon magic,” Aston said. “I wonder if the knowledge of it has somehow taken the power of it away.”

Tara leaned into Elias’s side. Her brain had absorbed a lot of information since they’d arrived in the room a couple of hours ago, and all of the excitement had finally caught up with her. Her stomach suddenly growled loudly, and all three guys looked at her.

She could feel the blush rising up her face. She shrugged. “A girl’s gotta eat.”

Elias chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Let’s feed you then.”

“I could eat,” Liam said as he followed them.

“No one invited you,” Elias grumbled.

“What if I promise not to flirt with your female?”

“I find it very interesting how territorial you are of her,” Aston said.

“No flirting and no analyzing,” Elias barked as he tugged her along beside him.

“He’s grumpier than usual,” Liam said.

“I would have thought having a female would put him in a better mood.”

“I read a lot,” Aston began.

Elias and Liam groaned at the same time. Aston just continued as if he hadn’t heard them. “Though this is fiction, it might apply to Elias. There’s a book about these werewolves, right? And the ones who have soul mates, when they find their mate, seem to become more volatile initially before they’ve actually completed their bond.”

“This isn’t a book,” Elias growled. “Don’t compare me to a werewolf.”

“If the paw fits,” Tara mumbled.

“Please don’t encourage them, luv,” Elias said as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

“I think I understand what you are saying, Aston,” said Liam. “You mean that until Elias and Tara get horizontal, he’s going to be snarling at anyone who gets near her, correct?”

“Exactly.”

“Bloody hell, don’t talk like that around her,” Elias said as he suddenly wheeled around and bumped his chest with Liam’s. “That is none of your business.”

Tara could see the mischief dancing in Liam’s eyes.Oh great.Liam was about to get his pretty face clocked. But he didn’t slow down.

“You don’t want me to talk about you and Tara mating?” Liam waggled his eyebrows up and down. “Feeling a little sexually frustrated, brother? Maybe Aston’s right. Maybe you just need to mount—”

“And there it is,” Tara said as she took a step back. Elias lunged for Liam before he could finish the statement. Tara knew if he would’ve finished the comment she would have turned ten shades of red. Instead, she gasped as Elias planted his fist in Liam’s jaw. But before he could hit him again, Liam shot up a wall of water between them.

“Maybe we should step over here,” Aston said in his gentle way as he took her arm and guided her away from the feuding males.

“You don’t seem concerned. Does this happen often?”

“Yes, but Ra is usually around to keep them from killing each other.” He held up his hands. “That’s not my department. Best just go ahead and let ’em get it out of their system. You seem to have brought out an even moodier side of Elias.”

She watched in awe as Elias formed balls of power in his hands and threw them at Liam. Some penetrated through the wall of water, and the yelp beyond made it clear they’d hit their mark.

“So, Tara,” Aston said, “this might take a minute. How about you tell me about yourself while we wait.”

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