Page 26 of Mated to Four Bears

I was snapped back in to the present moment as ribbons started to flap in front of my eyes. Or they looked like ribbons anyway. It took me a second to realize it was actually strings of magic.

What the hell was happening now? Antonio was crazy; he was dealing with black magic. This was disgusting. I so desperately wished that William’s gut instinct would bring him all the way out here, but I didn’t think that was likely to happen.It seemed to me like this crazy crew had been at this kind of stuff for a while, performing wildly inappropriate spells that went against the Code of Magic. AtGrayson’s Farmand probably out here as well.

“We’re nearly there, Antonio,” someone cried out. For a moment, I thought I might recognize that voice, but I just couldn’t place it in my memory. “We will be ready to perform the spell in a moment. This is going to work.”

I glared at Antonio, daring him to undo the binding spell for just a moment so I could tell him what I really thought of him. But of course, he was a fucking coward and wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t dare. He wouldn’t even let me say a final goodbye to the people I cared about in my life because he was the worst.

I wished I’d never met him, that I’d never talked to him. I so desperately wanted to go back in time and tell my silly, naïve self to never go anywhere near him. If I could do that, then I wouldn’t be here now.

But I was trapped here by someone I once thought I might love, and completely unable to reach the men I actually loved. And yes, it was love. It wasn’t just “feelings” anymore, I knew I wasn’t just falling for them. I was in love, with all of them. I didn’t think it was possible to be in love with more than one person, with brothers, with bear shifter, but here I was. Head over heels, absolutely in love.

Fuck Antonio. Fuck these magical people and whatever they wanted to do to me. I really didn’t want to die, but death was something I might have to accept. This magic was untested, it was being performed by idiots, and there wasn’t anything I could do to defend myself.

But if I lived, my life would be incredible. Even without magic. Of course, I had absolutely no idea how I would get through life without magic, it wasn’t something I thought I would ever have to worry about, but it didn’t seem sointimidating now. I was pretty sure that if I could get back to the Osbornes and the life that we could have together, then nothing else would matter. I would get by with them. That was the best-case scenario here.

“Can we start?” Hearing those words brought a fearful lump to my throat, even after that little pep talk. “I think we should begin.”

To know that Antonio had this power over me was killing me.

“We can’t start yet,” Antonio said in a strange, mysterious tone of voice. “Not everyone is here yet. Just be patient, though, the time will come.”

I darted my eyes around as much as I could, to see if anyone else understood what Antonio meant. I forgot in that moment I couldn’t really see their faces. Although judging by the murmuring that was now creeping around the tress surrounding us, no one had a clue. Antonio had a surprise for everyone, which sickened me. He was so corrupt that he would even trick his criminal gang. Why didn’t they all just turn on him?

Richard, William,I thought, desperately trying to silently connect with the Osborne brothers, even though I knew that was impossible. Especially because Antonio still had my wand in his back pocket, as if it now belonged to him.Henry, Thomas. I need you. I don’t really know where I am. He brought me here in a van and I couldn’t see what was going on. Plus my brain was foggy…

My heart sunk. Even if the men had gone to try to find me,Grayson’s Farmwould have been their first port of call since they knew I no longer had an apartment of my own to go back to. That meant they would have gotten all caught up in that fog just like I did.

So, I really didn’t have any hope. No one was coming for me.

What I wouldn’t have done for one last kiss with passionate William, tender Thomas, sweet Henry, and delicious Richard.What was even sadder was the knowledge that I never got toreallyexplore their bodies. I never got tobewith someone who really loved me.

“Sweet, sweet Samantha.” Antonio had turned his attention back on to me. An ugly smirk played on his lips as he dragged his hand down my cheek. He used to do that a lot when we were together, and I thought it was sweet back then. But now it felt nasty and controlling. I couldn’t flinch away no matter how much I wanted to. “You don’t know how important this is to me. Because of the way you have been behaving recently, it isn’t just your magic that I’ll be getting. You are really going to make me something special.”

Oh God, what the hell was he talking about now? I was glad I couldn’t ask, because at this point I didn’t want to know. Unfortunately, me not asking or wanting to know didn’t affect Antonio at all.

“So, while we might not have been together for a long time, you will never leave my mind, sweet Samantha. Every time I grow and bloom into the person I have always been destined to be, the most magical person in existence, I will think of you and your sacrifice. None of this would have been possible without you. You are important.” This was his stage, and he was determined to make the most of it.

If I could get out of these binds, he would be dead, no doubt about it. I would kill him without hesitation because he was proving himself to be unworthy of life. I hated him with every fiber of my being.

18

HENRY

Icouldn’t see much, but I could sense there were magical people everywhere. Hearing my brothers whimper in pain only made me feel worse. This was an ambush, and it was my fault.

The others might not have seen her yet, but I did—the woman who led me in the wrong direction. The magical person who justhappenedto stumble across us at the farmhouse. She was working for him, for the enemy, and I really wanted to take her down.

She’d talked to me about my love life, said that my brothers and I were fated to Samantha, and she’d made me feel the bear bond. Now I was terrified it was all a lie, and that she’d made everything up. I knew it wouldn’t change my feelings for Samantha, but it made me far less confident that she loved me. That pain, I was bringing that with me in to this fight. I couldn’t show mercy.

The flashes of light magic designed to confuse us kept bursting all around. But I charged through it, taking down anyone who got in my path. This was officially the most vicious I had ever been in my life. I didn’t usually resort to violence, evenwhen I was my primal, animalistic bear. But today wasn’t like any other day. It required wild behavior.

I needed to save Samantha, no matter the outcome of our relationship after this. One kiss might not have meant as much to her as it did me, but I still loved her, and I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. On top of that, I needed to save my brothers from this mess as well. They deserved to be reunited with Samantha too.

Since I blamed myself for this mess, I would take on whatever I needed to. I would endure all the injuries and hardships. It was only right. I needed to save my brothers.

I hate you, Antonio, I thought, spurring myself on as I clawed another magical person, preventing them for shooting another spell at someone I cared about.The Osborne brothers will not be taken down by you. We are much stronger together. You’ll see.

I was feeling more determined than ever; I didn’t think anyone would be able to take me down, no spell was enough to crush me. I had something worth fighting for—a family and mate worth fighting for.

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