Page 75 of Tethered Magick

Grabbing his side, he drew in a deep breath, getting his air back, and then he laughed.

“Told you she was a badass.” Dason glanced at Jolon who was smirking. “She just needed the right encouragement to tap into it.”

I offered Dason a hand, and his calloused palm slid into it. It was easy to lift him, but before he made it to his feet, he yanked and brought me toppling onto his body.

Long fingers tickled along my sides while I squirmed on top of him and then straddled his waist. He rolled, putting my back to the ground, and I bucked under him, gasping for air between giggles.

Locking my legs around him, I rolled us again and pinned him to the ground with my hands on either side of his head.

“One of these days, you’re going to be on top of me like this… naked,” Dason growled, his eyes flashing gold as his puma pressed against his skin.

I leaned down and nipped his earlobe as he grabbed my waist and ground me down onto his growing length. “Say the word,Alpha.”

I was up and out of reach before he could so much as growl, and then he rolled, clawing his fingers into the dirt as his eyes danced. He wanted me, and I was enjoying testing his resolve.

Something flashed across Jolon’s face, there and gone so fast it could have been a trick of the light. I skipped backward and beckoned him to chase me.

Dason and Jolon took turns pursuing me through the trees in their animal forms, but neither of them could catch me with my newborn vampiric speed.

The forest flew by in a blur of mottled greens, grays, and browns, but I could slow my vision down and focus on any tiny detail, no matter how fast I was moving. My ears were tuned to the sounds of the forest, picking up skittering and noises up to a mile away if I increased the sensitivity level of my hearing.

I’d never experienced the forest like this. The scents were overpowering, each one fighting for attention, but I found I had control over this enhanced sense as well. It was easier than having to draw runes on my skin, and, dare I say, stronger than the powers I had in my shifted forms.

Both alphas were panting when we drew to a stop in the backyard again after running the entire property, but I could have kept going for hours.

“That stamina is going to come in handy one of these days,” Jolon commented between pants as he bent at the waist and braced his hands on his knees. “I, for one, am looking forward to putting it to the test.”

I smacked his firm ass on my way by, turned, and then walked backward while I waggled my eyebrows at him. “Are you sure you’ll be able to keep up with me, old man?”

“Old man?” Jolon straightened and his eyes narrowed with playful challenge. “I’m two years younger than Dase, and you’re callingmean old man?” He jabbed a finger at my other mate, whose stormy gray magick was sparkling in the air as he shifted back to his human skin.

“You looking for a fight, Jolon?” Dason’s voice boomed across the yard. “First you take my pack, then you call me old? Sounds like you’re itching for a challenge.” Dason arched one dark brow, but there was mirth in his gray eyes.

“You think you could take all this?” Jolon countered, pulling his shirt off like he couldn’t posture without showing some skin.

I mean… I wasn’t going to ask him to get dressed, but I did shake my head. Men were weird creatures.

Perching on the tree stump, I watched the two alphas spar, their movements and hits on the rough side of playful. Underneath their banter was a layer of seriousness that none of us had spoken about. The pack issue was still problematic, and while they were both making an effort to get along and be civil about the situation, neither was willing to back down from what they wanted… and they both wanted to be the alpha of our pack.

So I let them spar, their laughter dying into grunts and thuds as they each increased the seriousness of their battle. They weren’t out for blood, but it was clear they weren’t holding back much.

“Should we be worried about this?” Chayton questioned as he walked across the backyard to join me.

“They haven’t issued a formal challenge. I think they need to get some of their frustration out. They’re not truly hurting each other.”

“Yet,” Chayton added, not looking too convinced that this was a good idea. His hair was arranged in two braids tonight, one hanging over each shoulder. I wanted to grab them and pull him to my lips playfully, but things with Chayton were still a little tense after the other night.

As if he could read my mind, he smiled sheepishly.

“I, uh, made this for you.” He held out a drink that looked an awful lot like a smoothie, but I could scent the sweet tang of something much more sinister.

The glass was colder than my skin when I took it from Chayton, and I nearly moaned from the smell as I bent my head and sniffed the concoction.

“It has blood in it.” I glanced up at Chayton who was smiling proudly.

“I know you’ve been missing real food, and I thought you might be able to tolerate a bit of it if it was mixed with blood. It’s just an experiment, and there’s no pressure. If it doesn’t sit well, we can try again in a few weeks.”

Bringing the concoction to my lips, I took a tentative sip and moaned as berries and the sweet flavor of Chayton’s blood bloomed across my tongue.

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