Page 68 of Her Bossy Wolf Protector

“Let them go,” I growl.

Mariya is shaking as the knife on her neck presses in enough to cause blood to trickle down into her cleavage.

“I make the rules here,” Ambrose says. “Now, drop the knife.”

I clutch at it harder. “I don’t think so.”

“Fine. Kill them.”

I watch in slow motion as the man slices Mariya’s neck open. It gurgles as blood pours out of her wound, and then she falls to the ground a crumpled mess. The knife drops.

I am frozen still.

“Now,” Ambrose says smugly, “I came all the way here for you. There is no need for more casualties,fairy.It was just my luck. The wards were let down, and I just waltzed right in. I wish I had thanked the witch for that.”

He spits out the wordfairylike an insult. I am the reason Mariya is dead. If I wasn’t so stubborn, I could have saved us all this trouble.

“In case you were wondering, your precious little Gabriel is dead too. We can kill his son, too. The choice is yours. What will it be?”

I try to avoid staring at the sleepy child who is so oblivious about what has happened to Mariya.

I can keep him safe. I have to.

So, on shaky limbs. I follow Ambrose out of the house.

Chapter 27

Gabriel

I’m jolted awake by the ringing phone in the dimly lit hotel room. My hand fumbles for my phone in my back pocket, and through bleary eyes, I recognize the caller’s name—Mariya. I pick up, my voice is still groggy. “Hello?”

“Gabriel! Are you okay?” Mariya’s voice sounds rough, but I hear her concern.

“Yeah... I’m here. I’m fine,” I reply, trying to shake off the grogginess.

“I’m glad you’re alright. I’ve been so worried.” Mariya’s words rush out, laced with anxiety.

“I’m fine, Mariya. What happened?” I ask, trying to make sense of the situation while still struggling to shake off the remnants of sleep.

“I cast a protection spell over all of us and gave Liam a sleeping potion. He’s safe. But I’ve been injured and Ambrose, that vampire, he took Jade,” Mariya says, the tension evident in her voice.

My heart skips a beat at the mention of Jade’s name. “What happened? Are you okay? Is Jade okay?” I manage to ask, my voice tight with worry.

“I’ll be okay, and Jade is alive, but I couldn’t stop him. I’m sorry,” Mariya responds, a tinge of regret in her voice.

“What about the council?” I ask, suddenly remembering the events that transpired before everything went dark.

“What about the council, Gabriel?”

“Serafina and Lucius came and told me everything. Mariya, they’ve known about Jade all along. They’re the ones who killed her parents. I don’t understand why I’m not dead right now. They did something to me, and everything went black. When I woke up, they were gone.”

“I felt your danger, Gabriel. The council tried to strip you of your powers. They tried to kill you, but the protection spell I cast countered their attempt,” Mariya explains, her voice now more composed.

Relief floods through me. “Thank you, Mariya. Do you need help? Should I send someone to you? Do you know where they’ve taken Jade?” I ask urgently.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve stopped the bleeding and will be fine. As for Jade, I’ve managed to find her using a locater spell. She’s being held at an old abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.”

“Text me the address, and I’ll go get her. And Mariya, I’m glad you’re okay. Thank you for everything.”

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