Her Wild Magic (5 page)

Max sat on the bathroom floor, back to the door and knees drawn protectively against her chest. She’d dressed hastily, and with nothing left to do, she kept replaying the last twenty-four hours in her mind. No matter how she looked at it, things didn’t look good. Worse yet, with every passing second, she was certain Caleb was in great danger. Why the thought of Caleb in danger should bother her so much was something she didn’t want to think about, but she knew she couldn’t cower in the bathroom any longer. Not when there was a chance she might be able to help him.

Fearing the worst, Max unlocked the bathroom door and searched the cabin for something she could use as a weapon. She found a gun in the drawer of the bedside table and gasped in alarm. Had the idiot gone out without his gun? Sure, he was meeting a friend, but didn’t he know enemies often masqueraded as friends? Did he think just because he was twice the size of everyone else he couldn’t be taken down?

Max knew different. On more than one occasion she’d faced a bully at school who dwarfed her in size. Each time she’d managed to hold her own because her small stature made people underestimate her, but mostly because she made up in cunning what she lacked in size.

Max picked up the gun and examined it, making sure she kept the barrel pointed downward. She’d never touched a weapon of any kind before, but she’d seen enough movies to figure out how to check the chamber for bullets. It was loaded, with the safety on. Good thing too, because it was one big ass gun, and she felt uncomfortable just holding it. If she had to put bullets in it, she’d have tossed it back in the drawer.

Instead, she pulled on a windbreaker she found in the closet, tucked the gun in the pocket, and slipped quietly out the door. Once outside, she felt a tug—a mental push—to return to the cabin, but recognized it as the protective wards Caleb had warned her about. She pushed easily through them and, with a full moon to light her way, moved at a steady clip up the hill behind the cabin. Caleb was up there somewhere, facing danger, and she intended to help him whether he wanted it or not.

She’d gone less than a mile when she sensed someone following her. She ducked behind a tree, and less than a minute later, a tall, hooded figure moved into view. Max waited until the figure moved past her, then she stepped from behind the tree.

“If you’re following me, I’m over here,” Max called out, surprised at the firmness of her voice when she was shaking like a leaf inside. She was facing off with God only knew what. Having a gun made her feel less vulnerable, but that didn’t mean it was much protection against things that weren’t entirely human.

The figure spun around, causing the hood to slip off. Her stalker was a woman, and she was quite beautiful, but not in the classical sense. Her hair, bound in a braid draped over her shoulder, was the color of the moonlight overhead, and her large blue eyes, sitting in a heart-shaped face, were titled upward. She was human, yet she had the look of the
fey
about her.

“Why are you following me?”

The woman held her hands out in a gesture of peace. “My name is Kayla, and I mean you no harm. You are Max, Caleb’s mate, and I am a member of his pack.”

Max didn’t like the sound of that. The girl was the kind of woman people expected to see with a man like Caleb. Her beauty and fragile femininity would be a perfect foil for his blatant masculinity. Max felt the green horns of jealousy prodding her, and she reminded herself nothing was settled between her and Caleb, no matter what her damn hormones thought.

“I’ll ask you again. Why are you following me?” Max pulled the gun from her pocket and held it at her side. She didn’t intend to use it, but just in case the girl had any ideas about attempting to overpower her, she wanted her to think twice. “And you’d better hope I like the answer, because since meeting the big guy, I’ve been attacked, kidnapped, and drafted into the ranks of the unemployed and homeless. Shooting you won’t change any of that, but I don’t think it would bother me much either.”

The girl smiled, clearly amused, and Max seriously considered shooting her if for no other reason than it would make her feel better.

Something of what Max was feeling must have shown on her face, because Kayla suddenly wiped the smile off her face and eyed her soberly. “I’m not laughing at you, so please put the gun away. I was just thinking how perfect you are for Caleb.” The smile returned to her face. “You must drive him crazy. Do you call him
the big guy
to his face?”

“None of your business. Are you alone?” Max allowed her senses to flare outward, attempting to sense the presence of
Others
. She’d always had the ability, but she hadn’t cultivated her gift. Instead, she’d hidden it behind a wall of denial, determined to be normal. At the time, it had seemed the right thing to do; now it seemed just as right to tear down that wall to help Caleb.

“I came alone.”

Max arched a skeptical brow. “And I should believe you because…?”

“I can’t give you a rational reason why you should trust me, but I’m betting you already sense that I’m telling the truth. You’re Caleb’s mate and not without powers of your own. I don’t know why he’s left you, but these woods are not safe. You should not be out here alone.”

Max slid the gun back into her pocket, but she kept her hand on it. She sensed Kayla was no threat, but they weren’t alone. Someone was watching them, from a distance, and power of that magnitude, whether friend or foe, made Max uncomfortable.

“He didn’t leave me unprotected. I sensed he was in danger and decided to go after him.” Max nodded at the hills behind Kayla. “He’s up there somewhere, and I know he’s in trouble.” Max tried to keep the fear from her voice, but the look of sympathy in Kayla’s eyes told her she’d failed miserably.

“Be at peace,” Kayla said, closing the distance between them. “Caleb may be in danger, but he’s a seasoned warrior. There are few equal to him in battle, and those who are, he calls brother. He may be in danger, but he’s not alone.”

“You seem to know a lot about him.” Max heard the jealousy in her voice, but she couldn’t help it. The girl was not only beautiful, she had a generous spirit.

Kayla smiled gently. “I should. He’s been father and big brother to me since my parents died when I was eight. Now that I’m grown up, I keep an eye on him, just in case he needs me.”

Max shot her a dark look, and she laughed outright. “He must love that possessive streak in you, and I’m going to enjoy teasing you, sister of my heart. But right now we need to find Caleb.”

In that, they were in total agreement, and Max moved off without comment, making her way up the hill with Kayla at her side. They jogged for several minutes, with Kayla taking the lead with a long-legged, athletic grace that had Max struggling to keep up. But whenever Kayla hesitated, as if unsure which way to turn, Max burst ahead, knowing her bond with Caleb would lead her in the right direction.

After traveling for several minutes, they came to a crop of large stones encircling a small clearing. Kayla signaled Max to remain silent and scrambled to the top of one of the boulders and peered down. When she flattened her body until it lay flush against the stone, Max joined her, certain she’d found Caleb.

He stood at an angle to them, only a few yards away from their hiding place. And although he’d shifted partially, nearly doubling in size and growing wickedly long claws at the ends of his fingers, it was still Caleb. He appeared unharmed, but a new fear quickly replaced the relief she felt at seeing him.

Facing him were three men dressed in flowing red robes and holding long, intricately carved staffs in their hands. Max glanced at Kayla, and the grim look on her face confirmed what she already suspected. These men were mages, and the thunderous black auras surrounding them held little light.

The one in the center had the darkest aura, and judging by his arrogant stance, he was their leader. His staff was more intricately carved than the others’ were, and it pulsed with an eerie glow, lighting up the clearing as bright as day.

Max allowed her senses to flare out, attempting to reach Caleb though their developing bond, but he kept his mind closed to her. She sensed only cold rage and the tightly leashed fury of the predator rippling just beneath the surface of his skin. He and his wolf were probably angry that she had followed him, and she was certain there would be hell to pay later, but none of that mattered now. He was safe, and she was going to do everything she could to keep it that way.

She slipped the gun from her pocket and aimed it at the leader.

“Join us,” the leader of the mages enjoined. “Service to the master has many rewards.”

“Master? You have a master, Renault?” Caleb queried in a mocking voice. “And you called me a dog.”

Renault’s eyes narrowed. “You will regret your insolence.”

“I doubt it. But you already know I’m not going to join Michael’s little insurrection. So why the speech? Or could it be you’re just stalling, waiting for reinforcements? Because if you are, I gotta tell you, they ain’t coming.”

Renault’s face showed no reaction to Caleb’s words, but the two mages at his side lacked his control. They glanced at Renault, clearly expecting a denial.

“Don’t bother looking to him,” Caleb scoffed. “Renault is a zealot. He probably sat at Michael’s feet and helped plan your deaths while rejoicing at the thought of his martyrdom.”

Renault’s body stiffened with anger, but he didn’t deny Caleb’s words.

Instead, he widened his stance, clearly bracing for a fight. “We won’t go without a fight, Enforcer.”

“Oh, I hope not,” Caleb returned smoothly. “You have been sentenced to death for breaking the most sacred laws of our people, but you also threatened the life of my mate. That’s a game changer. No mercy will be shown.”

“Dog,” Renault spat. “What happens here does not matter. In the end, we will be hailed as heroes who helped to free our people from servitude to the human monkeys. Michael has foreseen it.”

“God, you sound like a bad B movie,” Caleb drawled. “And Michael hasn’t seen shit. He made up that drivel about being able to see visions. You’ll be remembered as traitors to our people, and fools for following Michael.”

The next instant, Caleb’s body blurred and reformed. Her hiding place afforded her a full view of his body but only a partial view of his face, but it was enough to cause her to stare, mouth agape. Long, razor-sharp teeth protruded from a snouted face, claws gleaming like steel tipped each finger, and coarse black hair covered eight feet plus of jacked-up muscle. Damn, he was one badass werewolf! And Max said a silent prayer of thanks that the anger reflected in his glowing red eyes was directed at the mages, not her.

Max noted the two weaker mages seemed to be having a similar reaction to hers, as both men wore a look of abject horror on their faces. Renault, however, looked triumphant.

“You are of the royal line!” Renault cried. “It is as Michael claimed. There are others born with the pure seed of the Watchers. We can take back what is ours.”

“Idiot,” Caleb growled, his voice distorted by his changed form. “Whatever happens, you won’t live to see it. Michael’s sent you to your death. The only question is
why
.”

“This is why,” Renault shouted, and he aimed his staff at the boulders behind Caleb. A blood-red blast of energy shot from the tip, and Max ducked, praying she didn’t end up looking like burnt toast.

Caleb had anticipated the action, knowing as the mage did that both women watched from their hiding place. But he didn’t bother to block the blast. He knew Kayla could protect herself and Max with her magic. He’d personally trained her and had confidence in her abilities. What worried him was the risk a protracted battle posed to Max.

His woman had the heart of a warrior and would, if she thought it necessary, join the fight. That he couldn’t allow; his heart would never survive it. Once he’d trained her, however, and she came fully into her powers, things would be different. He would never stand in the way of her fulfilling her destiny. But for now, she was his to protect. And protect her he would, even if it meant tying her to his side until she learned the discipline of a warrior.

Determined to dispatch the threat posed to his mate, he moved with swiftness, his clawed hand neatly severing Renault’s head from his shoulders with a single swipe. Each mage died before the scream of terror could rise from their throats, their mouths open, and their eyes bulging in disbelief.

Caleb looked down at their decapitated corpses and felt no regret. They were traitors. And although they deserved a hard death, to ensure Max’s safety he’d ended their lives quickly. Now there was only his mate to deal with, and he intended to give the matter of her disobedience his full attention.

Fully aware of how fierce he looked with his body covered in hair and his face more beast than man, he met the eyes of his mate across the clearing and bared his teeth in a low growl of disapproval. When Max’s eyes widened and the scent of her fear filled his nostrils, Caleb grunted in satisfaction.

It was good she was afraid. He’d told her to stay in the cabin, and she’d disobeyed him. She could have been injured, or worse yet, killed. The thought was unbearable, unacceptable, and it filled him anew with rage. Her safety came first, above everything else, and before the night was out, he would make sure she understood that.

Max didn’t scare easily. Being different had made her grow a spine, and a stiff one at that. Else she would’ve ended up dog meat for every bully who crossed her path. But Caleb was the scariest thing she’d ever seen. Not because she thought he would hurt her—the big guy would never do that—but because even in his were form she felt an overwhelming attraction to him.