Page 35 of Dante's Circle Reborn

“You said I was your mate.”

“I’m staring at your snakes right now, and they’re not killing me, I am not stone. Iamyour mate. We can discuss exactly what that means later, but first, we need to be safe.”

“Okay, you’re right. It’s just a lot to take in all at once.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

And then he tugged at her hand, and they were off again.

They ran through the alleys, and while he probably could have stolen a car or something to get them there faster, he didn’t want to risk it. The humans had no part in this. He didn’t want them to have to deal with a stolen vehicle or motorcycle if he took one.

They kept going, even as Poppy lagged behind him. She had to be exhausted, using that much power to turn another gorgon to stone, and she had said that she was tired before the battle. He could pick her up and carry her, but then his hands wouldn’t be free to fight if needed.

By the time they got to Malik’s place, he knew Poppy wouldn’t be able to see it, but he could. He was Pack. He could sense the home behind the wards. So, he sliced his hand using his claw, even as Poppy gasped beside him. Then he slid his palm along the wards, creating a doorway. He pulled Poppy through as he closed the opening behind them.

“That was…I’ve never seen that kind of magic.”

“It’s Pack magic. Others have it, too. Do the gorgons?”

She shook her head. “The gorgons don’t have much. They’re so secretive that they don’t evolve in powers and magic or align in treaties with others. They keep trying to find new Medusas so they can replenish their powers, but we’re dying out. Centuries of forgetting the rest of the world. We’re dying.”

“You’re not dying today.”

“I feel like I just might.”

Alarmed, he moved forward. “What is it?”

“You’re not supposed to turn another gorgon to stone. It hurts, takes more out of you. She slid her hand over her hair, now under full glamour. “My snakes are sleeping. They’re exhausted, too. They’ll be fine, but we need to rest.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

He pulled her inside, locked the doors behind them, and checked the security system. Magic and technology didn’t always work together, but in their safe houses, they had found a way. Malik was a genius at protecting what was his.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for saving me. I hate that I couldn’t save myself.”

His gaze was on her, his jaguar rising to the surface again. She didn’t move back, though, and he was grateful for that. “You did everything you could, and you saved me. I was able to do what I did because you were there. I wasn’t alone, and you fought. I can teach you self-defense. I can teach you how to use more than your powers. And you’ll learn. But don’t negate the power that you have.”

“You want to teach me?”

“Of course, I do. You’re my mate.” And before he could stop himself, his hands were on her face, her silver eyes wide, and his mouth was on hers. Consequences be damned.

ChapterFour

Poppy’s body shook, but it had nothing to do with the escape, the bombing, the fights, or the other gorgons. No, it had everything to do with the man in front of her, the jaguar who held her close, his hands on her face, and his mouth on hers.

She shuddered in his touch, wanting more, craving him. She didn’t have an animal inside her, didn’t have a beast clawing its way through her in order to escape. Shewasthat beast. She was a Medusa, and the magic within her pulsated, arcing out of her so it could wrap around the man in front of her.

Her glamour fell, and she heard her snakes hissing, moving around her head as they stared at Jonah. She pulled away, gasping. Sheneverlost control like this. She could have hurt him or someone else just then. If they had been in public? No, she didn’t want to think of what could have happened. She’d have to remember that part of her control, make it rote.

Jonah looked at her snakes and laughed. “I’ve never kissed a Medusa before, should I introduce myself to them, as well?”

“Are you making fun of me?”

He shook his head. “I’m not making fun of you at all. I don’t know the proper etiquette, just like I wouldn’t know the proper etiquette for kissing a dragon.”

“So, you and Dante never kissed?”

Jonah threw back his head and laughed. He was beautiful when he did that. “First, pretty sure that dragon could kill me with one single bite. Second, his mates could do far worse.”

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