Page 91 of Protected By Her Mate

A shimmer in the corner of the room catches my eye but I ignore it, turning to Charlie and Lennox as they come rushing through the door. “Get out! There’s no time. I have to try to contain it myself.”

“No!” Charlie cries, trying to get to the bomb. Lennox grabs her arm and hauls her back.

“30 seconds,” I say, glancing at the timer and pinning Lennox with a look. “Get her out.”

“What about you?” he demands.

“I don’t have time for this!” I lift my blackened fingers and shout, “Sorry about this!” I throw gusts of wind at them, forcing them backwards out of the room.

I hear them scramble, then a bark as Lennox shifts. I read his thoughts as he orders Charlie to get on his back.

The shimmer in the corner solidifies and time slows in a way only Oracle can manage. The timer reads nine seconds but appears to have stopped. It hasn’t, it’s just slowed significantly. Everything has except the two of us.

Oracle shakes their head at me. “It is her time, child. Allow her to fulfill her destiny. If the world is to know peace, she must die here in Wolf-Haven.”

“What are you talking about?” My heart is racing so hard, my words come out in gasps. “I don’t understand. Why have I been watching and protecting her these past weeks? Why all the warnings for Lennox not to mate with her if her if she’s going to die anyway?”

“The mating curse could have interfered with her true destiny. You were protecting her for this, child. It is her destiny to die here in the heart of wolf shifter territory, a human giving her life, sacrificing herself for the sake of another species in a place that holds great significance. It is a powerful statement that will stabilize human-shifter relations for centuries to come.”

Loathing rises inside me and I want to blast Oracle right out of the dungeon. “You evil witch. I refuse to allow a single mate to die.”

Oracle’s gaze falls to where my fingers twitch at my side. “It’s not your place to interfere,” they say with their usual lack of inflection. “Destiny must not be challenged.”

“I’ll take my chances,” I snap bitterly, lifting my hands over the bomb. “I’m ready.”

Oracle stares at me, then sighs and says, “It’s too late now to stop this course of action, but you must know this is foolish.” For the first time since I’ve met them, Oracle looks fearful. “Destiny will come for you and there’s nothing I can do to stop her wrath. Even if you are the daughter of Lilith Guardian Witch.”

“You should leave,” I say coldly.

Oracle continues to watch me without moving and I shrug. “If you don’t like me fucking with destiny, then you won’t enjoy this next part.”

Time goes back to normal, the timer ticks, the sound audibly loud to my sensitive ears. I work fast, erecting a barrier between myself and the bomb. For a split second (which is a lot when you’re down to the wire), I consider leaving Oracle outside of the safe zone but decide my mother would be pissed if I blew up her romantic partner.

“Here we go!” I shout.

BOOM!

Oracle’s eyes widen and I grin as we’re both thrown off our feet, flying several feet through the air before landing against the hard stone of the floor.

Oracle rolls to stare at me, a trickle of blood spilling from each ear, their lips moving rapidly. My ears are ringing. “You have to speak up!” I shout. “I can’t hear you!”

“I thought you would contain the bomb!” It’s a true pleasure to see Oracle this shaken. “You just… let it explode!”

Shrugging, I brush bits of debris off my legs. “You said Charlie needed to become a martyr? Well, now she is. She doesn’t have to die for the world to know she put in a heroic effort to save the shifters. I redirected the blast so most of the damage to the castle will be superficial. The attack on Wolf-Haven, land of the wolf shifters, will still shock the world. And the best part? Nobody had to die.” I smile contentedly at my genius and plug my nose, blowing, trying to clear my ears. “Getting blown up hurts more than I thought it would.”

Oracle shakes their head and conjures a portal, their parting words, “Expect a call from Destiny.”

Chapter 34

Slow Burn

CHARLIE

“So this is where you went.”

I turn to watch Lennox as he strides toward me across the castle ramparts. As he approaches, I slip into his arms, hugging him.

“We shouldn’t,” he says into my hair, but instead of pulling away, he holds me tighter.

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