Page 84 of Rejecting his Mate

“One of my gifts is vision walking.”

“We don’t speak witch.”

If Tessa takes offense to his tone, she doesn’t show it. “I see the future, or snapshots of it. I’m also able to go into my visions and talk to the people there, though the way Halle and I connected was different. I saw her in a vision, and then I was able to access her mind by thinking about her.”

“I’m not even going to ask how that works,” Sawyer says. “How far does your telepathic network stretch?”

Tessa shifts her shoulders. “This is a new gift I have developed. I’m also new to my magic, but I have become stronger with the help of others. Halle can too. Her magic can be enhanced by being part of our little band of hybrids.”

Abel’s hand rests on her neck, close to the claiming bond. She leans into his touch as if she can’t stand being away from him, even if only a few inches.

“You’re saying my magic can grow?”

“All tau are strong, despite what others want us to believe. They keep us weak, so we are easier to pick off. But Hester taught us about being a family and how there’s strength in numbers. I’ve only been at the sanctuary for a short time, but the things we can do already—” She breaks off and lifts her eyes to mine. “Have you been able to use your magic?”

“A little. I managed to heal Cade and later Jackson.”

“She brought me back from the brink,” Jackson argues. “I was nearly dead.”

“Hester will want to look at you and see what strength you have.”

“Who is Hester?” I ask because she has mentioned her twice already.

“She is the head of our coven. She runs our sanctuary and has made it her life’s mission to collect those that hunters want dead.”

“Well, I don’t think she’s going to find me particularly useful. My magic doesn’t flow easily. It’s been hard to use it every single time.”

Tessa frowns at me. “Can I?” She holds her hands out to me, and I reach for her. Cade grabs my wrists, stopping me.

“No offense, but we don’t know you, and I have no idea what your intentions are with Halle.”

“My only intention is to keep her alive. I know how it feels to run for your life, scared and wondering if you are going to survive.” Abel squeezes her neck, comforting her. I wonder how traumatic this story is for her. “Halle, I want you to come with us to the sanctuary. It’s a place for wolves like us. There are other tau wolves there—”

“No.” Cade’s emphatic dismissal has everyone looking at him. “Where she goes, I go.”

Tessa’s eyes narrow on him. “You’re not her mate.”

He grits his teeth, and I can see how much those words bother him. “No.”

She turns her head to the side as if appraising him. I’m worried about what he might do or say. “Are you sure?”

“She’s marked by another.”

Tessa smiles. “A chosen mate?”

I snort. “An asshole.”

Still looking at Cade, she says nothing else, and I’m wondering what she is thinking about the two of us. Cade does act like my mate sometimes, totally overbearing and overprotective, and there are feelings there, but nothing can happen while I am marked by another.

“I don’t want to rush you, but those hunters will eventually pick up your trail. We need to get back to safety. Will you come with us?”

“Yes,” I say, and I feel the weight of Cade and Sawyer’s eyes on me. “But they come too.”

Tessa glances up at Abel, and something passes between them. I wonder if they are talking through their mating bond, something I thought one day I would be able to do with Dalton. Mates are connected in a way that brings them together as one. Abel shrugs. “Only Hester can decide that.”

Tessa closes her eyes, and I feel magic flowing through the air. What the hell? Everything feels static and electrically charged. I glance up toward the ceiling as if I can see it swirling around me, but there is nothing there.

“Are you using magic?” I ask on a breath. I feel overwhelmed by the power whizzing around me.

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