Page 51 of Chasing Stripes

Bartek parked a block from Honeycrisp Bakery, cutting the headlights. His enhanced vision immediately picked out movement around the building—hooded figures circling with purpose, five in total. One traced luminous patterns in the air while others positioned themselves at different entry points.

He inhaled deeply, cataloging scents. The bitter, electrical tang of dark magic. Unfamiliar body odors—hired mercenaries, not locals. And beneath it all, the sweet cinnamon-vanilla-sunshine scent that belonged uniquely to Artemis, now tainted with fear.

Through the bakery window, he glimpsed her apartment upstairs. Golden light pulsed erratically. Magic.

His phone dinged with a text.Boss, I’m four minutes out—from Haavi.Thora and Artair right behind me. Council team mobilizing.

FORTY-THREE

Bartek observed one attacker kneeling to draw intricate symbols on the ground with glowing powder—patterns he recognized from ancient texts in the pride library. Another unrolled parchment that caught the moonlight, revealing elaborate script with Artemis’s name prominently featured.

“They’re creating a binding circle,” he murmured. “A permanent magical contract.”

“Wait for backup,” Haavi urged. “That’s high-level magic?—”

A cry pierced the night—Artemis’s voice, frightened even in enchanted sleep. The sound cut through Bartek’s remaining restraint like a blade through silk.

The handprints on his chest flared so brightly they illuminated the interior of his vehicle. His shirt smoldered at the edges of the marks.

His tiger roared inside him, no longer requesting but demanding release. For the first time in his adult life, Bartek stopped fighting his nature.

Protect her.

The shift hit him differently than the countless transformations he’d experienced before. Instead of the gradual, controlled process he’d mastered years ago, this erupted from his core. Bones snapped and reformed with brutal speed. Muscles tore and rebuilt, doubling in size. Skin gave way to dense fur that glowed with the same golden light as the handprints.

He burst from the SUV as a tiger, a massive predator radiating power that shimmered visibly in the night air. His roar rattled windows up and down the street, the sound carrying undertones that spoke directly to the supernatural community:Mine to protect.

Bartek launched across the street in a single bound, landing between the bakery entrance and the nearest hooded figure. The attacker spun, firing a bolt of emerald energy that dissipated harmlessly against his glowing fur.

“It’s the alpha!” someone shouted. “He shouldn’t be this powerful!”

“The binding’s incomplete—they’re already connected!”

The words registered dimly as he swept massive paws through the air, claws slicing through magical protections with unexpected ease. Two attackers flew backward, ritual implements scattering. The magic circle hissed and sputtered as its components mixed chaotically.

His tiger senses detected a shift in the magical atmosphere. The air temperature dropped suddenly, frost patterns spreading across the bakery windows from inside. Her magic, responding to his.

Bartek pivoted, aware of movement upstairs. Through the window, he spotted Artemis standing near the glass, palm pressed against it. Golden symbols spread outward from her touch, elegant fae patterns encasing the entire building in a protective barrier.

Something in his chest eased at the sight of her awake and moving. Then tightened again as he caught the scent of silver—the one metal that could cause lasting damage to shifters.

Two attackers circled behind him, silver-tipped spears raised. Before he could turn, the bakery door flew open.

Artemis stood in the doorway, barefoot in sleep shorts and an oversized T-shirt. Her golden hair tumbled loose around her shoulders. In one hand, she clutched a mixture of magical ingredients, in the other her solid wooden rolling pin.

No fear showed in her expression—only determined fury.

“Get away from my tiger!” she commanded, her voice ringing with unexpected authority.

My tiger.The possessive claim sent a shock of pleasure through him. She’d marked him as decisively as he’d marked her.

Without hesitation, she hurled her magical concoction at the silver-wielding attackers. The mixture exploded into a cloud of golden spice that momentarily blinded them. Bartek’s tiger eyes locked with hers, a moment of perfect understanding passing between them.

The largest attacker recovered first, lunging toward Artemis with a knife etched with malevolent sigils. Before Bartek could intercept, Artemis swung her rolling pin with surprising precision. The wood connected with the attacker’s wrist with a satisfying crack.

Their magic visibly intertwined—strands of golden fae light weaving with his orange-red tiger energy. The combined power knocked the remaining attackers backward.

Through his tiger senses, Bartek perceived magic in ways his human form couldn’t—living energy with intent and emotion. The golden fae light from Artemis reached toward him not with hesitation but with recognition like reunited lovers.

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