Page 64 of Magic Claimed
Esoti, my jailor, my captor, my murderer and my torturer, was dead.
I felt nothing inside.
Nothing.
I swept my hand about the clearing. The guards who fought the wolves flew backwards. They staggered to their feet, backing away and crashing through the forest. I sent golden magic snaking along the ground until I had wrapped up every one of them in its power, and then I tossed them back into the castle compound miles away.
I expanded the magic from the ley-lines, covering the ground in shimmering gold and created a dome over the entire wolf Territory, closing it off to all humans.
The wolves would never be slaves to the castle or to Esoti again.
We would stand in our power.
We would fight the remaining Six.
Or we would die trying.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Parchment appeared from nowhere, popping into existence at my feet. The top page flapped up, fluttering in the wind, and I bent to pick it up. A jolt of ancient, powerful magic skittered up my arms, leaving a tingling wake in my fingers. The sheaf of pages was bound on one side, the paper, crème and thick. Lines of spindly script covered the sheets. Each letter was beautifully written. The perfect, looping characters were formed in liquid gold.
Images interspersed with the letters. Beautiful, intricate etchings made from delicate lines. The images moved through the script. A rabbit darted between two words. A wolf peered from behind a capital letter. The whole page came alive, as though the part of the book I held was itself a living entity.
I infused my magic into the letters to read the script, watching as the heading reformed into familiar shapes as light poured from my fingertips to the pages.
“The Land of Faerie,” I whispered.
“What is it, Little Mate?” Alerick peered over my shoulder.
“I don’t know. It came out of nowhere,” I said.
“It looks old,” Eike said.
The pages were heavier than the sheaf should be. As though magic weighted them down. “It’s ancient. It doesn’t belong in this world,” I said, frowning at the pages, wishing they could speak to me.
“We’ll ask Anise. She might know,” Jarom said.
“We will, but first the time has come to claim our mate,” Alerick said. Desire bloomed from deep within me.Theirdesire.
My three mates looked at me with undeniable hunger in their eyes. A shiver stole my breath, and my nipples beaded as an excited thrill raced through me. Alerick swept me off my feet. Jarom growled, and Eike tipped his head back and howled.
“Do you know how to be quiet?” I asked Eike.
He grinned at me, his twin dimples puckering, “When it comes to claiming my mate, I want the universe to know.”
Wolves surrounded us, dirty and wounded. Some limped while others stood to attention, both men and women. A cheer went through the crowd, and happy faces smiled at us.
I put my arms around Alerick’s neck, wondering why they were cheering. Alerick nuzzled my neck. “They are celebrating because their Alpha and seconds have finally found their mate.”
“And because she saved the entire Territory single-handedly,” Jarom said, his cheeks growing ruddy with pride.
“And because we are finally going to have sex with our female,” Eike said.
“Eike!” I cried out, heat blooming on my cheeks. It was bad enough being naked, but now hundreds of people knew what we were about to do.
Eike tipped his head back and laughed, his eyes dancing. “Get used to it, Serafine. You are their Queen now. Our joy is their joy. You have given them their lives.”
“This is so embarrassing,” I muttered, as Alerick cradled me against his chest.
