Page 78 of Pack Rage
She cracked her neck. “You believe I should have let my weaker half rule me? I may have been descended from magical royalty on my mother’s side, but I was sired by the weakest Alpha alive. His weakness in me was like an infection. I flushedhis blood out of me one drop at a time, little girl. If you weren’t such a fool, you’d see it’s the only way for a female to get to the top in this world.”
She really believed it. More than that, she hated her wolf side—so much that she’d suffocated it somehow. The fight between witchcraft and wolfcraft had been lost a long time ago in her soul.
As clouds passed overhead, beams of moonlight flickered on her face, sending ominous shadows that made it look like she was rotting on the inside. She was, I supposed. Half of her, or more, was dead.
Flor, Brand whispered in my mind. My heart leaped to hear him, though his voice was faint.She’s draining Glen.
Can you stop her?
Maybe.
I could tell he was worried, but I believed in him. I sent my faith in him, to take care of what needed to be done while I fought, down the bond.Do it.
He sent back a ripple of love and rage.Make it fast.
“Shut up and fight, Elina,” I snarled, shifting my stance. I had to end this bitch, and I couldn’t wait for Grigor to return.
For a moment, she had the same glint in her eye Finn had when he’d challenged me at Southern months ago, in the ring. Eager, and excited. She dropped back into a fighting stance, the sword in her left hand, the silver dagger in her right.
I mirrored her, glad that my wolf had finally settled down, the rage that filled her not pressing quite so hard on my insides. I could tell that Brand was about to blow a gasket, though, but he’d moved away enough that Glen wouldn’t be in danger.
Glen was moving, his head shifting in the corner of my vision, and my heart felt the tiniest bit lighter, though I knew better than to give him more than a sideways smile. I was facing a skilled, psychotic, magical opponent, who was watching melike a hungry hawk. If I lost my focus for even a second, I could land us all in a heap of steaming shit.
I gripped my steak knife and my mama’s sword tighter, and prepared to fight for all our lives.
Chapter 37
Using his Magic
BRAND
Flor was all I could focus on, though doing that was more difficult than it should be. My gaze wanted to slide off her, so I knew she was hidden under a spell. No one around even glanced her way, though she was a marvel.
My brave mate, squaring off against the hag who’d already managed to trap or trick every one of us, including Grigor. From what I could tell, no one besides me had heard what she’d revealed to Flor about her wolf.
She’d eaten it, devoured her own wolf’s magic to feed her witch side. This was the evil the pack Alphas had warned against, and for a moment, I wanted nothing to do with it.
But my mate’s eyes glowed with her own inner magic as she whirled and fought, avoiding Elina’s strikes, taunting her. She drew blood, and the magic the witch had used to keep everyone from realizing what was taking place in the middle of the ring wobbled and fell. The other shifters backed away, leaving the two females fighting and me standing with Glen, not too far from Lily’s shrouded form. I couldn’t see Margarette or Bradley’s body, and I hoped she had found a place far from the centerof the battle. Luke and Finn stood only a few steps away from Aidan, who was shouting something at Ivan.
All eyes were fixed on the fight between the witch and Flor. My heart raced with fear for her, but the battle gave me time to focus on Glen, who had just woken in my arms. When his blue eyes met mine, I didn’t bother asking him what had happened. I needed to know what was going on now.
“How do I help you?” I whispered, trying not to attract the attention of the closest Enforcers.
“She’s… pulling,” he croaked. I understood. It was what had happened to me, when she’d clawed me in the Mansion. It had taken magic to close off the bond, Luke’s bite along with Grigor’s power.
Magic. Moonblessed.Was there any difference?
I stared up at the moon for an instant, not expecting an answer, not certain what I was looking for. The moon shone down with the same light that I wore in my eyes now, though, and that realization was answer enough.
I’d hated magic my whole life, assumed it was unnatural and wrong, and the way Elina was using it on Glen was truly evil. But the only way to fight it was to accept that I had magic as well, and use it. Resolved, I turned Glen in my arms and nudged his tangled hair aside. Then I set my teeth around the back of his neck, directly over the bloody claw marks Elina had made, and bit down, sending a plea to Grigor for help in directing my intent, as well as a prayer to the moon.
His blood was hot and salty on my tongue, and I could almost taste the tainted magic Elina had left in him. I tried to remember what it had felt like when Luke bit me to stop the drain from the witch, picturing it in my own mind like a fountain being cut off.
Elina cursed aloud, stumbling just enough for Flor to land another hit, with her sword this time. Elina screamed louder,and the Enforcers around me surged forward. Glen struggled against me.
“Can you stand?” I asked, allowing my claws to extend past my fingertips, but not daring to fully change.
“Stand? I’m alive. If you want, I can fly.” It sounded like a movie quote, but there was no way he was teasing me right now. He was in pain, and we were in danger. No shifter would choose this moment to joke. Then he grinned at me and added, “Mate.”
