Page 141 of Rescued By the Beast
"At first, I didn't have complete control over them yet. The wendigo attack..." He pauses, his fingers clenching at his side. "It wasn't part of the plan, but you just ran straight into its clutches!"
"Oh, stars in the sky," Sandra whimpers against my neck, her tears wetting my fur.
"So Mark found her before I did, and now you're spreading your legs for that bastard. An idiot who can't see a powerful supernatural being even when he's a foot away." Luther spits on the floor, contempt written all over his face. "Now you see me, don't you, Mark? I bet you regret not hiring me."
My jaw clenches, my instincts screaming to destroy him, but Sandra is vulnerable in my lap.
She cringes at his words, but forces herself to face him.
"Luther..." Her voice breaks. "Why are you doing this? I thought you were my friend, please..."
He laughs, and the sound gets on my nerves, my claws itching to tear him apart.
"Because you should be mine, Sandra. But you chose that beast." He raises his hand, and his magic manifests with a crack in the air. "And now I'm going to undo that mistake."
I rush to raise a barrier around us, gathering what little magic I have left. The effort is brutal, my essence twists inside me, exhausted. The barrier appears, translucent and pulsating, but weak.
Too weak.
I shudder and a grunt escapes my throat as I push every last bit of power I have left to keep it standing.
Luther does not hesitate.
"Subvertere." The command echoes in the air as he launches a beam of energy at us. My shield vibrates, cracks and shatters into invisible shards.
"Ventus impelle eam!" His voice resounds like thunder, and his hand slides through the air, as if pulling Sandra away from me with invisible threads.
The wind howls in response, and its brutal force hits me in the arms. I try to hold Sandra, to protect her, but the force dragging her away is overwhelming.
"NO!" My roar reverberates through the forest as I watch Sandra being thrown away from me, as if an invisible hand had grabbed her and hurled her through the air.
Her wide eyes meet mine, a scream dying on her lips as she crashes to the ground at Luther's feet.
Her head hits the ground with a thud.
The silence that follows is worse than any sound.
A beastly roar, full of hatred, bursts from my chest as my body curls into a fighting stance. My heart races, a wild frenzy takes hold of me. My instincts scream to advance, to destroy.
I turn to Luther, canines and claws bared.
"You just signed your death warrant."
I don't think, I just move. The beast takes the reins, and my focus narrows to a single goal: to kill him.
Luther, however, keeps his distance and casts a spell to move about five metres away in the air. He's not stupid enough to face me directly. He begins to murmur and his hands glowwith silver runes, his spells swirling in the air before being cast in my direction. I dodge one, but he casts another burst of fire that hits my left arm. The smell of burnt flesh spreads along with my pain, but I don't care.
He hurt my female.
My fae essence is depleted, so only my brute strength remains.
I need to force him to come closer.
"What's the matter, Luther?" I say through gritted teeth, advancing slowly, letting him see the real threat in me. "Are you afraid? You know that if I get close, you won't get out alive."
His eyes narrow, and I see the dilemma flash across his expression. He doesn't want to take the risk. But he also doesn't want to come across as weak.
"You're finished, Mark. No essence, no chance to defend yourself." He spits the words like poison.
