Page 44 of Forsworn By The Vampire
All logical thought left me as soon as Alex whipped the Jeep around. Before it even came to a full stop, I was out and rushing the witches, driven purely by instinct. The only thing that slowed me down was the ring of magic surrounding them. But that's all it did--slow me down. It didn't stop me.
With a roar of pure rage, I busted through, the witches on either side of me stumbling into the others. They didn't see me coming. They had no time to move out of the way even if they were so inclined. I was in the middle of the circle, crouched over Angel's body before anyone knew what happened. Including myself.
Someone stepped toward us, and in my red-hazed vision I could only tell they were female. It made no difference to me. No one was going to hurt my mate. Gathering Angel closer to me, I zeroed in on this threat and bared my fangs, hissing in warning.
"Stop! Don't move!"
This was a voice I didn't recognize. My eyes darted around the group, trying to recognize the source. Power lashed out at the circle, stronger than I'd ever felt before. So strong I started to inch Angel and myself back toward the fire. Within the flames seemed like a safer place to be. A male appeared before me, squatted down on his haunches so we were face to face. He was a vampire. A master. But not my master.
I bared my fangs.
"Jamal, right?"
I studied him. Dark hair. Gray eyes. And something within those eyes. Something that spoke to me. Like he understood the crazy going on in my head right now. Like he lived there, too.
Still a threat. "MINE," I told him, tightening my hold on my witch.
He cocked his head, then he stood. "You didn't tell me this witch was mated to a vampire."
"I didn't know," the high priestess told him. They were all staring at us.
"You can't kill her."
Through the roaring in my ears, this voice came through. Kenya. My friend.
"You can't kill her," she repeated. "If you kill her, you kill him."
"I'm well aware," the high priestess said.
The gray-eyed vampire crossed his arms over his chest. "I assume this is one of Killian's vampires?" He paused. Someone must have confirmed it, for then he continued, "I gave him my word none of his own would be harmed. The witch stays alive and everyone...everyone," he emphasized, "needs to. Back. The fuck. Up."
As the circle around us widened, I was able to suck some air into my lungs again and my vision began to clear. But I was still afraid to move away from the witch beneath me. I didn't trust the situation. Didn't trust the vampire.
However, once everyone had given us some space, he grabbed the dark-haired witch and did the same, keeping her slightly behind him.
"Jamal, let me up."
A low growl rumbling through my throat was my only response as I kept an eye on everyone, especially the male with the bird on his shoulder who was staring at my witch with glowing golden eyes. But I did loosen my hold on her just a bit.
My mate's face appeared in front of me in the firelight, blocking out everyone else. Her soft palms cupped my cheeks, and I flashed my fangs when I saw the tears on her face. "What I did was wrong, and it threatened the life of my coven. And your friend..." Her voice broke as she glanced to her right, but I didn't take my eyes from her.
Gradually, coherent thought and speech returned, and the rage that boiled over cooled down to a simmer. I was still ready to throw down in a moment's notice, my instincts on high alert, but at least now I could talk like a normal male. "You can't die on me, Leeloo."
Her eyes shot to mine when I called her by her nickname. A smile turned up the corners of her red lips. "You're back."
"Sort of," I told her. Taking her hand, I pulled her to her feet. It didn't escape my notice that she held my eyes the entire time, keeping my attention on her. "I'm sorry." I paused, trying to figure out how to put everything I'd been going through into words. "I'm sorry I rejected you like I did. You didn't deserve to get caught up in my drama."
"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I apparently kind of like drama." Her grin was self-depreciating.
"Angel."
My head whipped up as the high priestess stepped forward. But Angel placed her palm against my chest, the gesture both soothing and a barrier. "Let me handle this," she told me. "Please."
After a moment, I gave her a nod, but I didn't move from my protective position.
"I'd like to offer you a deal," she told her aunt.
"I don't think that's--"
