The sound of men screaming followed him.
Had Cornelius found out about Leopold’s deception?
Alister
The entrance to the grand mage’s fortress was open.
“Fuck! We’re too late.”
“No, wait.” Ian frowned and cocked his head. “Listen.”
Alister closed his eyes and that was when he heard it.
“Son of a bitch!” He morphed and soared skyward and banked hard with the hawk at his side.
There, several yards from the tunnel’s exit, stood a circle of mages. From the way they were chanting, he knew instinctively that they were trying to open a portal.
He dove, heading right for Leopold, who stood in the clearing with a bound Jonas at his feet.
Seeing his fierce and proud alpha bound and helpless sent shards of rage through his blood and a shrill shriek of anger left his throat.
Alister morphed from a raven and changed midair into a fireball just before he reached Leopold. The force and blast of his hit sent the motherfucker crashing twenty yards through the trees. So incensed, Alister morphed into human form and continued after the hunters’ leader even when the man scrambled up and ran.
“That’s right, you fucking coward, run. Run!” he screamed. I love a good chase!” His laughter was just a bit diabolical as it rang out over the clearing.
“Alister!” Ian’s voice drew him up and he gnashed his teeth as Leopold disappeared through the trees.
Spinning around, he found Ian blasting a shitload of mages, but the numbers were vastly uneven. His uncle’s power was no match for so many. Racing across the ground, he sent a blast of wind and followed it up with fireballs. Mages screamed and ran, some of them burning alive through the trees only to fall dead a few feet away.
Alister reached the clearing, his arms lifted, and he screamed his fury. The ground shook and trees toppled. Wind picked up branches, rocks, and dirt, and cleaved into the offenders.
Ian ducked, but the wind picked him up and tossed him about like a twig. The wizard morphed into a hawk and soared upward.
Alister whipped his head to the right and using only his eyes, he sent tendrils of fire and lightning into the one mage. When it hit the fucker, it splintered him to pieces before splicing off into several bright arcs and hitting four more nearby.
That was new, and he sucked in the knowledge. And with his new knowledge, his power grew. He whirled with his arms outstretched and flattened the forest around them.
“Alister!” Ian shouted, and he spun to find his uncle taking cover behind him.
Ian caught his eyes and sucked in a stunned breath and said the only thing that could shake him out of his rage.
“Jonas!” Ian yelled.
He snapped his hands down and his mouth shut. The scream of rage died just as the sound of wind and lightning ceased. In the eerie quiet, a branch broke and toppled to the forest floor.
Had he killed Jonas? He thought his magic incapable of hurting someone he loved, but had he unknowingly done so? With this new power, was it possible?
He swallowed and whirled around. He’d flattened the forest in what looked to be two hundred yards of toppled trees and dead bodies. With shaking legs, he took several steps forward, staring at the empty spot where Jonas had sat.
“Fly, we’ll find him,” Ian urged.
Numbly, he morphed and lurched upward, flying through the trees past his destruction. Together, they made a wide, circling arc with the hawk at his flank.
Two passes later, he was starting to freak out when movement caught his eyes.
Below, Jonas was hopping on one leg, using the trees for balance and slowly making his way north.
His heart burst with joy at the sight of the wolf, but it also squeezed with pain when he landed. The state Jonas was in and the dazed and confused look in his eyes sent a cold dash of fear down Alister’s spine.
“Help me,” Jonas said as if Alister wouldn’t help him.
He stepped forward and before he could respond, Jonas collapsed in his arms.
“I’ve got you, love. I’ve got you,” he whispered and crushed Jonas’ limp body to his chest.
Jonas
“I’ll kill every last one of them,” the deep voice said somewhere off to the side of his vision.
It was Alister.
Jonas couldn’t turn his head to see, but he’d know that rich, smooth voice anywhere.
A cell phone rang and Alister answered it.
“Jace. Yes, I’ve got him. I’ll bring him as soon as he’s able to travel.” A short pause, and then Alister responded. “Ian is on his way. I will. You too.”
Jonas let his eyes slide closed more because it was too painful to keep them open. Every bone in his body hurt. His back felt like it was on fire. The last thing he remembered was leaving the compound.
In the next instance, the attack came rushing back and he groaned trying to call Alister’s name.
“Jonas?” Alister was at his side the next second. A cold cloth dabbed at his brow. “Have some water.” The touch of a cup was held to his lips and he gratefully swallowed.
Dropping his head weakly back to the pillow, he blinked open his good eye and gazed into Alister’s face. Fuck. He’d never thought to see the wizard again. He gripped the blanket to keep from reaching for him. It was a sign of weakness and alphas stayed strong no matter the cost.
“Where are the packs? Are they safe?” he rasped, and cleared his throat.
“Yes. They’re in the Northern Territories waiting for us. Cage and Jace are giving them shelter until we arrive.”
“Good,” he croaked.
Alister brushed the hair from his forehead with the cold cloth and he almost moaned out loud.
His eyes drifted closed and he blinked them open. He’d never felt this weak in his whole fucking life. “What did they do to me?” He squinted at Alister.
“Leopold gave you a shot of something and Cornelius placed a weakening spell that keeps it in place.”
“How do you get it off?”
“We need Pethious,” Alister said. “Ian and I tried removing it, but we couldn’t.”
The edges of his vision burned as he held Alister’s gaze. The fucking shot was still in effect. “And the pain is from?” His memory was so very foggy.
Alister looked away.
“Tell me,” he growled.
“Your body isn’t healing,” Alister said hoarsely.
Well, no wonder he could barely move. Fuck. “Tell me you can fix this.”
“Some of it, maybe, but the rest, no.” Alister ran a hand through his hair in a quick and jerky movement.
“We need Pethious,” Alister said again.
“Okay, how do we get to him?” He blinked tiredly.
“We don’t. I’m going to have him come to us.”
“Can’t you just portal us there?”
“I don’t have that power, remember?”
He huffed a weak laugh. Why hadn’t he remembered that?
“Can you just change me?”
“From a prince to a frog?” The wizard’s eyes were light and teasing, but Jonas saw the worry in their green depths.
“Who’s the prince?” He tried to make light of it, but he suddenly felt like he was being stupid and silly.