“Marabella, pull it back. You need to pull it back,” I tell her, and Kaif nervously glances out, entranced by what he, too, is witnessing.
“Ella, baby, listen to my voice, come back to me,” I tell her when I’m hit yet again by Eziah’s magic.
My shield falters before seeing Jonah tackle Eziah at the same time Maddox does. Maddox punches his son, and the sight shocks me. But if he didn’t, we would have issues if both their powers clash and mix together. It would be a supernova of mystical energy.
Marabella giggles, and her nipples harden against my chest, her back arching in pleasure. Magic is arousing, and the fact she is cloaked with mine and engulfed by hers… I can only imagine the orgasmic feeling of it, rushing through her. My cock strains painfully against my pants at seeing her flushed face.
Thank god the shadows are blocking out everyone’s view, or this would look somewhat obscene with the way she is grinding against me. A groan leaves my lips and I almost drop my magic, shielding us when she grabs my cock. Then, a thought occurs to me. I need her to let the magic go so I can absorb it, or at least have her take it back. Her legs wrap around my waist, which makes up my mind, so I kiss her.
My lips press against her soft, plump ones. A groan escapes me, but it works instantly as I see the shadows recede and her legs open. I push myself against her, settling between her legs and deepening the kiss. My tongue delves between her lips, and I can’t get enough of her like she is my personal elixir, and fuck does she taste sweet. Mara moans softly, nibbling on my lip when my hand slips into her hair, tugging her closer.
One minute I am kissing her, the next.
My surroundings ripple, and I feel the vision coming through, the surrounding frequency changing before I see it. My mind is being stretched to see a future that hasn’t happened yet, but would if I let it.
The trees zip by in a blur as we chase something. That something is evident when I hear her deafening scream as we grab her. Kaif commands her to shift back. We are in a forest, one that looks oddly familiar. Déjà vu washes over me briefly when Marabella shifts in Kaif’s arms, leaving her naked. She struggles to get out of his too-tight grip.
Mara screams, rattling off words that if they were used on just me would disable me, but a monster like Kaif, one that holds the power he has, she might as well be whispering a prayer.
Kaif laughs, and I scream as he tears into her neck, marking her, inhumanly marking her as his teeth slash and tear through not only her neck but chest and shoulder blade. She screams loudly, and blood runs down her body and she falls limp in his arms.
Her head slouches forward, and Kaif scoops her up. Marabella’s body is all floppy, and Kaif sniffs her. Her head rolls back in his furry arms. Blood drenches her, and her marking looks more like she has been mauled by a bear. Blood oozes out of her, dripping off our arms, and the color drains from her face. Her heart rate slows to a deadly beat as I look on, horrified at what he did.
He jostles her, shaking her, but she doesn’t wake when I notice the markings around her neck, thick lines etched into her skin, and I gasp, horrified as the vision fizzles and shudders.
I jerk away from her abruptly, unable to shake the image of her dead, bloody body in my arms.
Mara gets up, shakes her head, and glances around. Here my magic drops, and I notice she has taken the shadows back in and absorbed them.
“What happened?” she murmurs, peering around.
“Eziah?” she shrieks, getting to her feet and rushing toward him. I stare after her only to witness everyone step back from her, even her fathers, as they stare at her nervously, fearfully.
Jonah approaches her, unfearing, while his father’s entire pack steps back. My stomach sinks at the feeling through the bond. They fear her, and they can’t even hide it from her as they stare at her as if she is some monster. I want to comfort her but the vision…
It will only draw her nearer when I should push her away. Kaif whimpers in my head when we are smashed with the feeling of rejection from her. They look at her like she is a monster. Jonah growls at them as they all continue to stare at her.
A growl escapes me when she steps closer, and her fathers put up their hands to shield her off. Ezra, however, steps forward.
“Dad?” she whispers, glancing at Mateo, who is watching her brother. Her head turns to Ezra when he speaks, and she moves toward her brother for Ezra to block her path.
“It’s okay, we can fix it, we can fix you,” he says gently. The pang of hurt that slivers through her restricts my chest. She doesn’t need fixing. She needs to learn control, but she never will if everyone fears her.
I swallow down the lump in my throat, get to my feet, and am about to leave. Leave her in the hands of Jonah, who I know will look after her.
“It’s fine, just put your gloves on first,” I hear Ezra say behind me, making me stop.
Turning, I watch him hesitantly, holding out her gloves. I didn’t even realize she had taken them off. By the look on Marabella’s face, she hasn’t noticed either as she looks at both of her hands, which are trembling.
“You just need to put these on. Then we’ll figure something out,” Ezra tells her. Figure what out? What does he mean by those words?
“Then I can-” Marabella says, stopping mid-sentence, her eyes moving to her brother. She looks so small at this moment.
“We will figure out something. I can wait with you until your mother gets here.” Her head lifts to look at Ezra and he holds the gloves out to her and she looks at them. “Take them, Marabella.”
She nods, taking them even though it tears at her. Her thoughts flit through my head. With her rejection of them, her doubt, and her own self-loathing returns, she hates herself, and it is no wonder when they treat her like this.
I shouldn’t have interfered, but I couldn’t help it. The vision told me I should keep my distance; however, the sadness coming through the bond has me turning around and moving toward her.