Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Jaysus, Niamh thought with glee. Austin Steele won’t like that one bit.
As if on cue, Austin came around the back of the Honda, his eyes hard and his bearing hostile. He stared Kace down, and then his gaze flicked to Broken Sue before settling on Jessie.
That bear loved Jessie more than any other man had ever loved a person, at least in Niamh’s perception, but he had his limits. Her gargoyle trying to rule his people would absolutely rub those limits raw. If only they didn’t have an enemy mage to manipulate, she’d grab a chair right now and settle in. The fireworks promised to be spectacular.
Jessie’s voice was emotionless yet firm as she said, “I’m calling my people to me. My gargoyle is, I mean. I don’t have much control over this. It’s some sort of primal drive that only seems to kick in when a battle is near. Like feeling people’s emotions. Those who have spilled blood by my side have the option to establish a deeper connection with my gargoyle. It’s like the Ivy House bond. It’ll help me keep track of their well-being, and I can call them to my side when they’re needed.” Her troubled gaze met Austin’s. “I don’t know how to stop it. I know what these pulses of magic mean, and I know they’ll likely come in handy, but other than that, my gargoyle is steering this ship. Brochan is resisting me. Kace doesn’t seem to have the power. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to.”
“It feels… I can’t…” Kace shook his head.
“Doesn’t want to, then,” she said, her eyes pleading for Austin to understand. Damn it, she was too good at navigating that big alpha. She never really leaned far enough into the extravagance of war for Niamh’s taste. For her enjoyment, at any rate.
“This is her role,” Sebastian said from the side, some of his Elliot Graves act diminishing in luster within the proximity of Austin’s dominating aura. “She brings them together. She keeps them together. The mate protector is supposed to lead them into battle. She is the queen, and her mate is her commander. The leader of her army. The might behind her power.” The frustration of a researcher bookworm talking to idiots crept into his voice. “If you’d just take the mate protector’s magic, as you’re supposed to, you could help her harness her gifts. The previous heirs erred because they got tangled up with mages who didn’t have any battle sense. But Jessie is a gargoyle, first and foremost. They’re a battle species. And now she’s found her commander. She just needs him to rise to the occasion.”
Austin’s intense focus slowly swung Sebastian’s way. The only thing that moved was his head, but suddenly, the area felt stuffed with the alpha’s dominating power. Niamh felt it pressing along her shoulders and crawling across her scalp like insects. Sebastian visibly quailed.
Nessa whistled long and low. “Probably shouldn’t shame an alpha, Sabby. He looks pissed.”
“Yes, I just remembered that,” Sebastian muttered. “I’ll just hunch here for a while. Let me know if I should start running.”
So this power struggle was going down because Austin Steele wasn’t taking the protector’s magic. He didn’t like to be forced into anything.
And while this was prime entertainment, they had more important things to do. Gathering her strength, Niamh stepped closer to him. “Right so. Austin Steele, you know the score here. Let’s go pay a visit to our trespassing friend inside. I doubt you’ve upped the magical wards on this place, so he might not stay put much longer.”
It was Niamh’s turn for that vicious, blue-eyed stare. She was ready for it, though. When her limbs felt like freezing and her spine tried to bow, she muscled through it.
After an intense beat that made sweat pop out on her forehead, Austin Steele redirected his focus to Kace. “Back in formation,” he growled.
Kace visibly shook from the command, pulled by Jessie, pushed by Austin. He took a shuddering breath…then slowly started backing up. Little by little, inch by inch, he back-pedaled until he was where he’d started.
Austin looked at Broken Sue now, the command evident within his posture. Broken Sue didn’t need much help. He took a deep breath and easily stepped back into place.
Lust and gratitude swept through the bond—Jessie’s emotions. Like Austin, she clearly enjoyed when her mate flexed his power. She also seemed to like that he couldn’t be bullied by the magic she struggled to control.
“Shall we?” Austin turned, pausing with his arm out to shepherd Jessie in front of him, and then headed for the door.
Niamh released a sigh as the pressure suddenly eased.
The shifters fanned out, heading to their positions around the building. They were there to secure it in case some of the trespassing mage’s friends showed up. Or, more likely, mercenaries he’d hired. Only a few shifters followed Jessie and Austin Steele to the door.