The ringing in his ears subsided, and he thought he heard someone calling him. Turning, he saw Sabrina by herself, standing on the curb, screaming his name. So, he ran towards her, his heart pounding as he reached her. But before he could grab her, a force pushed him forward and slammed him against the side of the building, his head hitting the concrete so hard he saw stars.
“Cross Jonasson.” The voice made his skin crawl. It was familiar; he’d definitely heard it before. But where?
He tried to move but found that he couldn’t. It was like he was restrained by invisible chains. As his vision returned to normal, his stomach twisted in knots. A bald man in a red robe stood in front of him, his mouth curled up into an evil grin. When Cross struggled against his magical bonds, the mage tutted.
“Uh-uh-uh.” A bony pale finger wagged in his face. “Don’t even try it, you abomination. Selyse has got you, and you can’t escape.”
There were two people behind him, one man in the same mage robe, but his eyes were a cold icy blue. The other was a woman who also wore a red robe and had her hair shaved down. She held a hand up at him, and he could feel the power coming from her. Though he’d never encountered this particular mage before, he knew what she was. A blessed witch turned mage, one who had the power of telepathy. The evil nature of her corrupted power crawled over his skin as it held him against the wall.
Behind the three were another six mages. It wasn’t unusual for mages to travel in groups; in fact, it was necessary because they’d somehow found a spell that allowed them to teleport short distances, but it required at least three people.
“Didn’t you get my message?” The mage asked. “I told you to bring me the dagger. Or your mate dies.”
That’s why his voice sounded familiar. He followed his red gaze and saw another mage with his arms around Sabrina, one hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide with terror as she struggled against her captor.
His wolf pushed to the surface, wanting to get at them. He reined it in, because shifting now and losing control wouldn’t do any good. “How did you find us?”
“Did you think you could hide from us forever? Our reach is far. Farther and deeper than you think.” The mage cackled. “Now, I’m going to take your mate, and you will get me the dagger. When you have it, you can have her back.”
“And the ring?”
His nostrils flared. “I have to admit, I underestimated you. I didn’t think you’d figure it out,” he sneered. “We’ll keep the ring, of course. In fact, we’ll be taking it away from her now for safekeeping.” He nodded to the man holding Sabrina. “Take it off her!”
The man released Sabrina for a second, only to grasp her right wrist. With his other hand, he grabbed the ring and attempted to pull it off. She let out a pained cry, and Cross’s wolf came so close to coming out that he knew his eyes were probably glowing.
“Goddammit, Godfrey!” The man holding Sabrina shouted at them. “It’s stuck! I can’t get it off!”
“Then cut it off, I don’t give a damn,” Godfrey shouted back.
Cross let out a savage roar as the man took a knife out. However, when he tried to put it to Sabrina’s hand, he let out a pained scream and then dropped to the ground.
Godfrey opened his mouth, but the sound of growls and a long howl made him clamp his mouth shut.
Two large blurs leapt out from behind the building. Ransom and Hardy. He’d almost forgotten about them. When they realized the mages had arrived, they must have stayed out of sight until they saw an opening. One of them, a large brown wolf with black streaks, leapt toward Godfrey. Unfortunately, Selyse saw the wolf and flicked it away, sending it flying into the air. However, that meant the female mage lost her hold on Cross, and he was free.
Anger raged through his veins as he stretched his arms forward. His wolf could no longer be held back, and so he let it take over. The transformation was fast; he’d learned the skill from fighting the mages in the last three years. While his magic was pretty effective, in combat against mages, his wolf always did best. Fur exploded from his skin, and his limbs stretched, and his animal burst from his human form. The great white wolf lunged forward, taking down both Godfrey and Selyse. They struggled, and Cross reached for the female first, his giant, claw-tipped paw raking down her face and front. She screamed in agony as blood gushed from her wounds.
“Impudent dog!” Godfrey screamed. Somehow, he’d managed to crawl out from underneath the white wolf while it had been busy with Selyse. “Take the girl and go!”
No! Cross screamed internally. The wolf got to its feet and scrambled toward the last place he saw Sabrina. Two mages were there, but to his relief, a dark gray wolf leapt in front of them and let out a growl. Its glowing gold-green eyes told him who it was.
Cross saw Silke creeping in from behind the building, ready to grab Sabrina, so he sprinted forward to take one of the robed figures down. However, the mage turned around and raised his hand. Something long and sharp formed in his hand. Cross attempted to pull back but it was too late. As his wolf came down, the spear pierced the
