Flames of Fury

Rohanor

I don’t normally pay attention to these sorts of things but since there’s nothing else around me I can’t help but notice how peaceful this field is. The tall grass is soft to touch and the air is a perfect temperature with a pleasant breeze.

There’s also the distinct absence of sound. All sound. Not even the usual buzzing that lingers in your ears when you think you’re in silence. Everything is perfect.

I feel a slight pressure on my neck and chest, but it’s so faint and dull it’s easy to ignore among the peace of this place. Mags would love it here.

Mags. The pressure on my chest is back again, a little stronger this time.

Where is Mags? Why isn’t she here?

Come on, Ro.

The field disappears in a swirl and is replaced by a room with white and beige walls and lots of machines in the blink of an eye. My lungs are screaming at me to breathe and when they get tired of waiting for me to act they expand rapidly with an audible intake of air.

My body greedily takes in fresh oxygen over and over again like I had been underwater for far too long.

Where am I? What the hell is going on?

Someone is yelling and someone else grabs my arm, diffusing warmth throughout my body. So warm, like waking up with Mags tangled in our arms.

Mags.

“How did this happen?” A voice asks. Even if I could speak I’m not sure what I would say, but luckily there’s another in the room who speaks for me.

“I don’t know. One minute I’m dropping off Drow for him to rip apart and the next he’s collapsing on the bridge. I teleported over to him and immediately brought him here.”

Slowly the haze distorting my memory begins to clear and the events that preceded my being here begin to come back to me.

The bridge. The arrow — I feel around my neck but there’s no arrow, no hole, and no blood to be found. Two hands take my arm away from my neck and lay it on the bed before poking me in the crease of my arm.

“Ember, go. It’ll be fine.”

Ember. The healer. That means I’m back in the Grove.

“You okay here without me, Dr. Logan?” Ember asks.

“Yes, thank you Ember.” Relief and gratitude waft off of Logan through our pack bond.

It seems like the entire Grove is here except for the two people I care about most. An aggressive restlessness overcomes my body, compelling me to jump out of this bed and seek out my mate and brother. I attempt to sit up and throw my legs over the side of the bed I’m lying in but the pain in my chest steals the precious air from my lungs and halts my movements.

“Alpha Rohanor, please don’t move. You were badly injured and need to take it easy now.” Logan implores me.

“Where’s my mate? Where’s Mags?” Someone better give me some fucking answers, I can only hold my wolf back for so long.

“I’m not one hundred percent sure Sir, but I know the Luna has not been brought here to the infirmary. She must still be in Drow Hollow.”

“How am I here and she’s not?” I bark out unintentionally. I know it’s not her fault so I hope she doesn’t take my irritability personally. “How did I even get here?”

“Xander, Sir. He teleported you here immediately and got Ember to heal you.” She looks down at the floor and a deep, pervasive sadness floods the pack bond. “It was very close, Sir. You were gone. But we were able to restart your heart and then Ember healed the wound in your neck.”

“Hm,” is all I manage to grunt out. I died today. I failed to be there to protect my mate and then the last person I’d ever expect to do me any favors was the one who saved me. I know he did it for her and less so for my benefit, but even so…I have a brand new appreciation for Xander.

“Ro?” My brother’s voice sounds from the doorway. “How are you alive?”

Just behind him I can see Ember with him as well. Goddess it’s a relief to see him because it means Mags must be nearby.

As I fully flesh out that thought though, a sudden panic hits me — if he’s here, surely Mags is here too. But I don’t see her, which can only mean that she’s injured in one of these beds. My mate is injured.

“I’m not altogether sure about that myself. Why are you here? Where’s Mags?”

My wolf is clawing at the surface, prepared to rip through everyone in his way until our mate is in our arms.

“Ro,” he sighs and from that alone I know I don’t want to hear the rest of what he’s going to say. “Illian has Mags.”

Flames billow across my skin. “What? How?” I roar.

“When we felt you…die, she went feral. She went straight for Illian. Incandis and I tried to head her off but Illian found us first. He had an electric whip around Incandis’ throat and a blade to mine.” He pauses to shake his head and slam his fist on the bed railing. “I told her not to do it, I told her to let me die. But she’s so goddamn stubborn.”

I have to close my eyes and bit my tongue because if I know my mate like I know I do, then she probably did something monumentally frustrating.

“Illian gave her an ultimatum. Marry him and he’d let Incandis bring me here to be healed.” He continues his story but my brow dips in confusion at the mention of needing to be healed.

“He slit my throat and my beautiful, defiant pain-in-the-ass agreed to his terms. She walked right into his arms and kissed him in front of my fucking eyes before Illian released Incandis and he brought us here.” Varian is seething by the end of his recap.

“So why the fuck are we still here? Let’s get back over there.” I rip the IVs out of my arms and slap a bandage over the spot where they were inserted.

“There are a bunch of warriors here being treated. One of them has to be a teleporter.” Varian says with renewed purpose.

We dart out of the room and start going room to room looking for a ride back to the battle when Varian and I both stop and look at each other knowingly.

Lemongrass and roses, I’d know that scent anywhere. But hidden under her delicious scent is the distinct acidic scent of ash and sulfur.

“Fuck, you weren’t kidding. She’s nearly full-on feral.”

We follow the scent through the hallways, past a set of double doors and around another corner. Her scent gets stronger with every step, but I’m also now able to hear the pained cries of our pups.

“Something’s wrong. They should be at the safe house.” Varian breathes and picks up the pace. We’re now sprinting towards our family.

I see an open door up ahead and hear my pups still screaming. I’m so focused on getting into that room I nearly knock Ember over in the doorway, but rather than check that she’s okay my eyes fixate on my mate standing on the far side of the room.

“Mags,” I breathe in equal parts relief and disbelief. Goddess the sight of her — red, feral eyes and a twin blade in each hand, dripping with fresh blood.

Mags doesn’t turn to me though. Her gaze is fixated on my sister who is holding our pups protectively in her arms. Mags snarls at Kat and growls with menace. The tighter Kat holds onto the pups the more fierce Mags’ fury becomes.

Mags is literally seeing red, she’s more animal than human. Varian links me which gives me an idea. I think I may know how to reach our mate.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath allowing my wolf to come forward. Only a beast can reach another beast.

“Mags.” Her name is a growled command. I demand her attention. I will not tolerate her disobedience. I can feel nearby wolves submitting through the pack bond, my sister included, but the only submission I want right now is that of my mate.

“Look at me.” The words rumble from deep within my chest. Her head snaps to face me, and our eyes lock onto one another like trains on a track.

That’s enough, Princess. I link her but she doesn’t fully believe what she’s seeing yet.

You died. She growls at me. You left me.

Stubborn little hellion. She never makes anything easy, she’s going to make me work for her. I prowl over to her and in one fluid motion I slide my hands into the back of hair, pulling her face to mine and slam my mouth down onto hers.

I’ll die a thousand deaths before I ever leave you. Not even death can keep us apart, Princess.

I swipe my tongue against the seam of her lips and to my delight she opens for me, immediately melting into my grip as our tongues twirl and tangle together.

You’re going to be the death of me. She teases me and the red of her eyes begins to recede. She’s coming back.

I chuckle against her lips before capturing them once more, biting at her bottom lip and sucking it between my teeth. She moans against my lips sending hot desire straight to my cock.

I pull away from her lips and leave a trail of kisses from the corner of her mouth, along her jaw, and down her neck. I’m sucking and nipping at my mark when she tenses against me.

Varian. She whispers to us through our link.

Varian stands a few feet from us with our pups in his arms, the rest of the crowd has dispersed leaving us alone — except of course for the dead body which I now notice in the middle of the room, but that doesn’t count.

I can feel from our bond that Varian and Mags have some making up to do. He hands the pups over to me and after a kiss to each cheek they fall asleep soundly in my arms.

“Before you scold me, you would have done exactly the same thing if the roles were reversed.” She says as she walks into Varian’s waiting arms.

“Mm,” he hums tenderly and plants a delicate but desperate kiss on her lips. “Doesn’t make it any easier to witness.” Their kiss begins slowly, teasing one another with little nips and bites.

“I’m sorry you had to see that. But you have to know I would have said and done anything to save you. I always will.” She thrusts her tongue into his mouth and he sucks on it greedily.

“How did you get away from him?” He asks against her lips.

I can feel the chill that runs up his spine as she trails an elongated nail up his back and draws small, slow circles on the back of his neck.

“I made him think he won. I let him kiss me, I made him think I liked it,” she kisses along his jaw and up his cheek before whispering against his ear, “and then I drove a talon into his cervical spine, paralyzing his arms and legs.”

“Did you kill him?” He practically moans and I don’t blame him, imagining the picture Mags painted is enough to give anyone a hard on.

She grins maliciously and shakes her head. “Oh Gods no. I want to play with my food first.”

Varian swallows her lips and grips her hips so he can rut his erection against her heat.

She pulls away from Varian and backs away slowly and seductively. “You want to come watch?” She bites her bottom lip and turns towards the door, throwing a look back at us to follow her.

Sweet Goddess, this woman will be the death of us.