Fates Entwined

24

Jordan moved to stand right over me, baring his teeth at Roxandra. “Get away from my mate."

The word mate echoed around the empty cavern, final and damning. Roxandra’s face went from smug to shocked in an instant. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she said, "No...she can't be."

She seemed to be momentarily stunned by this news, and that distraction was exactly what I needed. Using the last of my strength, I formed a shard of razor-sharp moonlight in my hand, then hurled it at her. It hit her shoulder, landing deep inside, and she screamed. A moment later, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I slumped back down onto the ground, my body trembling. Was I going into shock? Probably.

Jordan immediately dropped to my side. He inspected my injuries, then lifted my head with his hands and looked into my eyes. “You’re going to be okay. I'm going to get you out of here."

"Careful, you’re acting like you care," I said, as my eyes fluttered shut.

"Is it that obvious?" His strong arms wrapped around me, and a second later he lifted me up, clutching me to his chest. "Just stay with me, Stella."

"Okay," I muttered, my head spinning as he carried me out of the cave.

The last thing I remembered thinking was that being in Jordan’s arms wasn’t quite as awful as I thought it would be.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. It took a few seconds too long, but I remembered I was with the Leo pack and in the guest bedroom in Jordan’s house. My body ached a bit, like I’d just been healed, and I vividly recalled the battle against Roxandra...right up until I'd passed out in Jordan's arms.

“Nice of you to finally join us,” Jordan said. He sat on a chair beside my bed, his legs stretched out like he'd been there a while.

I sat up slowly to make sure I wasn’t still hurt. I was in my pajamas, and I wondered if Jordan had put them on me since I'd been naked when I passed out.

“What happened?” I asked. “Is Miles okay?”

“He’s fine and he’s back home. Like the others, there were no lasting effects except the memory loss. The vampires that attacked us are all dead, and Roxandra is gone.”

I let out a sigh. “I wish we'd caught her, but I’m glad we all made it out."

“Barely,” Jordan said, his brow furrowing. “You were pretty banged up when I brought you back here. I even asked my mom to come heal you with her sun magic."

I pictured the huge burst of fire circling the cave before it engulfed the vampires and burnt them to a crisp. “You used sun magic in the cave, didn’t you?”

“It seems that way. I’ve never had magic before, but seeing you injured and in danger..." He sucked in a breath. "I guess it awoke this power in me.”

I didn’t want to think about the fact that it was seeing me injured that had awakened the power in him. "How is that possible?"

"I guess it means that the curse that Helios, the Sun God, put on the Sun Witches has been broken with the death of Evanora. Males born with Sun Witch blood can now use magic. Or at least, I can." He leaned back in his chair and looked out the window, where sunset was falling. “I’m going to have to tell my mother and Brea about what happened. They’ll be thrilled.”

“They’re not the only ones. Roxandra set up a trap for you. She already wanted you, and now that she saw you use fire magic, she’ll be even more relentless. She'll never leave us alone until she's dead."

Jordan looked back at me, his jaw set. “I don’t plan to let her escape next time."

"Me neither."

"What I still need to figure out,” Jordan continued after a moment. “Is why she was taking the other Leo males.”

“You’re right. She could have taken anyone to lure you in or made it more obvious that she just wanted you to come find her. There were never any notes or any signs that it was her. She was hiding what she was doing by blocking their memories.”

Jordan scowled. “Whatever it is, it can't be anything good."

I pushed the covers off of my lap and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I winced as I tried to stand. I was still pretty sore, even though most of the damage was already healed. In a few hours, I’d be as good as new.

Jordan stood quickly and put a hand on my elbow. “Careful, let me help you.”

I let him take a lot of my weight as he wrapped his hands around my elbows and hoisted me up. He was a lot closer than I’d expected, and he didn’t let go of my arm. My breath caught in my chest as I looked up at him. I didn’t move away, and for a few moments, we breathed the same air.

He slid his hand along my arm, heat trailing in the wake of his hand, and cupped my shoulder. I held perfectly still, not wanting to move for fear that I’d lean into it. I should have pulled away, but I didn’t.

His eyes skipped between mine, before dipping down to settle on my lips. I licked them subconsciously and then caught what I was doing. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea like I was trying to flirt, so I cleared my throat. “Thank you for saving me."

“Thank you for helping me save Miles,” Jordan said.

I swayed forward, just a bit, caught in the magnetic pull of his gaze. I should have stepped back, I really should have. Was he going to kiss me? Would I let him?

Then he opened his mouth and ruined it all. "Stella...I want you to be my mate."

I jerked back, reeling. “What?"

“Hear me out,” Jordan said, tightening his hand around my shoulder. “If you were a Leo, you would be immune to fire. Roxandra couldn't hurt you like that ever again."

I shook my head and stepped back. “I can’t do that."