Rejection (The Mate Games 2)

My chest hollowed out at the majestic sight of Alek taking a few swipes, testing the blade’s balance. He held it like it was an extension of himself, moving it around in some warrior’s version of a ballet. Then his eyes flared a blinding icy blue, and he ran his palm down the blade, causing foreign runes to blaze to life along the surface.

“Alek—”

“Sunny, I swear to Odin, if you don’t stay put I will tie you to a chair to keep you out of trouble.”

“But I can fight. Why do all that training if you’re going to bench me when it counts?”

Alek stalked over to me, gripping my chin in his free hand and seizing my lips in a brutal kiss. “Because I couldn’t stand to see you get hurt again.”

I swayed on my feet from the afterglow of his kiss, then watched as he made his way to the balcony’s edge. The way his eyes widened had me on my feet and moving toward him. I couldn’t resist. I had to know what we were facing because the expression painted on his features said it wasn’t going to be easy.

“Sunday,” he growled.

I ignored him, my eyes glued to the monster wreaking havoc below. He was massive. Easily ten-feet tall, his black leathery skin was covered in horrific scars reminiscent of burns. His face was more beast than anything remotely human, a cross between a minotaur and something far more evil. With curling black horns and fiery eyes, he was ripped straight out of my worst nightmares.

“Alek,” I whispered.

“Get back.” His warning was too late, though, as the beast sniffed once, twice, and then glanced up to us.

“Oh, fuck,” I whispered, my voice trembling. It was hard not to want to piss yourself when pinned by the gaze of a creature who looked like he used bones for toothpicks.

The minotaur stared at me, his tail whipping back and forth, leaving lines of flame on everything it touched. I shuddered at the pure hatred in its eyes.

“Note to self, don’t let that tail touch you.”

Alek held out an arm, barring me from getting any closer to the railing. “Don’t let any part of him touch you. Least of all his tail.”

All around him, witches, shifters, and other students worked together to take him down. The witches dealt with the flames, led by the librarian, while the others were busy trying to find his weakness. A fae male I knew named Loren stood on top of the table farthest from the beast, a bow and arrow materializing in his hands. He drew back and released, the arrow headed straight for the demon’s heart, but at impact, the deadly bolt simply bounced off the armor-like plates of his chest.

God, we didn’t stand a chance.

A few wolves I recognized from Kingston’s pack, led by a guy named Chad, shifted and immediately circled him, each one tensing before they strategically attacked one by one. A deep russet wolf leapt forward, teeth bared and ready to strike the tender Achilles tendon just above the cloven hoof, but he didn’t see the lash of the demon’s tail as it headed straight for his face. I gasped in horror as the whip-like appendage connected, searing through fur and flesh.

The wolf was thrown across the room, yelping in pain before curling up into a ball as the witches extinguished the flames.

Kicking the rest of the wolves out of the way, the minotaur bastard planted his hooves and tensed, knees bent. Then he jumped into the air in one gravity-defying leap, sailing over the balcony and landing directly in front of us, eyes locked on mine.

Shit. The fucker really was after me.

“Sunday, get back!” Alek shouted, already assuming a defensive position with his sword angled in front of him.

The hell I would. I wasn’t leaving him to face this monster on his own. Without stopping to think, I called my wolf, knowing she was my best weapon against him.

The shift this time was nearly painless, almost instantaneous. Our minds connected as we focused on one goal, keep Alek safe. I growled deep and low, pulling Alek’s gaze from the demon in front of him for a fraction of a second. Then I pounced.

My teeth sank into bitter-tasting flesh at the base of the beast’s neck, vile black ichor dripping down my throat and causing tears to prick my eyes as I choked. But I couldn’t relent. I’d wounded him. That was more than anyone else had done.

The minotaur wrapped his clawed hand around my much smaller body, flinging me away with an angry roar.

I knew it was bad when the vise-like grip crushing my ribs fell away, leaving me weightless.

Soaring through the air.

Oh.

Shit.

Wolves couldn’t fly.

“Sunday!” Alek’s panicked cry filled my ears as I began to plummet.