Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
“Elf,” one answered. “Powerful magic.”
“Is that so?” Ezekiel looked back at his brother. “No wonder you’ve survived this long and were able to take out Kemper. That’s actually smarter than I expected. So you know about the creatures in our midst?”
“They prefer the term preternaturals.” Ezra’s voice was no longer shaking. “Alaric can easily take on your furry help.”
True surprise widened Ezekiel’s eyes. “You can see what they are?”
“Guess that makes me a little more special than you, Ezekiel. This is ridiculous.” He kept his gaze on the others as he walked to stand beside Alaric. “You’re going to prison just like my ex, so you might as well stop monologuing. I know you have this super villain fetish thing going on, but I don’t need to hear any more. My family is and always has been shit.”
Without warning, the two shifters dropped to the floor, each crawling in a different direction, trying to circle Alaric. His magic built, surprisingly stronger than it had ever been, and he quickly shoved a tumor into one of their brains that would instantly make him blind. The preternatural howled and curled on his side, cradling his head. The other let out a roar and shifted entirely into his wolf form so he could leap through the air. Alaric ducked and spun on his heels, feeling the brush of fur as the shifter jumped past him.
He pulled harder on his magic and flung a spell that snapped the shifter’s spine. He crashed into the wall with a whimper before slamming to the floor and lying still.
“Impressive,” Ezekiel said, making Alaric spin back around to find Ezekiel holding his knife to Ezra’s neck.
“You move that knife, and your end will be the most painful one you could possibly imagine.”
A flicker of worry tightened Ezekiel’s features.
“That’s right,” Alaric said as he took a couple of steps closer. “You know you stand no chance here, but you might if you let him go.”
Ezekiel’s hand started to shake, and the blade cut into Ezra’s skin. One drop of blood, and Alaric growled and flung a spell so powerful that every bone in Ezekiel’s body broke. He shrieked as he collapsed to the floor, his limbs landing at odd angles.
Ezra’s mother ran into the room and dropped beside Ezekiel. Alaric lifted his hands to take her out as well, but Ezra stopped him with a hand on his arm. His other hand was over the thankfully shallow wound on his neck.
“Don’t hurt her. Please.”
“Ezra, she was in on this. Having you killed.”
“I know. She’ll pay for that, I promise. As it is, I don’t know how we’re going to explain all these injuries to the police.”
“Xavier will send someone here to clean this up. It’s handy having a sorcerer and wizards at your fingertips.”
Ezra’s mother gaped up at them, but she didn’t cry, not even for Ezekiel. The woman was clearly as big a piece of shit as Ezra’s ex-husband. As was his brother. This man he loved had been surrounded by the worst of humanity his whole life.
Alaric was going to change all that. He would take him to his family where Ezra would be loved, and he would spend his very long life showing Ezra every single day that good people existed. “Don’t move,” he told Ezra’s mother. “One move, and you’ll be in the same shape as your eldest son. Do you understand?”
She nodded, though she was obviously in shock and unable to make sense of what had happened. Her son might have known about magical beings, but she obviously did not.
He looked at Ezra. “It’s going to be okay. It’s over. I’m calling Xavier now.” It absolutely broke his heart to see the devastation that completely settled over Ezra’s face. The pain of knowing his own family had tried to kill him. Alaric framed that precious face in his hands. “You will move past this. I promise.”
“I just can’t believe it was them the whole time. I knew they didn’t love me, but—” His voice broke off and he did something that bound him to Alaric’s heart forever. He stepped forward into Alaric’s arms, seeking comfort.
It was all he could have hoped for.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ezra
Ezra stayed in a daze as Xavier himself showed up to the house along with four human-looking men Alaric told him were wizards. The four took the two downed shifters, leaving Xavier to deal with Ezekiel and his mother.
Xavier knelt in an enviably elegant move, cocking his head as he stared at Ezra’s whimpering brother. Apparently, all his bones were broken. Crushed. Ezra couldn’t imagine the amount of pain he was in. It had to feel like being run over by a road roller.
But he also couldn’t believe that his own family had tried to have him killed. His own pain over that knowledge felt like it was hollowing out his stomach and chest. He had a hard time looking at his mother, a woman who’d gone along with the whole thing. Hell, it was probably her idea, too, just like the trafficking had been.