Reaching Answers (Artemis University #8) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,24
that coloring on the outsides is fear. He’s scared how you’ll react to what you’ve learned or maybe how Neldor will behave now that you have a mate with magic who can help you get stronger and thwart his plan.”
“Both,” Craftsman confirmed. “Well done, Izzy.”
“Thanks.”
“We can talk more later,” Craftsman murmured when I opened my mouth. “Privately. Right now, I think you have an Alpha bear you were going to put in his place.”
I sighed. Heavily. I nodded and let go of him, feeling our magic disentangle, but still closer to him, tingling from the experience almost. It was like how the comfort of a hug could follow me long after the action took place.
It made sense in my head.
“Keep your word,” I warned Neldor. “And any other talks you want to have in the future will go like this. I don’t give a shit you’re a prince any more than you give a shit I’m the heir and who Faerie will truly recognize. You’ve not shown me one ounce of respect besides to placate me. The feeling is mutual. Don’t test my patience again if you want to keep breathing.”
I didn’t wait for his response, focused on the seriously pissed off bear shifter I had contained in a barrier.
“Force him to shift. Take that away from him,” Zack said in my head. “The moment my mate did, my wolf shut the fuck up about being boss. Well, as much. You don’t have time for the subtle or gentle like she was with me.”
“No, no you don’t,” Ray agreed.
I nodded that I heard them both, except had no clue how to do that.
But my magic did.
“Shift,” I ordered, the magic of my barrier giving Lucca a jolt of something that didn’t seem pleasant and moments later, he changed into his bear. And it did not look fun.
Yikes.
“You are not the boss here,” I told the bear firmly. “I trust Lucca that we’re truly mates, but you need to get your fucking head out of your ass that you’re Alpha and boss of me and our relationship.”
The bear did not like that and was also pissed I was nicer to Hudson’s dragon than I was to him. That was actually fair and I acknowledged it, which gave him pause.
“I know Hudson’s dragon better,” I defended. “We played during our runs but because of your damn human, I thought you were someone else. It traumatized me. That’s not your fault, but I need to get to know you again. So far, all you’re doing is being a dick Alpha and being disloyal to me. I’m done with that if you want to keep me as your mate.”
That confused and pissed him off more because mates couldn’t leave each other and it was forever. I reminded him we weren’t mated yet. We hadn’t sealed the deal and I wouldn’t for a while, certainly not if he kept acting like he was.
When he got pissed and bitched at me in his jumbled thoughts, I lost what little patience I had. I used a wind rune to throw him up in a tornado, catching him in a barrier at the last moment so he didn’t hit the ground and splat in a way I didn’t think he could recover from. Next, I bounced him around in the barrier for a good five minutes before taking it down.
Then I attacked. I used some magic with my strikes and took on the bear without any fear, knowing I could more than best him. He could feel I was so certain and that finally gave him pause instead of getting pissed I was challenging him.
I knocked him down again and again, the bear not giving up or quitting. Zack and Ray were equal parts annoyed and impressed Lucca could keep going and was so stubborn. The guy had said he wasn’t the typical pain in the ass Alpha bear.
This was a chill Alpha bear? Or maybe it was because we were having issues and not secure?
Fuck if I knew.
They gave me suggestions of what else worked with them and I did all of it. Finally, Lucca and his bear had nothing left but fire that they didn’t want to give up.
And I still had one play left. I smirked down at the bear and showed him I wasn’t winded or had so much as a scratch on me. I whistled for Chief, noting how Lucca’s bear was smart enough to fear a fae dog.