Werewolves Be Damned - By Stacey Kennedy Page 0,21

her back.

Before she could even get up, he leapt off, then hurled himself at her again. She rolled away, only to have him grab her arm. He tossed her across the room and she landed against the wall with a loud thud.

Guardians clearly were more resilient. The pushing and shoving wasn’t comfortable, but it wasn’t painful and it definitely didn’t hurt as much as she imagined it should have. One thing, though, became increasingly obvious—her fear had taken a back seat. Apparently, she liked fighting.

Lurching to her feet, she twirled away just as he lunged forward. Not like she made it far. He grabbed her arm, stopping her spin, and pulled her tight against his hard, thick chest. She narrowed her eyes, trying to think up her next move, but the moment she caught sight of the heat in his features, her reprimand faded.

There, in his eyes, his desire was laid bare, for her to touch if she wanted, and for her to claim. Trapped in his smoldering stare, her breath hitched, and his expression became determined. But just as he leaned down to her, her damn pride held more strength than the heat flaring between them, seeing that she never did like to lose.

Using his hesitation to her benefit, she kicked out and nailed his shin, hard.

He stumbled back, then a slow grin filled his face. “There you go, Álainn. That’s exactly right. Always use any advantage you can to disable your opponent.”

Her win over Mr. Muscles might have pleased her, but this new smile from him took precedence. His grin bordered on devilish, and it warmed and liquefied her insides. Now she regretted that her pride made her kick him away instead of staying there in his arms and giving him that second to act.

With her victory, the lust had faded from his eyes, replaced by pride. He took a step toward her, not looking like he planned to toss her to the ground to do naughty things with her, and not even like he hunted her for more training, when suddenly, Haven called, “Oh, good. You’re done. We’ve got somewhere to be.”

Jerking her head toward the doorway, she found Haven leaning against the wall, smiling at her. “Somewhere to be?”

Haven skipped through the cathedral and winked at Kyden. “The guardians can’t have all of you—you’re part witch, too.” She looked to Nexi, clearly aware of the heated exchange she and Kyden had shared moments ago. “I wanted you to come see what witches do, who we are, just more about that side of you.”

At the thought of more training, Nexi groaned. This was enough. “Which would be?”

Haven smiled. “Magic, of course.”

Chapter Seven

The castle belonged in a Gothic horror film. One square tower made up the main structure, which was the Council’s Hall and foyer where the portal was located, and four slender towers peering high above the castle were the residences for the Council’s Guard and for the supernaturals in training. The stone walls were overrun with ivy, stretching all the way to the slate roof while four large gargoyles sat at the edges guarding the grounds.

Nexi tore away from the view behind her, not convinced those gargoyles weren’t real. She matched Haven’s stride and approached the garden in the Otherworld, her focus landing on the forest off in the distance. Not as if it was a normal forest, since it was, in fact, the gateway to the supernatural realm.

Located in Scotland, at St. Andrew’s Castle on the shores of the Black Sea, was the entranceway into the Otherworld. If a supernatural who lived in the Earthworld wanted to travel into the supernatural realm, they could simply step near the ruins of the historic castle and the magic would carry them into the Otherworld. A human would simply see the ruins of a once beautiful castle.

Nexi hadn’t believed that part until she passed from the Otherworld to Scotland, more than a dozen times. It hadn’t mattered where she entered the forest either, the second she stepped into the woods, she’d teleport to St. Andrew’s Castle.

As she strode along the grounds of the Otherworld near the garden, a light breeze wrapped around her, raising goose bumps on her skin. She inhaled the rich, sweet scent emanating from the thousands of brightly colored flowers, neatly tailored bushes, and small trees that decorated the garden.

Haven nudged her arm and waggled her eyebrows. “So, what’s up with you and Kyden?” She beamed, thoroughly proud of herself. “I knew something was brewing