more confident than confused. Apparently, I’d just told them good news.
Brennus knelt on one knee and looked up at me. “My lady, my apologies for not recognizing you. These lands exist outside of time, and not many pass through here.”
I nodded, but I was unsure of what to say. What were these men expecting from me? Who did they think I was?
Brennus gave me a broad grin as he stood. “Let the trial begin!” he shouted.
“Uh, guys?” I said nervously to my team as the warriors around us hoisted their weapons and cheered. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
James grunted in acknowledgement, and all three of them raised their weapons, ready to fire at the first sign of an attack.
Brennus tossed a shining blue crystal up in the air, but instead of falling back to the earth once it reached its zenith, it hovered in the air above us. Brennus chanted a few words under his breath, and the crystal flared to life, the light almost blinding me before fading into a steady blue glow.
The barrier I’d placed around the four of us blinked out of sight, and I tried not to panic. I reached for more magic, and my heart stuttered when I felt only a gaping hole inside of me where the core of my magic resided.
“Something’s wrong!” I called to the others with my bond. “My magic is gone!”
“Stay calm,” James sent to me. “We can fight our way out if we need to.”
The warriors formed a wide circle around us, and my breath started coming faster. This situation was getting worse by the moment. All around me, the warriors were swinging their swords and battle-axes, warming up for the fight that was sure to start at any moment.
I felt useless and defenseless without my magic. I’d started relying on it so much, that I forgot what it was like to be without it. My heart thudded, and my vision tunneled. This couldn’t be happening. Thirty warriors against the four of us.
I reached out to the guys through our mate bonds, relieved to see that hadn’t been taken from me as well. James radiated calm, but his attention was sharp like a predator waiting for the right moment to go in for the kill. The twins had their adrenaline pumping, exhilarated and eager for the battle to begin. I was the weak link here, and I couldn’t let my fear be what pulled us down.
I gathered all my strength and stood tall. Talen had warned me that this day would come. When I’d have no choice but to defend myself without magic. He’d even given me and the other guys lessons with swords and axes like the warriors around us were wielding. I’d just never expected anything on this level.
James slowly crouched down and removed a blade from his boot. As he rose, he held it back in my direction without ever taking his eyes off the threat in front of us.
“Anna, take it,” he said coolly. “Defend yourself at any cost. Shift if you need to.”
I nodded, realizing too late that he wouldn’t be able to see my movement. I reached deep down inside of me for the small spark of magic that would trigger my shift into a wolf, but it was missing as well. I had no access to any type of magic. I was going to have to fight in my human form. Could things get any worse?
With a battle cry, four of the warriors ran toward us, their weapons raised and ready to strike us down. Shots rang out as James and the twins fired their weapons. Brennus and the others saw their brethren being taken down by foreign weaponry, and everyone rushed us at once.
The gunshots so close to my sensitive ears left them ringing after the guys were out of ammo. James tossed his gun to the side and smoothly swiped a sword from one of the fallen warriors in front of us. Blood sprayed as he engaged a burly Roman soldier and managed to hit an artery on his thigh.
My hand shook as I held the knife in front of me, and chaos erupted all around me. Swords clanged together, screams rang out all around me, and blood soaked the earth. James was poetry in motion as he moved through the crowd, and every motion of his blade brought death to those who came against him.
The twins fought on either side of me, and while neither was as