Magical Midlife Love (Leveling Up #4) - K.F. Breene Page 0,74

my magical wall—literally slammed into it (oops)—running for all they were worth, a dizzying mind spell picked up from there and directed them back toward the front of the house. I ran to meet them, not good enough to keep the spell turning like Sebastian had suggested.

Which basically put us back where we’d started. Huge gray wolves raced toward us, their growls fierce and saliva dripping from their mouths.

Kingsley yanked me behind him. He quickly started shedding clothes.

“No, no, no!” I shouted, fear gripping me for the first time. “Do not change right now, Kingsley, whatever you do. If the basajaun thinks you’re challenging him, he might lose his mind. Just get out of the way.”

I tried the dizzying spell again as those wolves bore down on us, intent on chewing their way through us if need be. The basajaun wasn’t far behind, swatting at Ulric, who kept diving in front of him and then rolling away, his antics barely slowing the enormous creature. He was pissed and would not be easily distracted.

“Jessie,” Sebastian said, his tone wary. “Jessie…”

“Yeah, yeah.” I worked at the redirection spell, trying to get it to flow.

“I got it.” Sebastian stepped in front of me. Usually he gave a little hand wiggle when he set a spell, nothing more, but this time he moved his body, too, gyrating like a stream through rocks. The spell sparkled into the air in front of us and then pushed out about ten feet.

The wolves hit that, lips pulled back and teeth gnashing, expecting to barrel into us. Instead they curved into a soft turn, running along the front of the yard. I couldn’t tell whether they were confused.

“Trap them and stop that basajaun,” Sebastian shouted, and I had the feeling he was about to be afraid of one more creature. Mages clearly didn’t get out much.

The basajaun was hot on their tail, running toward the front lawn.

Ivy House was already on the bars for the wolves. Steel bars pushed up out of the grass on the other side of the lawn. The wolves ran into them, making bong sounds as their heads glanced off the unforgiving material. More bars sprang up on their right and then left, three sides of a cell I hadn’t realized were there. The last wolf wasn’t in, though, before the leaders realized what was happening.

I sent a shock wave of magic, forcing them forward. The final bars slid up, clipping the tail of one of the wolves and bumping him or her in.

Kingsley had his pants off, about to ignore me and change.

“No, damn it.” I ran in front of him, heading off the basajaun with my body.

“No, Jess!” Kingsley shouted, but I blocked him off with a spell.

“Wait, wait, wait.” I braced, my hands out, Kingsley still yelling for me to get out of the way. “Basajaun, wait, wait!”

The basajaun’s legs churned, his strides long, almost on me.

“Wait!” I shouted, amplifying my voice, sending a shock of manufactured fear through the property. Heavy sheets of fog drifted in, quickly cutting down visibility. Stars blinked out of sight.

The basajaun slowed, eyeing Ivy House’s fog warily. He probably remembered the last battle he’d taken part in here, when a poisoned fog had descended. This was just a trick of the air, though. It was my doing, not hers.

“It would be a grave insult to deny my right to punish trespassers,” the basajaun said, and his tone raised the small hairs all over my body.

Sebastian stepped in closer to me, and Kingsley thrashed against my magical hold, wanting to do the same. The fliers dipped down, ready to fight. Ivy House braced herself.

“I’m not going to deny you anything,” I said quickly, taking a step forward. Sebastian shadowed me. “I just need to talk to those wolves. They’re sneaking into Austin’s territory. He’ll want to know why.”

The basajaun’s bristled hair sent nervous tremors racing through my body. Austin was on the move, way late to the party.

“I just wanted to slow you down enough to ask if I might trade for a little time with them,” I said, remembering his preferred lingo. Everything was a trade with him. “They are on my territory, after all. I do have some say in their fate.”

After a tense beat, the hair on the basajaun’s body flattened. “Yes, of course. Where are my manners?” He smiled, his large teeth on display.

“Jess,” Kingsley growled.

“Oops.” The basajaun closed his mouth. “It is hard to know when to smile and when not.