Magical Midlife Battle （Leveling Up, #8）(47)

I’d thought Austin was done, his bearing hostile now, his anger flaring. The other man was clearly having a hard time keeping eye contact, his body bowing under the pressure.

Instead, Austin moved up until he was right in James’s face.

“One more thing,” he growled. “If you ever have your man push up on my mate again, I will rip your throat out and choke that man with it, do I make myself clear?”

Tristan moved so fast I startled. He turned around and rushed Bruce, picking him up above his head and readying to throw. He didn’t toss him outward, though—he tossed him upward.

The invisible gargoyle caught the flailing shifter easily, flew farther into the air, spun, and then let go. The shifter somersaulted in the air before landing fifty feet away. Dust puffed up on impact and a feeble moan escaped him.

“I look forward to my meeting with the alpha tomorrow morning,” Austin finished. “In the meantime, my people, including the one above you, will stay put.”

He burned his glare into James for a moment, making the man visibly melt where he stood, before turning and putting out his hand for me. I took it and allowed him to walk us around the Bronco and down the street a ways.

“Jess, I’m going to shift. I want you to climb on my back, okay?” His eyes were ruthless and emotions almost frenzied. “You will stay on until I fall to my belly to let you off. Got it?”

“O-okay,” I said hesitantly, confused but feeling his urgency.

“Tristan,” he said, his gaze darting to the guys now conferring near their vehicles. “Excellent

work back there. You read the situation perfectly. I want you to lie low for the rest of the day unless something happens in town with the gargoyles or on the perimeter. Keep them to their positions but don’t allow them to engage with the locals if at all possible. I’ll send word when Brochan arrives with the second wave. We’ll meet them then and discuss matters further. Fly above us on the way back until I drop her off.”

“Yes, sir.” Tristan took a step back. “Oh, and alpha, in case Jessie forgets to tell you, Dave broke a belligerent local’s neck. He was about to challenge Isabelle. The locals were upset but didn’t push the issue with the basajaunak. I assume they will push back in other ways.”

Austin sighed, bowing just slightly. “Got it. I’m sure it’ll get brought up in the meeting tomorrow.”

He took a few steps away and shifted into his polar bear form.

“Stay safe, Jessie,” Tristan said softly, leaning toward me just a bit. “That big alpha will burn down the world if something happens to you. While that would be a damn fun time, I’d rather not lose you all the same.”

I stared in confusion as he shifted into his gargoyle form and took to the sky.

What the hell had I missed back there? How did this relate to me specifically?

“STAY HERE and play with magic for the rest of the day, okay?” Austin stood with me in the doorway of his house, having walked me through town on his back with Tristan flying slowly right overhead. It almost seemed like some sort of armored guard.

He’d changed into jeans and a white T-shirt, his usual uniform in our territory, and was ready to head out again.

“What am I missing?” I asked, dressed in a similar outfit. “Are the townspeople going to revolt or something?”

“I’m not a favorite around here. I was respected before I left, to a point, but I also kept my head down a lot. Now I’m back with a crew, and my head is most certainly not down. That show of strength by the beta and that clown Bruce proves that they don’t like my being here with a force behind me. They’re clearly going to make an issue of it whenever they can. Until we can talk to Kingsley, I’d prefer if you guys lie low.”

“But you had a bunch of supporters before you left, I thought. You must’ve had friends. Kingsley brought a bunch to our territory when he helped us out. He even left them with you. Aren’t they speaking up?”

He suddenly looked drained. “And that’s just it. I created a divide when I left. I’ve heard that a bunch of people took off after I did, seeking out other packs. Kingsley weeded out a few others whose loyalty he questioned. Now, here I am, back again, the guy who walked away with his middle finger in the air—or so they think—and bled the territory of good shifters. Not everyone thinks that way, sure, but some of these people hate that they need my help. Hate it. They’ll listen to their alpha, but they won’t like working with me. They’ll be watching me closely, making sure I don’t step out of line.

You just saw the first little ripple.”

“Okay, I get that. And I get them being…annoyed about our people suddenly playing G.I. Joe in their territory. I’m sure that must be jarring. But I’m the co-leader. Why did you carry me back to the house to be sequestered here?”

He cupped my cheek. “James was sending me a message earlier. He knows that the most important thing in my life…is you. And the way to hurt me the most would be to hurt you.”

Shivers ran through my body. Then fire lit up my middle.

“I will—”

He put his thumb over my lips to stop me from speaking, shaking his head. “This isn’t about you, Jess. I will always let you fight your own battles. But this isn’t your battle to fight. This is mine.

Threatening you is an act of war. Against me. They think their threat will cull me. Fifteen years has dulled their memories, I think. You are mine. Mine to protect at all costs. I made my own statement by bringing you back here personally, and now I will make another.”