“I don’t like your tone, Austin,” James said, stepping a little closer. “I don’t like your coming back here and treating this place like your own. You left this pack. You threw in the towel and walked away. You don’t get to come back and start throwing your weight around, making decisions, taking over the alpha’s right to lead.”
Austin’s power started to pump now, his aggression rising with James’s obvious posturing.
“I came back here to protect my brother’s right to lead. Momar wants to take that away, and his people will kill you if given the chance. You’d better get your head on straight. I’d thought you cowboys knew the stakes, but it seems you’ve deluded yourselves. I can work around you or work through you, but get one thing clear…” Austin took another step forward, his brawn and power easily showing his dominance in this situation. The other man couldn’t help but flinch. “I will make any decisions necessary to ensure this territory survives. I have a house here, family. I will protect them by any means necessary.”
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.”