I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the faint moonlight.

Wolves advanced on me, coming at me from all angles, their lips curled back and large canines dripping with saliva as they stalked toward me. Shuffling back on my ass through the leaves and twigs littering the forest floor, my back hit a tree and I dug in my heels, struggling to my feet. I was unable to rip my eyes away from the massive beasts surrounding me. “Oh, shit,” I muttered, reaching down and grabbing the biggest stick I could lay my hands on. “Shoo, go on then. Get away with you,” I yelled, jabbing the stick out and adopting a convincing attitude. Hopefully it was convincing. I couldn’t show weakness, I’d watched enough nature programs to know the basics. This was a pack of wild animals and they’d pounce at the slightest sign of submission. Out of the corner of my eyes, I searched for an escape route, but they were spread out, circling me and closing in fast.

The air! I could make them slow, like I had with that foxen guy. Concentrating, I pushed the air at them, compressing it until it was heavy and thick between us.

Their ears flicked back, one lifting his nose then using his paw to bat in front of him. They looked at each other, then back at me.

It was working! And they were wolven, I realized, recognizing the human intelligence behind their eyes. “Leave me alone, I haven’t done anything to you!” I shouted, aiming my anger at the pack leader, the one who’d flicked his ears. He was huge, much bigger than the rest, his coat nearly pure black, with a flash of white sprinkled down his chest.

He chuffed, the sound a low, husky growl.

He’s laughing at me! Fury overtook fear and I pushed at him, twisting that strange power inside of me into a ball and shoving out as hard as I could.

He landed on his ass with a loud thump, leaves fluttering through the air to land on his fur.

Oh, yeah. This girl’s got skills! I’d barely finished my mental fist bump, when they attacked, driven on by their leader’s howl. Pushing through the soupy air, they came at me, inching closer and closer. Shit! Run. Right. Throwing myself around the tree, I ran smack into a large chest, bouncing off and landing on my ass. My eyes traveled up a set of worn jeans, over a large muscular chest covered in khaki green, zigzagged over straining biceps, then landed on a set of lips, that were curled up into a snarl, his teeth long and sharp looking.

Scrambling sideways, I rolled and dug my hands into the dirt, lurching to my feet. Panic held me tight, squeezing my heart as it thudded in my chest. I needed a weapon, something stronger than air. Something harder. Something that would hurt! Pushing out with my mind, I felt around me, testing the objects my mind skipped over and around. Twigs and stones floated into the air, swirling around my feet and shooting out at all angles. I felt them fly, lifting them off the ground and flinging them out with my mind, could feel their makeup with a single thought, could bend the structure to my whim and use the air to carry them. Muffled grunts sounded behind me, the thud when something hit its target.

“This way.” It was a growled command.

Uh huh. No way was I about to become a chew toy.

A hand closed around my arm and I screamed, aiming my knee between his legs.

He swerved, grabbing me and throwing me over his shoulder, ignoring my fists bouncing off his back. “Fuck, did you have to do that?” He started running, the trees whipping past fast enough that I had to close my eyes against the vertigo.

“Put me down!”

“Nial would kill me and I kind of like breathing,” he huffed out. “Keep doing whatever it is that you’re doing to those assholes back there, will you?”

My hands froze. “Nial?” I craned my neck, getting my first real good look at his face.

“Mac, nice to meet you. I’d offer you my hand but it’s a little busy right now.” He didn’t pat my ass, but I got the message.

Ah, so this wasn’t the Mac I knew. Which meant I wasn’t in the real world anymore. “You can put me down.”

“Like I said, Nial wouldn’t be happy if I let the locals get his girl.” He was barely breathing fast, despite the all out sprint he was pulling. “You’re not from around here, are you?” At my silence, he grunted. “Traveler like Nial, I presume?”

Surprise flared. “You know?”

“It’s the only fun I get around here, when you guys pop in and out.”

Hope flooded me. “Is he here?” He shook his head, coming to a stop at the edge of the woods. Letting me down, he herded me across the street and along a way, leading me into an apartment block that looked more like Fort Knox than someone’s home. Leaving me to poke around, he disappeared into another room, returning with a sympathetic look on his face. “Nope, definitely not here.”

Forcing a smile, I took a seat, kicking my shoes off and hugged my knees into my chest. “Thanks for saving me.”

With an amused smile, he waved my gratitude away. “You looked like you were handling it yourself.” The smile wilted, confusion taking its place. “Somehow,” he added.

Not wanting to go into it, mainly because we still hadn’t figured out what the hell it was, I shrugged. “Still needed your help though.”

“Anytime.” We lapsed into silence, both staring at the wall, then, “We’ve just got to wait for you to wake up, right?”

“I didn’t fall asleep,” I whispered.

A frown formed between his eyes as he scratched at the scruff on his chin. “That’s a new one.”

I hugged a little tighter, resting my chin on my knees. “So, how do I get home?”

“Nial will come for you.”

“But how?” I didn’t know how this worked. Would he go to sleep and wake up here? Would he then be able to take me home with him?

“He’ll find a way, no matter what. You’re his mate.” Mac said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“He said he’d never leave me.” It had been a whisper of sound, barely audible, but Mac nodded in understanding. Before I knew it, the whole story spilled out of me; the prophecy, my strange power, the pull I felt when I looked at Nial. I recited the prophecy, the words having ingrained themselves into my memory.

“When two worlds collide once again he will roam.

Pulled by the weight of his destiny

He will bear the mark of two orbs aligned.

Once united and whole

If he yields to her

The weight will lift.

His world will fall.”

His chuckle startled me out of my gloomy introspection. “What is it?”

“I think you all need to lighten up a bit.” Slapping his leg, he howled with laughter.

The front door flew open and I jumped to my feet, ready to throw myself into Nial’s arms. A woman stared back at me, hands on her hips and a scowl on her lips. She was gorgeous, strong and lithe, with an attitude to match. “Who the hell are you and what have you done to my brother?” Oh, and she was clearly related to Mac.

“This is Nial’s mate, the male I was telling you about. He’ll be coming for her, so claws off, Mackenzie,” Mac grumbled, having clearly regained control of himself.

On a pout, she threw herself into the seat next to me, nudging me with her elbow. “He’s no fun.”

“Who?” She’d lost me.

“My brother. Always warning the decent males off.”

“They’re not decent,” Mac growled.

She giggled. “I meant, decent in the sack.”

Mac groaned, covering his face with his hands. “You don’t live here, so go away before you say something no brother needs to hear from his own sister’s mouth.”

They continued to bicker, drawing me into the conversation, each trying to get me to pick a side, which I refused point blank to do. It was nice, the bond between siblings making me long for something I’d never had. But I have now, if I want it. I had half-sisters, if I wanted to claim them. Though something told me Ella wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. And with that, I knew that Mac was right. Someone would come for me, even if it wasn’t Nial. Stretching my arms above my head, I arched my back, muffling a yawn with the back of my hand. It had to be the early hours of the morning by now, the light outside was starting to change, infusing with warmth that signaled dawn wasn’t far away.

Mac stood and led me down the hallway. “You can sleep in here, I’ll keep watch.” He held a door open, indicating a smallish room with a single bed. It looked to be unoccupied, but I was too tired to ask.

“Thank you,” I mumbled, heading straight for the bed.

He nodded, pulling the door almost closed.

“Wait, Mac? Why did you laugh, when I told you the prophecy?”

He didn’t answer for a long moment, then smiled. “In your world it’s all doom and gloom. You’re always looking for the catch, for it to be about saving the world.” At my expectant look, he winked. “Why can’t you accept that Rhen, your goddess, she cares about all of you. Is there any reason a prophecy couldn’t just be her trying to make sure fate doesn’t screw things up?”

My blank look had him laughing again.

“You and Nial will figure it out,” he offered, closing the door with a soft click.

With all my heart, I hoped he was right.