I peeked at Hamid, who was still acting all kinds of strange. It was starting to freak me out. Maybe he’d taken a blow to the head in the explosion. That was the only thing I could think of to explain his odd behavior.
“Are you hurt?” I raised my voice in case he was having trouble hearing, too. “Can you move?”
He shook his head slowly but didn’t speak. Was he saying he wasn’t hurt or that he couldn’t move? I shoved at him again to no avail.
Turning my head to one side, I yelled, “Hello, is anyone else alive? If so, can you help me before I’m crushed over here?”
The ringing had subsided a little, so I could hear muffled voices. A pair of feet in dark shoes appeared, and the person knelt beside us. Orias. He said something, but it was garbled.
“My ears are messed up,” I shouted. “Can’t hear you.”
“Don’t move,” he said in a louder voice I could just make out.
I would have huffed if I could have taken a deep breath. “I can’t move. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of stuck here.” Orias didn’t respond, and I said, “What are you doing? Get this brute off me, will you?”
The warlock leaned down until I could see his face. “At least we know you are unharmed,” he said dryly. “You and Hamid were hit by my spell, and I need to ensure you’re okay before I allow the others to come near you.”
Ah. That explained the explosion and my hearing loss. Hamid must have taken the brunt of the spell, which was why he was being all weird.
I kept my head turned to avoid Hamid’s unsettling gaze. I wished I could ignore him completely, but that was out of the question with his big body covering mine and the soft caress of his warm breath against my cheek.
Orias went back to his knees and said some words I couldn’t understand. For several seconds, Hamid and I were encased in a soft blue light. It faded, and Orias stood.
A minute later, booted feet appeared in my line of vision, and someone tapped Hamid’s shoulder to get his attention. I breathed a sigh of relief when he pushed off me and stood.
I looked up to see Raoul’s worried face. “I’m fine,” I assured him, and his grin told me I was still talking too loudly.
He reached down to help me up. Suddenly, Hamid was there, nudging Raoul aside none too gently and lifting me to my feet.
I was so surprised by his actions that for a moment, I just stood there with my hand in his larger one. When I came to my senses, I tried to pull my hand away, but he refused to let go.
I looked up to ask what his problem was, and the words died on my tongue when I saw the way he was staring at me. The confusion was gone from his eyes to be replaced by what could only be described as possession. Orias’s magic must have addled his brain. That was the only logical explanation.
“Hamid,” Raoul said with a note of concern in his voice. “You okay?”
Hamid blinked, and his grip loosened, allowing me to escape from his hold. I immediately backed up, putting several feet between us. Hamid replied to Raoul, but with my reduced hearing, I couldn’t make out what he said.
Orias spoke to Hamid, and I used that opportunity to move away from them. I’d let Raoul and Orias sort out whatever was going on with Hamid. I located my sword, which had flown from my grasp when Hamid had tackled me, and got my first look at the gym.
The place looked like a war zone with dead demons everywhere, some of them in pieces. Black demon blood coated everything, and the smell of death was thick in the air. A quick scan of the room told me all our people were okay.
My eyes sought out the hole in the barrier, but there was no trace of it, hopefully sealed forever by Orias’s spell. That display of power had given me a whole new respect for the warlock. If his magic could seal a tear in the barrier to the demon dimension, it was no wonder Hamid was acting all wonky after being hit by it. I was feeling out of sorts, too, and he’d blocked me from the worst of it.
I glanced at Hamid who was still talking to Orias. I hoped he was okay. I didn’t like him, but I’d never wish him any harm. It bothered me that he might have been hurt protecting me.
As if he sensed my eyes on him, Hamid’s gaze shifted from Orias to me, and my stomach quivered at the intensity of his stare. No male had ever looked at me that way, like he owned me, body and soul. It angered me and excited me at the same time.
I spun away, breaking eye contact with him, and came face-to-face with Mason, who looked like he’d bathed in demon blood.
“Damn, what happened to you?” I asked him.
He grinned at me. “Why are you shouting?”
I lowered my voice. “Sorry. My ears are still ringing from Orias’s spell. Why are you covered in blood?”
“Drex demon. I had no idea those things bled so much.”
Envy tugged at me. “You killed a Drex?”
“Yeah. Brock got the other one.” His eyes gleamed with excitement. “What a night, huh?”
I rubbed at my temple where a dull throbbing had started. “You can say that again.”
Mason laid a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, you okay? You got pale all of a sudden.”
“It’s just a headache. I’m sure it’ll pass soon.”
“Hold on. I’ll get you some gunna –” He broke off and stared at something over my shoulder. Whatever he saw made him take a hasty step back.
“What?” I turned to find Hamid standing behind me, his expression dark and unreadable.
“You’re hurt,” he said stiffly.
I frowned, confused by his attention. “I have a small headache. It’s nothing.”
“You should see one of the healers.”
“I don’t need a healer.” If either of us needed one, it was him. Whatever was wrong with him was freaking me out.
I was about to call Orias over when Hamid moved forward into my space. Before I could back away, one of his hands came up to cup my cheek with a gentleness I did not expect from the big warrior.
I gasped as a warm tingling sensation radiated through me, and my heart began to thump so loudly I could feel it in my ears. My body thrummed with a strange energy, and it felt like I was experiencing the biggest adrenaline rush of my life.
Suddenly, the headache was gone, along with the ringing in my ears. That was when I felt the odd fluttering in my mind that seemed to be coming from my Mori. This was something I’d never felt before, and I wondered if my demon had also been affected by Orias’s magic. Maybe Hamid was right and I should see a healer after all.
Reaching up, I gently pushed Hamid’s hand away from my face, and then I stepped backward with a hand in front of me to keep him at bay. I’d never been shy or uncomfortable with male attention, but I was more than a little flustered by his proximity and his touch. It made me feel weak and vulnerable, and I didn’t like it one bit.
“You’re kind of creeping me out right now, big guy,” I said as kindly as I could. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’d like to have the old Hamid back, please.”
Confusion clouded his eyes, lending to my suspicion that he was suffering some ill effects of the spell. The Hamid I knew would be staring down his nose at me and telling me how this was no place for a young warrior. Blah, blah, blah. He definitely wouldn’t be hovering over me and touching me like I was a piece of glass that might break.
“Orias,” I called loudly when Hamid didn’t respond to my comment. “Can you come here?”
The warlock appeared at my side. “Yes?”
I turned to him. “Are you sure that spell didn’t cause any damage to us?” I asked with a meaningful tilt of my head toward Hamid. “Maybe you should do some more tests.”
Orias narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he looked from me to Hamid. “I would not be surprised if you were both feeling a bit off after that. I can do another spell to see if there is any lingering magic.”
“Great,” I blurted. “You can start with Hamid.”
I literally shoved the warlock at the silent warrior and hurried to where Raoul was on his phone, probably calling in a cleanup team. We’d need a big one for this mess.
He hung up and gave me a questioning look. “What’s up with you and Hamid?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” I waved a hand at the carnage before us. “What do we do now?”
“Tristan’s calling the governor and mayor as we speak, and the Council is already assembling a team of scientists to send here. They want us to leave the scene untouched until they arrive.”
“Won’t the humans be suspicious if a school closes for no reason?” I asked.
Raoul shrugged. “The mayor’s office will handle that. I’m sure they’ll have some plausible story.”
I watched Vivian, Aaron, and Eugene, who were talking as they walked the perimeter of the larger circle. Now that it was all over, it was hard to believe that a few minutes ago, I’d seen someone tear a hole in the barrier to the demon dimension. It should not have been possible, yet I’d seen it with my own two eyes.
Mason came to stand beside us. “How’s your head, Jordan?”
“You hurt your head?” Raoul asked. “Why didn’t you say something?”
I heaved a sigh, tired of people fussing over me. “My head is fine. I had a little headache, but it’s gone.”
I decided not to mention the way my Mori was acting up out of fear Raoul might confine me to the house for a few days. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck in close confines with Hamid, especially in his current state.
My Mori did that fluttering thing again, and a wave of excitement came from it. Like steel to a magnet, my gaze was drawn to the warrior who was deep in conversation with Orias on the other side of the gym. The two men stopped talking as Vivian approached them. She said something and smiled at Hamid.
My body stiffened involuntarily as a growl filled my head along with a single word.
Mine.
Shock rippled through me, and I swayed on my feet as the truth slammed into me with the force of a Mack truck.
Raoul steadied me. “Are you alright?”
“Yes.” I laughed to cover the tremble in my voice. “Been a crazy night.”
Mason chuckled. “That’s an understatement.”
Solmi, my Mori said fiercely.
My mind began to race as panic set in. No, no, no! No way. This is not happening.
The voice in my head became more insistent. Solmi.
Shut up! I tore my gaze from Hamid, trying to silence my demon, but it was too late. The damage had been done.
It was no wonder Hamid was acting so weird. I’d thought the spell had screwed up his head, and all along it had been the bond.
Our bond.
Fear and denial made my stomach roll. I couldn’t be bonded. I didn’t want a mate, least of all him. I didn’t even like him, and he barely tolerated me.
Oh, God, this was so messed up.
The air in the gym thickened until I found it hard to breathe. I needed to get out of here, to get away from him.