“I’m fine. The witch is dead. I’m leaving now. I’ll let you know as soon as I’m in my car, and this place is in my rearview mirror.”
“Marc, is Allie okay?” his mom asked just as Gerri pulled into the driveway.
“Yeah. She said the witch is dead, and she’s trying to make her escape now.”
“Good!” Gerri said, stepping toward the group that had assembled.
Marc, his mom, and all of his siblings stood on the front porch waiting for Gerri to arrive.
“Yes. Very good,” Marc said as Gerri pulled him into a tight hug.
“I don’t think we should wait to find out what happens. I think we need to go now,” Judith said. “None of this sits right with me. What kind of parent treats their child like a piece of property instead of a living being?”
Marc had only ever seen his mom this angry once before. He knew the string that was holding her together was near snapping. He was surprised it hadn’t already. Even though she had yet to meet Allie, she still considered her one of her children. And no one fucked with her family … ever.
“I think your mom is right, Marc. These people are … demented. I hate to say that about someone, but it’s true. I will never understand these fundamentalists,” Gerri said. “We should go now in case Allie needs help. I’m glad to see you’ve recruited the family to help. We’re likely going to need everyone’s strength. The witch may be out of play, but we have no idea who else is involved in their sick scheme.”
“She’s right,” Marc said. “Split up into two vehicles. We’ll park a block away. I’ll take group one around to the front of the house for the straight-on confrontation. Group two will circle around the back of the property and only help if needed. Mom and Gerri are with me. Ryan, you take Ben and Ella with you, and do not let them get hurt.”
“Please. We know how to take care of ourselves.” Ella punched him playfully in the side. “Let a bitch come at me, and I’ll bite her fucking head off.”
“I know you will, sis. Just be safe. You’ve been kickin’ ass and takin’ names since you were in diapers.”
Yeah, Ella knew how to take care of herself, but Marc still worried about his baby sister. He would kill anyone who hurt her … zero fucking questions asked.
Once they had broken into their groups, they set off on their mission of finding Marc’s mate.
“Allie, can you hear me? We’re on our way.”
“Marc! Oh, God! They have me. They’ve lost their damn minds! You have to stay away. It’s not safe. They’ll kill you! Please! Do not come here. I’ll figure out a way out of this mess!”
“Fuck!” Marc punched his steering wheel and immediately regretted the action the second his airbag deployed. He quickly veered toward the curb and came to a quick stop.
“Honey, what happened?” Judith asked.
Marc and Gerri jumped out of the truck. “Her parents have her,” he said, kicking the tire of his truck. “She said not to come. That she would figure it out. That her parents would kill me. I can’t just do nothing.”
“And we won’t. There are enough of us to take on anyone they throw at us. We can do this. We will save Allie,” Judith placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“We need to get there now,” Gerri said.
Marc glanced up at the darkening sky and cursed again. “Fuck! I agree. Who knows what is going on over there? I need her in my arms and safe … now.”
“We will get there faster on four legs as opposed to two,” Judith said, stating the obvious now that Marc’s truck was out of commission thanks to his temper getting the best of him.
“Thankfully, it’s dark out now, and the streets are pretty quiet. Try to keep to the tree line and out of sight of people. The last thing we need is to have animal control called for someone seeing two tigers and a wolf running through town,” Gerri said.
“If we’re going to do this, let’s do it,” Marc said. He felt the magic in the air around him thicken as Gerri shifted to her wolf form, and his mom shifted into her tiger form and let out a low grumble.
Marc sucked in a deep breath and let the control go to his animal. His transformation was happening faster than it ever had. When he glanced toward the ground, he stood on four legs instead of two. He didn’t waste a second. Feeling his powerful muscles spring into action, he headed for Allie’s parents’ house.
His muscles burned as he raced at a breakneck speed to reach his mate.
“Allie, where are you? Talk to me, baby. What is going on?”he asked, needing to know what the hell was happening with her parents.
“Marc! They are trying to find a way to break my mating bond with you! They have another witch here, and she’s getting ready to do some sort of spell! Please! Oh, God!”
Anger tore through him. He could hear the fear in her voice, and it broke his heart. Whatever the hell her parents were up to had to be stopped. She was his fated mate, and he would not let anyone come between them. It didn’t matter who the fuck they were. No one would tear him from his mate. Not when he’d just found her after spending his whole life dreaming about her and searching for her.