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glow about her, her pale skin a hint lighter than the average person. She wasn’t just fair, she was luminous. Her power made her appear otherworldly and it was a comforting, soothing hue.
    This was not that . Whitney was pure white, not even the darker color of her marks visible. She wasn’t just painted with power, she was the embodiment of magic. She turned to him, white eyes boring into him, and the words boomed from her mouth. Not the lyrical tones that were familiar to him. No, this was power at its base and it throbbed through this hidden place.
    “This is wrong.”
    The message slammed into him, pummeling him with every syllable until he was sure his bones were crushed beneath their weight.
    He didn’t know what was wrong, what had set Whitney off, but she was staring at him as if he could fix it. Instead of answering or begging for an explanation, he dug into himself and threw his magic at her, feeding her what he could. He felt sure she could repair whatever had gone wrong if she had enough power to feed her.
    He was mistaken. So very, very mistaken.
    That lightness pulsed and grew, revealing their destination. Only… it wasn’t what they’d aimed for. Dylan was familiar with the hotel’s décor. The attempts at soothing colors and delicate decorations.
    That wasn’t what slowly came into focus.
    No, it was dirty, grimy, and run down. The flooring that had once been a light brown was caked with God knew what. The walls were yellowed by cigarette smoke and the furniture was no more than cracked milk cartons with pieces of wood atop them.
    That… that worried him.
    But what terrified him was the fact that three wolves stared at their small group. Saliva dripped from their jaws, white fangs gleaming in the dim light, and their fur stood on end. An air of anticipation surrounded them and he knew they waited for them. Waited and craved their blood, ready to pounce the moment they fully materialized.
    A fourth person stepped into view, standing tall and holding an aged book in his hands. His lips moved as if he read from the tome and it wasn’t until he raised his gaze that true fear struck Dylan.
    Eyes so like his own stared back at him.
    No.
    The male grinned and a message was planted in Dylan’s mind. One word.
    Yes.
    The man’s attention shifted to the woman before him. Not Whitney. No, he followed his line of sight to Lorelei. His Lorelei.
    Whitney whimpered and he noticed one tremble and then two and then more wrack her body. She was losing against their attacker, his rapid repetition of the spell overriding Whitney’s efforts.
    No, he wouldn’t let the man win.
    Ignoring the Ruling Warden Mate’s orders, he grasped Lorelei. He reached for his mate, wrapped his fingers around her arm and drew on the growing power that pulsed through her. It throbbed and punched its way into his body. It seared his veins as it traveled over his nerves and then he felt it slam into Whitney.
    The Ruling Warden Mate screamed, the sound breaking into Dylan’s mind and he even saw the wolves and single male wince with the shout. That cringe was the last thing he saw before the dark stole him once again. It ripped them away from their would-be attackers and plunged them into midnight.
    Less than a heartbeat later, light burst over them, throwing them from the airless darkness into bright hues.
    Unsure of where they’d emerged, he reacted first and decided he’d apologize later. He roared, the change whipping through him in a blinding rush and he knew Lorelei’s magic spurred him to go even faster.
    Clothes were burned away by the speed of his shift and rush of power, and he was quick to maneuver Whitney until she was atop Lorelei, leaving him to easily stand over the two women. He pulled his lips back, exposing his teeth as a rumbling, threatening growl escaped his muzzle. Whoever lingered would go through him to get to the females.
    A sting hit him, blossoming in his chest, and he merely absorbed the pain, allowing it