Anira

I open my eyes, trying to understand where I am. Auror is beside me, asleep, and my body is pressed against his as if I'm afraid I might disappear. Slowly, I get out of bed and head to the bathroom. I have no idea how long I’ve slept; I don’t remember much. The last thing I recall, or maybe dreamt, was Auror’s voice telling me that I was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
After taking care of things in the bathroom, I stretch my body, cracking the necessary joints, put on a shirt that goes down to the middle of my thighs, and head downstairs to the kitchen. I want to prepare something for us, as he’ll likely wake up soon.
I check my phone—no signal, and damn, two days have passed. I look outside and see a snowstorm. It must be the last one; spring is coming, and the fluffy snow will soon be replaced by green.
I still can’t believe we slept for almost two days. I start moving around, setting out Auror’s meats to reach room temperature, while deciding to make something fresh rather than heating up everything we had ready. I prepare sautéed vegetables with one of those large steaks.
I’m in the kitchen for a while when I hear a noise. It must be Auror coming down, drawn by the smell.
I try to open our connection, but his door is closed, and I hear his footsteps approaching.
“Keeping me out, Big Guy?”
“GRRRR!” A furious growl that doesn’t belong to Auror echoes through the house. I turn around to see a massive black feral male charging through our living room.
I run to the kitchen door, and as I move, he spots me. I barely have time to slam the door shut as his body crashes into it. I lock the door and start shouting as the pounding continues.
“Open up! Open the damn door, your scent is driving me insane!” The banging shakes the frame, and I know the door won’t hold much longer. I try to open the windows from where I am when the door explodes, crashing open with him coming into the kitchen.
“Don’t run from me, not anymore. I’ve been watching you for days.”
I grab a knife, holding it toward him.
“This won’t hurt me, little human.” With the next step he takes toward me, I’m certain I’m going to die, and Auror won’t even know what happened to me.
When a furious roar erupts, I see the male’s body struck by something I only later recognize as Auror.
“I’ll hurt him, and badly.” His monstrous voice echoes as I watch a precise swipe from Auror’s claws hit the male, who howls in pain.
Everything turns apocalyptic as a fierce battle begins to unfold.

***


Auror


Roaring so loudly it makes my lungs ache, I strike the damned intruder again. I heard a thud from afar, but I thought it was a dream. My body was exhausted, and only when I tried to pull Ann closer did I realize I wasn’t dreaming—someone had entered the house.
The black male smells of nothing; I recall this lack of odor, ancient magic. My body is thrown back, crashing against the large glass and wood doors that shatter upon impact. The male is furious, but his focus isn’t on me; it’s on Ann. When he turns toward her, I launch myself at him again, biting his shoulder and tearing away a piece of flesh. He retaliates, starting our fight. I hit him twice in the face, blood splattering as his claws tear into my chest.
Every férnus knows exactly who I am, but this one seems like a puppet sent with a purpose. Despite his furious fighting, his attention is solely on my companion.
“Fall back!” I snarl as loudly as I can, with an authority that would make anyone kneel before me, but nothing happens.
“She’s mine!”
“Never!”
I won’t wait to find out who he is; I just need to tear off his head for daring to claim someone else’s mate.
When he looks at Ann again, my Ann, I grip his neck, digging my claws in. An animalistic roar echoes through the now somewhat destroyed house; at this point, my clan brothers must have felt the disturbance and could be arriving at any moment.
The black male fights against my grip, his blood flowing through my claws and fingers. Then my kick hits his chest, tearing off his head along with his spine, which now dangles in my hand.
“AUROR!” Black’s voice echoes through the house.
“Here!” I shout.
I smell Jacob, Arow, Kynai, and Lannur. I throw the male’s head on the floor, covered in blood, but my concern is with Ann.
“Arow, stay with her. Ann is in shock,” I command. She looks at me from where she sits, frozen.
Ann is sitting on the kitchen counter with a knife in her hand, her gaze fixed on me. I try to approach her, but Black’s hand stops me.
“You’ll scare her; you’re covered in blood.”
“What the hell!”
He’s right.
“Auror!” Anira’s cry makes me look at her. I see her on the counter, refusing Arow’s approach, throwing herself into my arms, not caring about being covered in blood.
“Go take care of her. We’ll handle things here,” Black says as I carry my companion away.
Without speaking, we reach our bedroom. She rests her head on my chest.
“Ann, we need to get rid of all this blood.”
“I was so scared, so scared of never seeing you again.”
“Nothing happened, Ann. Look at me.” As she does, her large eyes fill with tears. “Did he touch you?”
“No, you arrived just before he would have. I think the smell of the food I was preparing confused him.”
“Maybe. The house smells of our mating pheromones.”
I take care of her and myself, trying not to frighten her. I don’t want her to sense my anger; it’s so bitter in my mouth. After a while, we’re ready.
“I need to tend to your wounds,” she says, looking at the cuts on my chest.
“It’s nothing. They’ll be gone by tomorrow.” I smooth her face, watching her eyes close at my touch.
“Why won’t you let me in? I’m afraid.”
“Because I’m filled with so much anger, Ann. I’d scare you. I would never let you feel this way.”
I pull her into my arms, feeling her sobs erupt. Anira is the strongest woman I know, but she feels with equal intensity. I stay with her until everything calms down, and when I feel free from the rage that male made me feel, I open our connection.
“Forgive me, Ann.”
“For what are you asking forgiveness?”
“I didn’t check the upstairs of the house. He must have entered through an upper window.”
“You checked them every day, Auror. No one ever touched them. You were as exhausted as I was. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I failed to protect you. It won’t happen again.”
“You didn’t fail. You stopped him from reaching me. We’re fine. I’m fine.”
I take a deep breath, letting her words fill my mind and truly believing that everything is and will be okay.