Reckless Protector: Isaacson Trilogy Book Three

24

"Now," Magnus said, motioning them together, "you two must kiss to seal your bond."

Ulric threaded his fingers through the hair at her nape and brought Ingrid's mouth close, claiming her lips in a searing kiss.

Ingrid clutched his shirt in her fist and pulled him closer. The magical, incandescent light flared, becoming blindingly bright even with eyes closed. It encompassed them completely until it pulled in upon itself and vanished, leaving only the heat of its presence as they ended the kiss.

Magnus sheathed the dagger and nodded approvingly. "Henceforth and forever, your souls are bound, never to be alone throughout all of time and the eternities."

Ulric placed one last tender kiss on Ingrid's lips just as the faint smell of burning fabric reached his nose. Within the next few seconds, tendrils of smoke could be seen, oddly accompanied by a painful heat a few inches away from his groin. Ingrid pulled away and gasped, slapping at his hip and thigh where flames had suddenly burst forth.

Magnus shouted and threw the contents of a pitcher at Ulric, quickly dousing the fire. But the charred remnants of his trouser pocket gave way and allowed the red-hot amulet to clatter to the floor, where it landed in the puddle of water with a hiss.

Ulric stared at the metal disc in mounting confusion. What the devil?

"What is that?" Magnus asked, bending down to pick it up. He turned the amulet over in his hand, staring at it in disbelief before looking at Ulric with eyes full of fury. "I should have known you were one of those murderous radicals!"

Ulric bit back a curse and opened his mouth to explain but was suddenly thrown across the room and crashed through the front door. It would appear Magnus was not in a conversational mood at the moment, which was perfectly fine since neither was he—being thrown through a door tended to do that to a person.

Ingrid cried out in alarm and rushed after him just in time to see him land—rather gracefully, in his opinion —in the snow amid the wreckage of the door. Before he could get to his feet, which seemed to be stuck somehow, Magnus hauled him up with one hand, landing a mighty uppercut with his other that caused stars to explode before his eyes.

Rage, mixed with a desperate need to protect Ingrid from potential harm, filled him as Magnus landed another blow that dropped him to his knees. It was all a bit excessive, Ulric thought in irritation between several more punches.

Being thrown through the door was one thing, but being pummeled like a rag doll—when first of all, he hadn't asked for it, and secondly, he'd done nothing to deserve it this time—really was too much to forgive at the moment. Giving in to instinct, Ulric released a ferocious growl and called forth his Berserker.

Muscles and veins bulged with infinite power. His hearing and vision sharpened. Colors muted and shifted, allowing him to focus on the threat immediately before him. Within a single heartbeat, he had Magnus by the neck, seconds away from crushing his throat and hanging several inches off the ground.

Instead of surrendering to the urge to kill, Ulric dropped Magnus and dismissed his Berserker, surprised at the speed with which he was back to his usual self.

Magnus staggered to his feet and held a hand to his throat, his brow creased with a heavy frown as he croaked, "You have some explaining to do."

Thirty minutes later, Magnus repeated with a raspy voice for the third time, "Blood magic?" A dark purplish bruise in the shape of Ulric's hand marred the flesh of his throat.

Ulric nodded for the third time and remained silent, having already explained what had transpired within the last two weeks that led to his current predicament and new abilities.