Beast, Blood, & Soul

* 44 *

When the purple haze of magic finally evaporated, the moon had set and the sun was starting to light the sky. Sunrise was still a bit away, but it was creeping ever closer. I sat in the middle of my seven mates, Namjoon and Hobi both laying their heads on each leg, while I ran my fingers through their hair, quietly thinking.

I sat in the dirt wearing Hobi's shirt and ripped and shredded jeans. I now had a nice collection of cuts and bruises decorating my body. Seven of them in the form of bites that solidified the mate connection between us.

I had been afraid that the witch had forced my men into mindless animals who would rip me to shreds in their frenzy to mate. Instead, the bites had been calculated decisions to end the witch's control over my body. To stop the choking and clean the strands, required all of us to bond our magic together to free ourselves.

I could only smile at that choice. The time it took for the protective shield of magic to lift gave us time to prove that I was for sure immune to their poison. Nobody had remembered to bring anti-toxin with them in their rush to save me. Now we knew it had never been needed in the first place.

"We made your body hurt and sore afterward for no reason," Yoongi had sadly apologized.

"We didn't know. How can I object to you protecting me the best way you knew how?" I had reassured him. Besides, I had been just fine the next day. My body proved it was as super-healing as theirs. All the signs were there that I was also a supernatural part of this equation, I just didn't put all the facts together.

I looked over to see Yoongi deep asleep snuggled into the pile that we all made. Arms and legs intertwined, seeking warmth from the body next to them, with me surrounded by them all. I couldn't have laid down even if I wanted to. I had both Taehyung and Jungkook laying at my back.

My mind wandered over the events of the evening as my fingers threaded through the soft hair in my lap. Namjoon had fallen asleep but Hobi was still awake, watching the sky lighten with me.

"Do you regret being bound to us now?" Hobi asks in the still of the morning. I look down at him to see him watching me.

"No, never." I smile at him. He gives me a small smile in return. His eyes show me how concerned he truly is by the night's events.

"You are in more danger now," he frowns now. "We're bonded and she knows it."

"My dear Hobi, I was always in danger. It was only a matter of time before we had to face her to break this thing." I cub his face in my hand, trying to smooth out the worries from his face.

"But,...."

"No, Hobi, no buts," I interrupt. "She tried to take those strands last night. The magic wouldn't let her. We need to stop being afraid that she is stronger than we are. We have to trust that the magic knows what it's doing," Hobi nods and closes his eyes, and turns his face into my hand. I spoke brave words that I wish I felt. But in truth, I'm just as worried as he is. She was able to fling me around like a ragdoll last night. The only reason she couldn't take the strands is that our bonding caused a magic shield to protect us from her. That shield was now gone. In some ways, we were now sitting ducks.

"I wonder how much of what she said last night was the actual truth?" She said so many contradictory things. In my dreams, she said one thing, to the boys she said something else. What was the truth? What was she really trying to achieve last night?

"The only honest thing she has ever said is that she believes we belong to her," Hobi muttered.

"Well, you are mine now," I reassure him. He sits up and turns to look at me. His ruby eyes are full of emotion.