And I could already feel my grasp slipping.

It’s inevitable, the magic whispered, insidious. You’ve never resisted us before.

The magic was right—I’d never kept her out before. Except with Lou. I needed Lou. The wolf inside me snarled. He wanted to fight. Take over. Keep her out. The only thing keeping him from jumping forward into control was that he knew I was right. If I went wolf, she won.

Lou touched my arm and I heard her shout for Will. My shirt slipped up and over my head. Warmth at my back. Then the bond between me and Lou snapped fully open.

My head cleared. It was like our bond was an umbrella, and Eva the storm. I wasn’t fully protected, but the brunt of her power slid off the silken edges of our bond, falling away from us. The umbrella was shielding us from the worst of the downpour of power, even if we were still caught up in it.

With Lou at my back, I had a little space. Not much. But I could breathe. Enough to move my arms until they were pressed into Lou’s, which were wrapped around my stomach. I’m not sure how long we stood like that. Just breathing and holding on—not even fighting back. We had no energy for that. We were barely managing as it was. Fighting could wait. Right now, all we had to do was keep Eva from winning long enough to make her retreat.

The wolf bared his teeth. We wouldn’t go down easy. Not this time.

Eventually, Eva’s mental assault lessened. My breathing slowed, the breaths going deeper. When my vision came back, I was standing stock-still at the reception counter of the shop, my shirt dangling from the office chair in front of me.

Sweat slicked my skin, my muscles trembled from the sustained strain. Lou’s shirt was draped over the counter, and she was pressed up against my back like a limpet. Her arms were still wrapped around me, a steady, supportive presence at my back, with my arms over hers. For a moment it struck me how absurd it was for me to lean on someone so tiny for protection.

The wolf snapped its teeth, getting my attention. Fierce. He looked on Lou with open admiration.

Will peered at us from a few feet away. “You two okay?”

“I think so,” I said, but I didn’t move. “We’re going to stay like this for a minute, though.”

Will nodded. “I closed the blinds. Wasn’t sure Lou wanted people passing by to see her half-naked and sweaty-hugging our counter staff.”

“My bra is on,” Lou mumbled into my back. “How is that any different than a bikini?”

“It doesn’t really matter which one you’re wearing when Declan’s shirt is off and you’re stuck to him like a koala, does it?” Will set two juice boxes on the counter. “When you can move, I want you both to drink these.”

“You want me to drink apple juice?” I picked one up.