Makath's eyes were very still.
"But I can't let some beast stand in front of me and curse him," Jake said.
"That's mine to do. Not yours."
"What are yo—" Makath stopped talking as he felt it.
The air between them changed.
Jake's aura rose.
It was unlike anything he had shown before. A very faint black-colored haze engulfed him and started burning like an invisible flame. It was the visible representation of his aura, and it was burning very brightly. Something more controlled than that, more immediate, the Primeavi power surfacing in the specific and deliberate way.
But even controlled, even partial, it was enough.
Makath felt it.
The Tiger Lord's eyes lost their triumph, sharpening as his instincts told him something was wrong.
His enormous frame shifted, every muscle tightening. Claws slid from his fingertips before conscious thought could catch up.
He stared at Jake.
Jake stared back.
