Chapter Fifteen
Walker
E arthen walls of soil so dense they were practically concrete closed in on the Ranger who faced me and squeezed him like a vice. Without looking beside me, I knew who was responsible for those walls.
Cady.
For once, I was relieved to see her leap into battle—it meant she was okay.
As the Ranger stared at me, helpless from the confines of his newfound prison, I studied the bloodied spot on my baby sister’s head and considered killing him. My magic, a molten river in my veins and a heady song in the air, urged me to do it. It begged me to unleash upon him a fraction of the hurt and fear the Ranger had inflicted upon my sister.
If this man could hurt a child, he deserved to die.
He deserved worse.
I raised my hand to hit him with the full force of my lightning. Ever since I had come to understand my magic as an extension of myself, it had become easier to control. I trusted it not to hurt the ones I cared about.
I also trusted my power to end those who dared to harm them.
“Cowboy!” Freya screamed. “Let’s go!”
“Walker,” Cadence said quietly. I didn’t tear my gaze from the Ranger’s. “Walker, there’s more coming.”
The fear in her wobbling voice freed me from the deadly song of my magic. My lightning fizzled out, and, with my friends beside me, we raced around the hideous gas station and threw ourselves into the SUV.
For miles, no one spoke. I just drove and drove, keeping an eye out for any trailing motorcycles. We had heard the other Rangers coming, but we hadn’t seen them approach.
Maybe they’re too busy trying to save their fellow officers.
Chewed up and spit out, I wasn’t sure what was left of the pretty boy Ranger, but he had still been screaming when we left. The other one had been intact but trapped in Cadence’s earthen vice.
He had been alive, but not thanks to me.
I checked the rearview to check on Cadence. Freya dabbed at the wound on her head with a baby wipe.
“Is it still bleeding?” I asked.
“Nope,” Freya promised. “Her magic healed her in record time.”
Cady smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I hated the fear lingering on her face and fought the urge to turn around and finish what those Rangers had started.
“Maybe we should stop by a doctor’s office,” I said, “just to make sure she’s not concussed?”
Freya frowned. “You know doing that would only put her in greater danger. Besides, if her magic healed the exterior wound, it will heal the internal damage too.”
Though Freya was right, I grumbled under my breath. I was desperate to do something to help Cady. My baby sister had gotten hurt because of me—because I had left her there and because I let her get dragged into another dangerous journey. That ass-wipe of a Ranger had been the one to hurt her, but I was the one who gave him the chance to do so.
When thirty miles separated us from Hell’s gas station, Freya broke the heavy silence.
“So,” she said to Ryder, who sat beside me in the passenger seat. “Are you just going to be naked the rest of the trip?”
The bloodied-up werewolf sat with nothing but a sweatshirt over his lap. He laughed breathlessly, and Freya chuckled, but neither was loud enough to cover Cadence’s quiet reply.
“I wish.”
Freya cackled, but I groaned. “That’s sick.”
Ryder turned red and declared, “Frey, toss me some pants.”
???
Miles and hours later, we stopped for the night at a lowkey, but decent enough hotel just outside Baton Rouge, Louisianna. Ryder had wanted to push through and get to the city sooner rather than later, but Freya and I had agreed that it would be better to arrive in the light of day. With Arion in her lap, Cadence had slept through the entirety of the conversation.
After we checked in at the front desk, the four of us and Arion walked to our two rooms but paused in the beige, brightly lit hallway between them. Generic paintings hung alongside the many doors. Avoiding my gaze, Freya ducked her head and entered the room closest to Ryder. As the werewolf followed her inside, he smirked.
“Oh good,” Ryder said before the door closed, “only one bed.”
The door clicked shut, but I couldn’t tear my attention from it. My magic hummed in my veins, and the hall lights flickered.
“Walker?” Cady said.
I snapped out of my jealousy and forced a smile. With a deep breath, I willed my magic to recede. Though it lurked under my skin like liquid heat, the lights returned to normal.
I used the keycard from the front desk to unlock our room and hurried inside. The scent of bleach and chemicals burned my nostrils, but at least the two beds, patterned carpet, and quaint bathroom were cleaned. Cadence removed her puffy pink coat and crawled into bed. Within seconds, she snored. Meanwhile, sleep evaded my grasp. As soon as I laid down and stared at the white, popcorn ceiling, all my suppressed thoughts raced.
The Ranger’s terrified face flashed behind my eyes, followed by the visual of Cadence lying trapped and vulnerable on the ground. When I tried to tune out the battle, Freya swarmed my thoughts. Though only feet separated us, it might as well have been dimensions between us.
Across the hall, the witch had probably changed into her most comfortable sweats, piled her fiery curls on top of her head, and crawled into bed with her werewolf ex-boyfriend, whom even my baby sister thought was hot. Aside from his good looks and tendency to be in the nude, however, this trip had shown me that Ryder was halfway likeable when he forgot to be a jerk. He had protected Cadence with his life without a second thought. Though I had managed to tame my magic on a couple occasions, Ryder was far more stable.
He was from Freya’s world.
He wasn’t an anomaly like me.
I had no right to be jealous. Freya had thoroughly dumped my ass. I just wished my heart, my hormones, and my magic had gotten the memo.
I rolled over and tried to force myself to sleep, but my magic buzzed like a fly in my ear. I rolled over again and tried to count sheep to distract myself. When I had imagined seventy-four fluffy farm animals, I sighed in defeat and got out of bed. As quietly as I could, I threw on my boots and t-shirt and grabbed the key-card to the room. I gently shut the door behind me, but a flicker of red hair caught my eye.
Across the narrow, beige hall, Freya was a slash of color. Just as I had imagined, her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and sweatpants hung low on her hips. My gaze dipped to her dark t-shirt and got stuck there for a heartbeat too long. She wasn’t wearing a…
“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked in a smoky voice.
I cleared my throat and prayed she hadn’t noticed my staring, but that hope was in vain. Freya noticed everything. Judging by her rose-tinted cheeks and knowing smirk, this was no exception.
“Yeah,” I said and scratched the back of my neck.
She studied me. “I sensed your magic across the hall.”
“Oh,” I said and winced. C’mon, Walker. Use your words . “Sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you up.”
Freya waved me off. “No, I only noticed because I was already awake. Sorry, I didn’t mean to blame you or anything…”
Awkward silence stretched between us. I wanted to apologize again, though I wasn’t sure where to start.
I’m sorry for getting us into this mess.
I’m sorry for making your coven question your judgment.
I’m sorry for staring at your chest.
My eyes dipped again, and I forced myself to walk away, even as my fingers itched to touch her. A low thrum of magic filled the hall, and, with a start, I realized it wasn’t just my own. A heartbeat later, Freya cursed and stifled her power. Before I reached the exit at the end of the hall, she caught up to me.
“We’re not going to be this goddessdamned awkward around each other,” she sniped and pushed open the door. I reached over her smaller frame and held it open for her.
The moon shone down on us, though clouds blotted out the stars. Humid, heavy heat pressed in, but it was a relief to be outside. Though my magic had quieted,it still hummed like crickets in the night. Freya’s words chafed me.
“You’re the one who dumped me right before we went on a road trip together,” I argued and leaned against the textured beige wall of the hotel.
We stood on its side-exit, facing the expanse of the parking lot. Buildings towered nearby, and drunken laughter flowed down the streets. We were by all means, however, alone.
“Dumped you?” she said and crossed her arms. “Really? Are we back in high school?”
I snorted. “Nope. Otherwise, you would’ve never stooped as low as a human.”
My words hit their mark, but the flash of pain on her face didn’t satisfy me. It didn’t assuage the fears bottlenecking in my choked throat either.
“I fell—” she cut herself off, and I refused to let myself hope for what she had almost said. “I saved human Walker.”
“Yeah,” I admitted, “you did. Too bad you’re stuck with whatever the hell I am now, huh?”
She growled in frustration. “You are so dense.”
“I know, Freya,” I said. “I know. I should’ve gotten a grip on myself sooner. I should’ve—”
“It’s my fault,” she said quietly. Her chin dipped, and her gaze fell to the concrete sidewalk.
“What’s your fault?” I asked.
Unable to keep from touching her—comforting her—I placed my fingers under her chin and gently lifted her head. Her glassy-eyed gaze met mine.
“It’s my fault,” Freya repeated. “I brought you back without asking. I-I should’ve tried to keep you human, I should’ve been brave enough to let you go, I-I brought you back, and you’ve been miserable, Walker.”
I pulled her into my arms, and she wrapped her own around my torso. I rested my chin on the top of her fluffy head of hair and took what felt like my first breath in days.
“I’m not miserable,” I said. “I’m sorry I’ve been pitying myself and letting the second chance at life you gave me slip by. I’m not going to do it anymore, sweetheart. I promise.”
She squeezed me tighter.
“It’s my fault you ended things,” I whispered. “I know that.”
Freya shook her head and pulled away. Her copper eyes were round with sadness.
“No,” she said. “It wouldn’t have ever worked. It can’t. Witches…”
“Witches don’t believe in love,” I finished for her.
She nodded. “Especially not Coven Mothers.”
Right. Freya’s greatest dream was to follow in her mother’s footsteps and to lead her coven graciously. I couldn’t threaten that. I didn’t want to.
I pulled her back into my arms and kissed the top of her head.
“I’m sorry,” I said. For all of it.
“Me too.” She snuggled deeper into my chest. “We have to stop this.”
“What?” I asked. “Witches can’t have friends?”
The label left a bad taste in my mouth, and even my magic sent a spike of resistance through my body, but if it was all I could be to Freya, I would take it. Anyone would be a fool not to.
She sighed. “Friends. Yeah, friends are allowed, cowboy.”
We stood like that for a long time, until a group of drunken girls walked by and whistled. We pulled away, but neither of us moved to go back inside. Restlessness still churned my magic.
“What is it?” Freya asked.
“Something’s been bothering me,” I said. “Back at the gas station, the Rangers were there before us.”
“Okay,” Freya said slowly. “We were a lucky catch.”
“But why were they hidden when I walked inside?” I replied.
Freya chewed on her lower lip. “It’s like they were waiting for us.”
“Exactly,” I said.
“It’s a well-traveled highway,” she mused. “Maybe they find lots of unknowing journeyers there?”
“Don’t witches hate cars?” I said.
She sighed. “Yes, but what other option is there? Who could’ve tipped them off?”
Only Freya’s coven knew where we were going.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said curtly, “but regardless of their faith in me, no witch of Hecate would resort to working with hunters.”
“Okay,” I said. Another thought occurred to me. “What about Ryder’s pack?”
Freya shook her head. “He was oddly serious about the whole thing. He only told his father where he was going, and Kai would never risk his son.”
The wolves being responsible didn’t feel right anyway. Nothing about this did.
“The High Witch?” I offered. “She could be trying to slow us down, so we fail to meet our deadline, and she’ll get to kill us?”
“As uplifting as that is,” Freya said dryly, “she wasn’t there for the tracking spell. She doesn’t know where we’re going.”
Freya frowned. “Unless she’s tracking us , but our odds of success are slim anyway. Why bother?”
“Maybe I’m just looking for another problem,” I said and sighed. “They could’ve just gotten lucky when they found us.”
Freya smirked. “They didn’t seem so lucky when we were done with them.”
“Yeah,” I said and chuckled. “I can’t believe Ryder ripped off a guy’s arm.”
“I can’t believe you stopped a bullet midair,” she shot back.
“What can I say?” I shrugged. “I’ve got skills.”
She rolled her eyes. “And plenty of confidence.”
As I smiled at her and warmth bloomed in my chest, I realized no matter what Freya called us, she would always be more to me than a friend.