Chapter 19
My blood jolted as I spun around, but before I could take a step, Lucy caught my wrist.
“Go back inside the apartment.” Her eyes narrowed. “I’ll handle this.”
She had to be smoking something if she thought I would run back to safety. “Not happening,” I gritted out, my blood already at a low fizz. “Let’s go—just tell Raffe and the others to get their asses over here.” I wanted to help the person in trouble, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be hurt, killed, or kidnapped again.
I took another step toward the fir trees, but Lucy jerked me back.
“Wait,” she said, and the new presence in my chest warmed and inched forward. “If something happens to you, Raffe will kill me.”
This was the argument she wanted to have when someone was in danger?
I focused on making my intention clear. “Are you going to wait for Raffe to get here before helping?”
“What? No.” She blinked several times. “But I’m a wolf shifter who’s been part of this world my whole life, and I can control my magic.” She flinched. “I mean—”
My head jerked back, and my stomach dropped. She’d never thrown my lack of control in my face before. “Don’t. You meant it, but I don’t care. You’re my friend, not to mention Raffe’s cousin, and I love you. I won’t let you go alone.”
Lucy frowned, but when another plea for help pierced our ears, she sighed and released her hold. “Fine, let’s go, but if something seems off about this person needing help, you leave. You understand me?”
The fact she thought I’d listen was adorable. Nonetheless, I’d humor her. “Understood.”
When she sniffed, I knew she was checking for signs of a lie. That was the thing. I understood what she wanted, but that didn’t mean I planned to listen. Semantics, but I didn’t give a damn. I didn’t want to keep fighting while someone was in trouble and potentially outing supernaturals.
With a slight nod, the two of us took off. I expected her to pull ahead, but somehow, I kept pace beside her.
Suddenly, Raffe’s voice echoed in my head. I swear to gods, if something happens to Sky, I will lose my damn mind.
The heat of his anger and the frigid cold of his fear clashed in my chest, and I nearly tripped. I didn’t want to upset him, but I couldn’t let someone innocent get hurt either. That went against everything I stood for.
We were close to the tree line when a pained whimper reached me. It sounded exactly like the noise I’d heard the night I found a vampire feeding on a human. Not the screams but the faint sounds of agony.
My blood increased to a high fizz, which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because the vampire would attack me, and a curse because, if it was old and strong, it would be a tough adversary.
We ran into the tree line, and the presence inside me vibrated deep within my chest like never before, almost in tune with my blood.
My vision adjusted quicker than normal to the darkness of the woods. Lucy and I darted around trees in tandem. I’d expected her to run faster and leave me behind.
A quarter mile into the woods, panic dug its sharp claws into my chest. How in the hell had I heard the scream and whimpers from this far away? It shouldn’t have been possible.
Something was off.
“Lucy,” I panted, though I wasn’t out of breath yet.
A thwack, followed by a loud groan, was my response. I dug my feet into the ground and turned to find Lucy on her back, rubbing her forehead as she rolled to her feet and stood.
“Are you okay?” The only thing she could have run into was one of the two firs that were close together, but they had enough space between them for her to run through the middle of them.
She shook her head. “Yeah. It’s just weird. It’s like I ran into nothing.” She headed in my direction but slower, with her hands in front of her. Four feet away, she stopped in her tracks.
Her eyes widened. “Sky, come back here now. There’s a magic barrier.”
The woman could still be in trouble, but the way Lucy’s chest heaved made me listen.
Pulse thudding, I hurried toward her, but when I reached the same point, I hit the invisible wall. My body jerked back, and my forehead throbbed. At least, this time, it wasn’t my nose, like in the bunker.
Reality crashed over me. Someone or something had set a trap. I wanted to stomp and scream for being so foolish, but I hadn’t considered a trap because Lucy and I were together.
“No.” Lucy ran her fingers through her hair. “This can’t be happening. Sky, we’ve got to get you out of there.”
Fuck me.This was witch magic, and I knew someone who could help me.
Slade.
With shaky hands, I took out my phone.
“What are you doing?” Lucy hissed and smacked at the barrier like she might break it. Each time, her hand came back redder than the last.
“Calling Slade.” I tried to stay calm. If I let my emotions get the best of me, Lucy could get hurt. “He can get through this.” I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to give that information away so freely, but I wanted Lucy to know we had a way out of this. “He can help us.” I tried to be vague while letting her know all hope wasn’t lost.
“What the hell?” Lucy paled.
I flinched. “Look, I’d rather it be Raffe, but Slade is a coven member and can—”
Growls sounded from behind me.
I realized Lucy hadn’t meant Raffe.
My blood pumped, and I spun around to see three wolves inching toward me like predators stalking prey. The darkest gray wolf in the center bared its teeth while the one on its right hunkered down, its light-gray fur brushing the mulch. The largest one on the dark-gray wolf’s left had drool dripping from its mouth.
My blood hummed, and I pivoted and tossed my phone to Lucy. Thank goodness the object passed right through the barrier. “Text Slade now.”
The wolf shifters would be on me in seconds, so if I didn’t do something, I’d be standing here waiting for my death. They were moving slowly as if to scare me.
My lungs screamed for air, unable to expand, and something lunged in my chest. Hard. My blood froze as if it wasn’t sure what to do with the strange presence.
Of all the times for my blood to quiet, it would be now when three aggressive wolves were about to attack me.
Shit. Had whoever set the barrier also cast a spell to inhibit my blood? Fear strangled me. This had to be the secret society following through on their threat to eliminate me.
I could only hope I could get through to these wolves. It might be my only chance to make it out of this.
I held out a hand to show them I didn’t mean any harm. “I’m not here to hurt you. I came out here because I heard pleas for help.” I froze and glanced over my shoulder. “Are these wolves or wolf shifters?” I probably should’ve known how to tell the difference, but this was where I was at.
“Every wolf is a shifter.” Lucy didn’t look up, typing frantically on my phone.
That answer sat hard in my stomach. I didn’t want to think about all the wolves that had been studied and tagged to monitor their habits. Part of my animal knowledge took on a more sinister edge.
When I refocused on the wolves, I noticed that the lighter-gray wolf was standing more normally, as if my message had gotten through to it.
I hoped that whatever had calmed the trapped wolf I’d met that day in the woods oh so long ago was working on these three. “Please, I haven’t done anything to you. I don’t understand why you’re angry with me.”
The largest one’s eyes glowed, and the lighter-gray one readied itself again to attack. The large one must be the leader.
My heart hammered, and I hoped my blood would help me. I surveyed the area for a weapon. I didn’t doubt that Raffe and Slade would come to my aid—I just needed to hold these wolves off long enough.
My gaze paused on a sizable branch that had fallen from a tree twenty feet away. It was the only potential weapon anywhere close to me.
Great.
This was going to be so easy.
I hoped Raffe knew how much I loved him.
“You have to use your magic, Skylar.” Lucy pounded on the invisible barrier between us. “They’re going to attack.”
Fisting my hands at my sides, I screamed internally, Come on, blood. I need you.
As if answering my call, my blood jolted, but the presence in my chest pushed forward even more. The two sensations warred with each other.
I’d never experienced anything like this.
“I can’t.” I hated how my voice rose, conveying my fear. It would make the wolves that much more eager to attack. I took in a shuddering breath and tried to sound calm. “It’s not working.”
“Fuck,” Lucy groaned and placed a hand on the barrier. “I’m going to follow it until it ends. Just stay alive until one of us reaches you.”
Stay alive.
“Yeah, I kinda plan on not dying if possible,” I snapped. “Not on my bucket list.”
“Good,” Lucy retorted, her voice farther away. “Now focus on surviving.”
Right.
I had to take action. The wolves were thirty feet away, so if I wanted to get that branch, I had to move and stop wasting time begging my blood to surge.
Gritting my teeth, I took off, pushing myself like never before.
Snarls sounded from the three, but I didn’t glance back. I pumped my hands fast, remembering a secret Dad liked to tell Mom and me every time he brought up his sprinting career. He’d proclaim, To run faster, you must pump your arms harder. Your legs have to keep up even when your sides cramp. I hoped it was true.
The trees blurred, and I snagged the branch before the wolves could catch me. When I spun around, they were ten feet away.
So close.
Maybe I could outrun them. The barrier had to end somewhere.
I ran in the opposite direction. There was no way I could fight off three wolves without my blood to aid me.
I pushed myself, the wolves hot on my trail. Their breathing was almost as loud as my heartbeat.
The presence in my chest jerked harder, like it was trying to free itself from within me, and I stumbled.
Considering how fast my feet were moving, I couldn’t catch my balance, and I dropped the branch as I crashed onto my hands and knees. My body jostled, and my teeth clacked together, pain exploding on impact. Tears burned my eyes, but I grabbed the branch and spun around to find the three wolves springing at me.
Letting instinct take over, I swung the branch with all my strength. The thick middle nailed the largest wolf in the head, knocking him into the darker wolf. The darker one lost its momentum, and both wolves crumpled sideways five feet from me. The lighter wolf flew at me and swiped. I tried to lurch away, but its claws slashed my side.
Cold air hit my skin, and a stinging ache shot through me.
I gritted my teeth, air whooshing from my mouth instead of my nose, and my throat ached. The dark-gray and light-gray wolves circled me. I looked at the largest one. It lay on the ground, its eyes closed.
I’d knocked it out. Since it was unconscious, maybe I could get through to these two. The lighter-gray one had paused earlier. “If you shift back into human form and tell me what this is about, I swear to you—” I started.
A deep rattle sounded from the darker wolf as if it were telling me to shut up.
No talking. Got it.
My blood fizzed, but the damn presence in my chest felt as if it was digging a hole out of me. This was worse than the sensation of implosion when my blood had almost drained the life force out of me. The presence was jarring, like a hammer beating a nail in tune with my pulse.
I wasn’t sure what to do, but standing here like a pig on a skewer wasn’t an option. I had to do something.
Shaking my head, I tried to focus. If these wolves killed me, I would never see Raffe again.
Raffe.
My sense of him in my chest was still strong, but the presence and my blood were all-consuming.
It must be a spell. This presence had manifested in the underground bunker. What if they had placed something in me to attack my blood whenever it grew stronger?
Had the Veiled Circle set this up in case I didn’t convert to them?
The darker wolf lowered its head like a bull and charged. The lighter-gray wolf moved sideways as if to attack me when the darker one shoved me into it. I swiveled to the right, my side hitting the wolves. I almost fell, but I used the branch to catch myself and stay upright.
The two of them had already reset. They crouched side by side, ready to strike.
This was it.
I was going to die.
My blood hummed, and the presence in my chest ripped out of me. I screamed in agony … and everything around me changed.