“Not your fault, Rylee,” Lark said as if reading my mind. “You can’t always know what’s going to happen to you; especially when facing demons and almost certain death.” She put one hand on my shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze.
I brushed her hand off and let out slow breath. “Fuck. I’m sorry, Lark. I . . . .”
She snorted and shook her head. “Tracker, you remind me so much of . . . I forget you aren’t her. You are stronger than she ever was.” She let out a slow sigh and ran a hand over her face. “Forgive me, for thinking you don’t know what you’re doing. I’m not used to anyone else being able to make things happen. It has always been on my shoulders. It is strange to be asked to trust someone else’s judgment. As to the rest, well, it is forgotten already.” She turned my hand over so it was palm down and then tapped two of her fingers to it.
“What’s that for?”
Her smile slowly lit her face, softening the irritation there only a moment before. “A way of showing respect for someone; you know you are strong enough.”
“Thank you.” The words flowed off my tongue and it was like she said; the fight between us was forgotten. We were a team and we were going to finish Orion together.
“Let’s get this show on the road. We’ve got a kid to grab, demons to kill, and a fucking world to save,” I said.
Liam grinned at me, but in his smile I saw Faris too, and my heart lurched more than a little. Ah, what the hell. I reached for him, grabbed his face, and pulled him too me.
“Welcome back, Adamson.”
“We get a minute alone, and I’ll show you how glad I am to be back.”
Behind us, Lark grunted. “See what I mean, Cactus? Trackers, they’re a lot like ogres.”
I grinned over my shoulder at her. “I’ll take that for a compliment.”
She laughed and smiled back at me. “Oh, it was meant to be. Mating and fighting; if there are only two things you’re good at in this life, I’d put those at the top of the list too.”
Outside, Blaz let out a roar that shook the store.
Incoming humans. Time to leave.
Time to leave, indeed.
CHAPTER 12
RYLEE
WE BAGGED LIAM and Berget up in the black out curtains and dragged them out of the store as the first cop car showed up.
Marco hopped toward us, his wings fluttering. “Give them to me.”
Inside the bag, Faris muttered away. I rolled my eyes. “Quit your bitching or I’ll leave you behind.” There was no real heat in my words. We all knew I wasn’t leaving him. I handed the top of the bag to Marco’s outstretched claw. He leapt into the air, dragging the two vampires with him. A sharp slap came from the bag and I bet Berget let Faris have it again.
Even if she hadn’t, the thought made me smile.
“Freeze. Put your hands in the air!” The female cop on the left called out to us, dragging my attention back to her. I looked up at Blaz.
“You like smashing cars?”
He spun, flicked his tail high into the air, then brought it down hard on top of the police cruiser. The glass exploded and the two cops leapt away from their now useless vehicle. They lay on the ground, their hands covering their heads as the rest of us scrambled onto Eve and Blaz.
Lark leapt up onto the dragon’s back, using his bent back leg for a launching point, Peta right behind her. Shit, they made it look easy. Cactus followed them, doing the exact same thing. Well hell, if they could do it, so could I.
I ran at Blaz’s back leg, jumped and he lowered his knee a fraction of an inch, then helped me with a boost so I was launched onto his back.
“Well done, Rylee.” Lark let out a laugh. “But your dragon helped you cheat.”
I laughed with her and then, as Blaz lifted and we rose into the sky, I realized how badly my attitude had affected everyone else. How much I’d brought them down.
I buckled myself into his harness. “Blaz, how much of my emotional state from that demon could you sense?”
Almost none. It was as if you were blocking me.
We hovered above the big box store and waited for Eve and Marco to flank us before heading west again.
Swallowing my pride, I opened myself up to Blaz. “You need to be aware of what I have going on.”
He sucked in a sharp breath and turned his head to look at me. Are you sure, Rylee?
I’d never let him all the way into my head, not to the degree I was offering now. I gave him a tight nod. “Yes, I’m sure. It may be the only way we have a chance to survive. I know what happens if one of us dies.”
My father had been a demon slayer, and Ophelia was his dragon. When he was killed, Ophelia lost her mind and became a menace to herself, eventually manipulated by a demon because of that weakness. And if Blaz died?
I couldn’t even imagine my life without him, without the constant knowledge that he was—with the exception of Liam—the one I trusted the most with my heart.
A low rumble rolled out of him, and as he turned his head from me, I saw a rainbow glimmered tear slip down his cheek. I looked away, but let him feel the gratitude in my heart for him.
For his friendship and protection.
And for kicking my ass when I needed it.
Blaz roared into the sky as that last thought passed from me to him.
And I feel the same.
We swept westward at a good clip. The miles and the day flew by in a rush that I wasn’t sure I liked. Without even doing anything, we were running out of time. Another hour or so, and we’d be able to let Berget and Faris out of the bag again. The sun in front of us slowly set, the sky brilliantly reddening as though a forest fire raged below.
I sensed Jonathan in the distance as I Tracked him to the south. I fed the feel of the boy to Blaz, letting the dragon pick the best route to get to the automatic writer. But I was less concerned about our path and more concerned about Jonathan.
The kid was . . . his threads were, for lack of a better word, weird. He wasn’t happy or sad; he wasn’t feeling any type of emotion. Not even tired or awake. He existed in a fog that had nothing to do with my ability.
When I’d met him years ago, there had been the same lack of feeling, the same strange apathy that he floated in. He’d been a kid, passed from foster home to foster home because he was such an odd character. Freaking creepy, if I recalled right. I picked up on his creep factor loud and clear again.
A shudder rippled through me. What if the Shadow Walker had kept him, what if that had been his influence instead of Lark’s people? How much harder would it have been for us to deal with him then?
It would’ve been harder to get him to help, of that I was certain.
Around us, the air carried a strange energy, and the hairs on the back of my neck slowly rose. The Harpies started to fall back as a serious headwind slammed into us; the weather shifted so quickly, going from a calm breeze into a serious storm in a matter of minutes. The sky darkened and the clouds opened like someone had slashed a knife through them.
Rain pelted down, hard enough that I was sure there would be bruises, reminding me of London, and the constant wet and gray skies. But this was not London, and I had a feeling it was anything but natural.
Within minutes, we were soaked through, and the rain was not warm. Teeth chattering, I looked over my shoulder at Lark and Cactus. Curled up between them, Peta hid from the rain. “You two can’t do anything about this, can you?”
Lark shook her head. “No, and if any Sylphs come, it would be best if we were not seen. But I doubt we’d be able to hide in time, so that’s not an option.”
Above us a bolt of lightning ripped the sky, searing my eyes. I ducked my head. “Is it a Sylph doing this?” In the back of my head I scrambled for information. A Sylph was an air elemental, and as legendary as Lark was supposed to be.
“I’m quite sure. The four families created a lockdown around Jonathan, from what I understand. They knew I would come for him eventually. He is the first step in me
taking back my place in our world.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “Look at Pamela.”
I whipped my head around to see Pamela standing on Eve’s back, Alex steadying her with his hands on the back of her thighs. Her hands were raised above her head and the wind around them stilled, the clouds pushed away. Eve winged closer and the calm encircled us. Pamela’s eyes were closed and she dripped with water—or it could have been sweat.
“Pamela, you are a badass,” I hollered over to her.
She grinned but kept her eyes closed. “I learned from the best.”
Lark shimmied closer to me and whispered into my ear. “I can stop the Sylph, but I need to be on the ground.”
“Blaz, you heard the Destroyer. Time to land.”
He tucked his wings and dropped like the ten-ton lizard he was. Behind us came the sharp whistle of wind screaming through the Harpies’ feathers as they coursed behind the dragon. I leaned over and peered around Blaz’s head to see the spot he’d picked to land.
“Blaz, tell me you’re joking. Please tell me that isn’t Mt. Hood.”
The quickest path was to stay north and avoid the higher ranges, then come down the coast line.
Mt. Hood. The sight of the volcano I’d caused to erupt; the place where I’d gained the ogres as allies, then lost them when I confronted their leader, Sas.
The place I’d been when Dox had been killed at my farm. My heart clenched.
So be it.
CHAPTER 13
PAMELA
THE MAGIC RUSHED through my veins, more heady even than the cup of wine I’d drank at winter solstice with Rylee. Around me, I could feel the world and every element within it, as though they were a part of me, and with a bare whisper of a thought I could ask them to do my bidding.
That had been the key to unlocking my power, truly unlocking it. Not to demand the magic do my bidding, but to ask it. To make it my partner in all I wished.
What no one had ever told me before was that the magic I carried was a living thing, a creature no different than Blaz, Eve, or even me.
And it was a bit temperamental and didn’t like to be shoved around.
Weaving the power through me, I kept the clouds and lightning at bay, redirecting the storm, sending it southeast, away from us.
Something pushed it back, though; another force of magic from what it felt like, though the sensation was there and then gone in a flash.
Alex’s hands tightened on me and pulled me down. “Sit, we’re landing.”
My eyes popped open. “Why did we stop?” All around us was black rock and above us was a mountain with the top blown off. I put a hand to my mouth as I slowly turned to take it in. The charcoal forest, the strange landscape, the mountain, and the crystal clear lake in the distance—this was the place Rylee had been, where she’d made the volcano explode.
Which meant there were ogres nearby; ogres that didn’t like us and were probably still being manipulated by Orion.
“Oh shit,” I whispered.
Alex squeezed my arms, and then quickly let go so he could slide off Eve’s back.
“Don’t freak out yet. Maybe it’s not all that bad.” He pointed at Rylee and Lark, who had their heads bent together. Marco hopped beside us, doing his best to keep Berget and Liam from bouncing on the ground as he landed.
I rolled my eyes. “Alex, this is Rylee we’re talking about. How can you say not to freak out?”
Laughing, he winked up at me. “Because I would like to believe we’re all getting out of this alive. We’ll look back on this someday and tell amazing stories.” He paused and turned his head, sniffing loudly. “Do you smell that?’
I swallowed hard. “Please tell me it isn’t ogres.”
He spun around and looked at me. “How did you know?”
“Call it a bad feeling.” I jumped off Eve’s back and ran to Rylee, fighting the urge to panic. Ogres were tough, and while my magic was strong, we hadn’t been able to fend off the human mob without Rylee getting stuck with a demon. What would happen if it were an ogre mob that came at us?
Blaz’s voice whispered across to me. Easy, Pamela. You are broadcasting your panic.
I took a slow breath, let it out, and made myself stop hurrying. “Thank you.”
You’re welcome.
I stopped beside Lark and Rylee. The tall elemental made me feel very small, but her eyes and face were kind. She noticed me first. “What is it, witch?”
“Ogres are coming.”
Rylee’s jaw tightened. “Better to kill them now than face them later. Seriously, I thought I was done with these assholes.”
Lark put a hand on my shoulder. “There is a Sylph coming. They were manipulating the weather around us and are drawing closer. Rylee tells me you took down a Sylph when they tried to stop you from taking me out of the oubliette. Is that right?”
My mouth dried up at the thought of a Sylph and what they could do. I’d been on the receiving end of their power; it was more terrifying than facing Orion as he used Milly’s body.
“Yes, that’s right,” I managed to say.
“Then you, Peta, and I will tackle the Sylph. Rylee and the others will deal with the ogres, yes?” Lark said.
I caught Rylee’s eye and she gave me a nod. “Go, clean his clock. Another thirty minutes, and Berget and Faris will be able to help us with the ogres.”
Thirty minutes. Did she think it would take that long to deal with the two factions coming at us?
Probably not. But to be safe, perhaps you should stick the vampires farther back from the field of battle.
Blaz’s words must have gone to everyone, because Marco flew into the air, his beak moving as he relayed what was going on to Berget and Faris.
Lark led me away from the others. Peta trotted ahead of us, shifting once more into her leopard form. She sniffed the air and then flicked her head to the north, toward the mountain.
“Where are we going?”
“To the base of the mountain. My power and strength lie in the earth, so the more I have it at hand the better.”
I kept looking for the Sylph, wondering when he would come flying in. “Do you think the Sylph will attack with you here?”
Lark laughed softly with a bitter note to it. “I’m quite sure if I weren’t here, you would have got through fine. I’ve no doubt they’ve come to stop me.”
“Why?”
She took a deep breath and muttered, “Rylee said you asked a lot of questions.”
“How else can I learn?” I snapped at her, embarrassed that Rylee would warn her.
Lark held up both hands. “Easy, little witch. It is only that she wanted me to know that was your way. That you were hungry for the supernatural and all the knowledge you could gain. That is a good thing.” She paused and looked to the sky for a moment before answering my original question. “A long time ago, I was set apart by the mother goddess as her chosen one. It means I live outside the rules and stipulations placed on my people, on all elementals, really. It makes me dangerous because I can become the catalyst for change. And change is coming.”
I looked at her, then at Rylee. “You two really are related, aren’t you?”
Her mouth quirked up. “Yes—”
Lightning struck at our feet, exploding the hardened lava and sending chunks toward us at rapid-fire speed. I was thrown backward, and landed flat on my back, the wind knocked out of me. Rolling to my side, I looked up. Lark stood with her legs spread wide and her hands stretched out to the side. Her feet were sunk into the earth, and it held her tightly as the wind ripped around her, yanking on her. Peta stood in front of her, claws digging into the ground. She snarled at the Sylph above us.
He floated in the air, his long white hair swirling around his body. Like the Sylph I’d faced before, he wore all white, making him seem even paler than he truly was. The mountain shook beneath me, shivering as if it were going to leap up at any moment. I fought for air and gulped down several lungsful, the scent of ozone heavy. He was
going to fry her. “Lark!”
“Deflect it, Pamela!”
I struggled to my feet and focused on the clouds above us. The rumble of lightning formed within the clouds. I lifted my hands and the magic poured out of me, sending the clouds flying backward. Lightning shot our way but missed by twenty feet, at least.
I ran to Lark’s side and she draped an arm over my shoulder. My feet sank into the ground and held as the earth firmed around them. “Don’t hold back. He will kill us if he can.”
“I’ve never let it all out.”
She nodded. “Only if you have to. You’ll know the moment when it comes, when there is nothing left but to unleash everything in you, every molecule of power you have left to survive.”
Although I didn’t need to, I held my hands up. The magic paused for a beat of my heart while I directed it to what I wanted. My idea was simple. Grab the Sylph and throw him to the ground so that Lark could cover him with dirt.
Simple.
Right.
The magic shot toward the Sylph and he dodged it, as if he’d seen it coming. But that wasn’t possible, was it?
“He can feel it, Pamela. He can feel the vibrations on the air like a snake feels the vibrations of a heartbeat,” Lark said. “You’ll have to outsmart him.”
Rocks shot into the air, flying hard and fast at the Sylph, and he batted them away like they were nothing before they ever reached him.
Changing tactics, I sent fireballs at him, one after another; left hand, right hand, left hand, right hand. Those slowed him down; the first thing that had, and I realized they ate the air. Fire was the key.
“Cactus, where is he?”
“Helping Rylee; we need to do this on our own.” She didn’t look back for him, though I could see the strain on her face in not doing so. Cactus was her friend, and yet she’d sent him with Rylee. Because Rylee was the one who needed to be protected at all costs.
The Sylph flew toward us and Lark tensed. “He’s going to steal our air, Pamela. It’s going to be now or never.”
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