by Raven Steele
“Pffffttt. Those stuffy bitches wouldn’t know true fashion if it got barfed on them, right, Lynx?”
She smiled kindly at Roma. “You look great. I love that you have your own style and don’t care what anyone else thinks. I especially love how you took care of Lilith. Did you see how mad she was getting?”
I laughed along with them.
Roma rubbed her hands together, her voice deeper than usual. “I forgot how good it felt to use magic.”
I patted her on the shoulder. “You have a real talent. Maybe it’s time to let it grow a bit, eh?”
She smiled to no one in particular and lowered the towel in her hand. “You know, my head is feeling better. Do you mind letting me drive? I get a little nervous when someone else handles my baby.”
I didn’t blame her; her Audi was amazing. I’d wondered how she paid for it as an Uber driver.
Lynx pulled over onto the shoulder, and they switched places. We fell into comfortable silence, each of us having our own things to think about it. Roma’s smile stretched wide and smug from using her magic, and Lynx looked deep in thought about her confrontation with her cousins.
I sighed and watched the trees race by. How did Cassandra know about the Abydos? Jackson had also known. Did they have the same source? I needed to make a decision about what to do with it, and soon.
Roma picked up speed on the boring stretch of highway cutting through a dense forest. I leaned my head onto the cool glass and thought of Luke. Maybe he could help me sort through some of this. I closed my eyes and pictured him in my mind.
“Something’s wrong,” Roma said suddenly.
My eyes flew open.
“What is it?” Lynx asked, sitting up straighter.
Roma kept glancing down at the steering wheel. “It’s not working.”
I leaned forward to see what she was looking at. “What do you mean?”
“The car! Look!” She tugged on the wheel but it remained straight, as if something invisible were holding it still. I reached up and jerked on it, but it remained firm no matter how hard I pulled.
“Slow down,” Lynx said, fear unmistakable in her voice.
Roma pressed on the brake, then stomped on it. “It’s not working either!”
“Magic?” Lynx asked.
Roma glanced at each of us. “I think so.”
“Can you do anything, guys?” My pulse raced and I looked all around, trying to find a way for me to do something, too. We must’ve been going at least fifty miles per hour.
Lynx placed her hands on the dashboard and began to mutter a string of words. Purple wisps of magic spurted from Roma’s hands, even as she continued to struggle with the car.
“Nothing’s working,” Lynx cried.
“I can’t do anything either!” Roma exclaimed.
The steering wheel adjusted to the right on its own. Roma fought it uselessly as the car began to drift off the road.
“Hold on,” Roma called.
Lynx glanced back at me, and our eyes met just as the car bounced off the shoulder and kept going straight for the woods. My wolf surged to the surface, desperate to protect me.
The car smashed into several tall trees faster and harder than I expected. Airbags deployed and seat belts caught. The impact was so forceful, it felt like my head was tied to a bungee cord as it snapped forward then back. Instant pain filled my head, and my vision blurred.
A high-pitched hissing followed the screeching of twisted metal. I inhaled a sharp breath and slowly brought my head up.
“Roma? Lynx?” I didn’t recognize my voice.
I moaned and undid my seatbelt. It felt like I was moving in slow motion. I leaned over the front seat and shook Roma. She was out cold again. Two head injuries in one night. Not good.
Lynx had her head back, groaning in pain.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She didn’t have a chance to answer the question before a van pulled up behind us. Lynx moved to get out of the car, probably to get help, but I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Wait.”
“They can help us,” she moaned.
“But where did they come from? No one was behind us before we crashed.”
She glanced back too and squinted. “Then what do they want?”
I swallowed growing saliva in my mouth. “Me.”
Chapter 23
“What do they want with you?” Lynx asked, alarm spreading on her face.
I spoke as forcefully as I could. “I need you to run. Get as far away from here as possible.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“Please, Lynx—”
The van’s sliding door opened.
“Go!” I told her before I also opened the door. If there was going to be a fight, it was best not to do it confined.
I stumbled out of the car, scrambling to get out of the way where I could see better. Four men and three women dressed in black exited the van. Their powerful presences immediately hit me, so much I had to fight not to retreat. They felt exactly like the people who had been herded outside of the warehouse at the Linchen Pack. Hydes.
Blood drained from my face. I did not want to fight them, but what other choice did I have? I had to protect Lynx and Roma.
I straightened, preparing myself mentally to fight. I called out, my voice strong even though the pain pulsed through my head. “What do you want?”
As if they’d synchronized the action beforehand, they all rotated toward me. The tall man, some kind of shifter, spoke first, his voice deep and monotone, like a robot. “Isabella Moretti. Come with us.”
A chill ran up my spine at the sound of my real name spoken by a stranger. My wolf surged to the surface again, but I held her and my Komira powers back. Maybe I could convince them they had the wrong person. “That’s not my name.”
He spoke again. “Isabella Moretti. Come with us willingly, or we will make you come.”
“On whose orders?”
He didn’t answer. It was almost as if he’d been compelled by a vampire.
“I asked you a question.”
The tall shifter glanced at the two at the end of the line and nodded once. Together they stalked toward me.
Before they could get to me, they were tossed aside by an invisible force. I whirled around. Lynx stood near the car, her hands outstretched.
“Damnit, Lynx! I told you to run!”
“I’m tired of being told what to do.” She came to my side, keeping her focus on the people in front of us.
Two more attacked. Lynx tossed them too, but by now the others who had fallen had already come to their feet and sprinted toward me. Reaching down my shirt, I yanked out my booby knife, ready for attack.
I slashed out, the knife slicing deep into the first man’s thigh, right where it counted. Blood pulsed into the air with every beat of his heart. He didn’t flinch at all, which scared the shit out me. I stumbled back, my fists raised. He grinned, an awkward-Joker smile, and lunged for me. I dodged and swung my blade. He ducked and pivoted, swinging his leg backwards. The heel of his boot caught my chin, dropping me to the ground. I jumped up, snarling.
While I fought, Lynx held the others at bay with magic. Three stayed back, watching us expectantly. It made me nervous they weren’t joining in.
I almost had my guy in a choke hold, but he slipped from my grip. I quickly side-stepped what could’ve been a crippling kick to my stomach. I sucked in a rapid breath and let my wolf surge inside me. It was hard to hold my real strength back, but it wasn’t time. Not unless I became desperate.
I shot my hand forward and caught him by the back of the hair. I jerked downward, exposing his throat to me. My hand holding the blade slashed forward, tearing open his throat. Blood bubbled and poured from the wound. He remained unfazed, even down to his last breath.
“Briar!”
I whirled around. One of the Hydes had gotten behind Lynx and had tackled her to the ground. I leapt into the air, using the tree as leverage, and flew over two other
s. I came down on his back, driving the small knife into the top of his spinal cord. One good hard jerk to the side, and he fell over, paralyzed from the neck down. He didn’t even flinch.
Pulling Lynx to her feet, I discovered we were surrounded. I glanced back to the car. At least they were leaving Roma alone. Someone would come along soon and get her the help she needed. I wasn’t sure about Lynx and me. I didn’t dare take the few precious seconds it would take to text Luke or my uncle.
“Come with us, Isabella Moretti,” the same Hyde who had spoken first said. He still remained by the van with two others, but this time they held guns. Probably loaded with silver bullets.
I glanced sideways at Lynx, and then back to the Hydes. “If I go with you, she goes free.”
“No, Briar.” Her expression turned dark, and she focused her gaze on the Hydes. She muttered a word and lifted her hands. The next thing I knew she was tugging on my arm. “Run!”
I looked around. Everyone held still, including their foggy breath suspended an inch in front of their mouths.
With time stopped, we sprinted into the forest.
“I can only hold it for thirty seconds.” She pumped her arms back and forth, running with everything she had.
“That might be enough.” I glanced behind me. I could no longer see them through the thick trees. “Just keep going.”
If I could shift into my wolf, I could outrun them, but I didn’t dare leave Lynx behind. I glanced behind me again, the wolf in me sensing danger. “They’re coming.”
I had no sooner said the words when I heard the sound of their faint footsteps. Not only were they powerful, but graceful too. A deadly combination.
Lynx stumbled in front of me, but I grabbed her, pulling her back on her feet to steady her. “Keep going. You’re doing great.”
“Can’t…keep… going,” she gasped.
“Then hold on!” I scooped her up and tossed her over my shoulder. She yelped and grabbed onto the back of my shirt.
I inhaled a deep breath and prepared to grasp on to the ancient power coursing through my blood. It only seemed to come to me when I was in danger.
“Briar!” Lynx’s voice was filled with panic.
I heard the familiar click of gun, but before I could react, a searing pain tore through my shoulder. I flipped forward, losing my hold on Lynx, and hit the ground hard, skidding forward. Lynx’s body slammed into a tree and she slumped to the ground.
“Lynx,” I groaned.
I attempted to crawl to her but one of the Hydes landed in front of me, blocking my path, almost as if he’d flown to me. He bent down, his expression emotionless, and studied me briefly. I could see the first rays of the sun hit his face, making his eyes glow an eerie color.
I reached up to grab him, but before I could, he drove a needle into my neck. A warm liquid filled my veins.
“No, no, no!” I cried and clawed at the ground.
Please don’t let it be Scorpion’s Breath, I thought before darkness overwhelmed me.
It was a dark place. Cold and wet. And smelled of rot and mold. I shifted my weight, trying to get comfortable in the darkness.
I didn’t like this dream. It was too quiet. Too lonely.
It had been a long time since I’d had a nightmare like this, and yet, this one was different from the others. There was no screaming, no blood, no Dominic or Silas.
Just me.
I needed to wake up. I squirmed on my bed, but found my hands couldn’t move.
Wake up!
Something heavy smothered my mind, trapping it in a fog I couldn’t mentally push through.
This was the worst kind of nightmare—one I couldn’t wake from.
I mumbled a plea for help, but it became lost in the smoke now forming at the edges of my vision.
In the distance, I spotted glimpses of the people I loved and cared for. Luke, my uncle, my roommates, Roma. They kept slipping in and out of the fog, seemingly as lost as me. A familiar face wafted through the gray.
“Ryder?”
He turned and smiled at me.
My heart pounded in my chest and tears stung my eyes. “Ryder!” I tried to run to him, but something held my feet in place.
He turned away and I screamed. “Don’t leave me! I swear I didn’t mean to.”
He didn’t turn around as he disappeared into the fog. There was no one now. Just me in this cold and dark place, trapped in my mind.
Time passed slowly. With every second, I fought hard to gain back reality. What had happened?
Memories were there, flittering on the fringes of my mind, but no more tangible than the smoke twisting around me.
Eventually, my eyes began to flutter. So close!
I fought harder, sounds of the outside world reaching my ears. They were my own, grunting and growling to fight through the mental block encasing my mind.
My eyes few open.
Only to be met with more darkness. I was sitting on a mushy floor, the air warm and humid. Something hard pressed against my back, and cold water covered my legs. Sharp pain stung my shoulder. I gasped and scrambled to my feet, but fell to my knees, water splashing in my face. My hands were bound with thick cords.
On all fours, I closed my eyes tightly and opened them back up. My wolf eyes peered out. Stone walls covered in green algae rose all around me. I pressed upward. Muddy water came to my knees.
I inhaled several hitched breaths. This couldn’t be right. I was still dreaming. I had to be.
Slowly looking upward, I saw that the nearest opening was at least twenty feet above me and covered by a thick concrete slab.
I was at the bottom of a well.
Chapter 24
I sucked in rapid breaths past my tingling lips, and my head began to spin, making me dizzy. I fell backwards, the wall’s slime latching onto me.
This couldn’t be happening!
Dominic and Silas were dead. I killed them, gutted them until I was covered in their blood. Had their ghosts returned to seek their revenge?
My chest squeezed tight around my lungs. Around my heart. My bound hands clawed into the stone wall, breaking several fingernails at the quick. My voice made funny sounds as I tried to suck in air. Sweat poured down my forehead, dripping into my eyes. Breathe!
My phone! I felt all over in pockets, but it was nowhere to be found. Either the Hydes had taken it or I’d lost it in the fight.
I slumped back to the water, blues and reds crowding my vision. I blinked. My eyes were so heavy. They slowly closed, but I forced them back open. I couldn’t pass out. Not here. I remembered something a counselor told me. I took in another slow breath and began to count.
One.
Panic filled my mind. I would never get out of here. Not with my hands tied together. I couldn’t do this again! I remembered my mother’s eyes. Cold and glazed over as she lay face down on the dirt. Keep counting, Briar.
Two.
My head slumped forward, closing my eyes This wasn’t going to work. I was too tired. Was this what it came down to? Was it worth it to fight anymore? I should give in to the darkness.
Three.
With the impending darkness, Ryder came to my mind. “Relax, Briar.”
Four.
I sipped in a breath and swallowed, nodding.
Five.
Then Luke appeared next to Ryder, worry in his eyes. “You have to breathe.”
I sucked in a breath.
Six.
Another breath. The darkness began to recede as more air flooded my lungs.
Seven.
Lynx showed up next to Luke and Ryder. “Hurry up. We need help.”
Eight.
My vision began to clear, and my pulse slowed. Angel came next. “You are meant for something greater. This is not your end.”
Nine.
Samira materialized out of nowhere, holding her long sword. “You are not weak! You are powerful beyond measure! Use it!”
My eyes snapped open, and I stared upward, my
breathing finally back to normal. Ten.
I looked around me again, newfound strength filling me. If I was going to get out of here, I was going to have to climb.
I held up my bound hands. By the redness and swelling around the shiny restraints, the metal was pure silver. I arched my back, remembering how I’d also been shot. Pain lanced the whole right side of me. Bullet still there. I could feel its poison moving through my blood stream, further weakening me.
I had to think.
The last place I remembered being was in the forest. But they could’ve moved my body anywhere. I focused on the drug they’d injected into me. I feared it had been Scorpion’s Breath, but I felt none of its pleasurable affects. Good. Must have been some kind of sedative only. My Komira powers would’ve burned through it quickly, which meant they couldn’t have moved me far. If they truly knew who I was, they wouldn’t have risked it. That meant I had to be somewhere near the road. Maybe? Hell, I had no idea, but it was worth yelling just in case.
“Hello?” I shouted the word, then followed up it with several more. I even tried screaming as loud as I could. Supernatural ears could hear me if any were nearby. Lynx would’ve called for help. Roma too, assuming either of them were conscious by now. I had no idea how much time had passed.
I screamed again, over and over until my throat was raw. Memories of me as a child doing the exact same thing threatened to suck me under again. Why had they thrown me down here? Who even knew I had this fear? Only my closest friends. Someone had betrayed me.
My throat began to close off again and I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to calm down. I couldn’t think about that right now. I just had to focus on getting out of here. I glanced up again. Maybe I could climb.
Tugging apart my hands, I tried to break the silver restraint, but I was too weak. The skin around the metal blistered further, and I cursed. Lifting my hands to the stone walls, I tried to dig my fingers into a groove, but there wasn’t room. The rocks were too slippery to get any kind of firm grip. Even if my hands weren’t bound together, climbing out of here would be near impossible.
Maybe I could jump.
Crouching down, I pushed upward as hard as I could. I leapt high into the air but didn’t come close to hitting the concrete above me.
