“It was Kadrithan, wasn’t it?” she demanded, anger leaking into her tone.
“If Kadrithan is a demon, then…yes?”
She snorted in derision. “How in the hell did a scrawny teenager like you get a demon mark?”
"Oh, I don't have the mark. My alpha does, but I wanted to help."
"Great, an idiot has come to rescue me," she muttered, dropping the branch and walking back to her hiding spot. She paused and looked back over her shoulder. "I don't suppose you have pants anywhere close, do you?"
"Not really close, no," he said. A noise caught his attention. He wasn't sure if it was a branch hitting a tree or a footstep.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, I can't carry her, so you're going––"
"Be quiet," he said urgently, interrupting her. The wind had shifted and he'd smelled something out of place. Another person.
She opened her mouth –– probably to tell him not to talk to her like that –– when a gunshot cracked through the air. Her eyes went wide as she hit the ground.
Tommy ran for them, shifting as he went. He didn't know what to do. He could smell her blood. He should have just taken them and run, but he'd been standing around like an idiot chatting.
His paws dug into the dirt as he sprinted toward them. As soon as he was close enough, he launched himself toward them, landing right behind her facing the direction the shot had come from. He couldn't see anyone. The wind was blowing too hard for him to hear or smell them properly. Were they moving?
He backed up until his hind foot bumped into the girl. She groaned and scooted away. He sighed in relief. She was alive, for now.
Amber had to have felt his panic. He thought he could feel her headed his way, but it was hard to focus on the pack bond right now.
A man stepped out from the trees a few yards away. He had a shotgun held up to his shoulder and pointed straight at them. Tommy growled and took another step back, standing over the girl to protect her. He was tempted to charge the man, but he could hear two other people closing in from either side. They were surrounded.
Chapter 19
EVANGELINE
Another gunshot blasted through the air, making her ears ring. Evangeline curled over her mother as the werewolf leaped over her. The first shot had only grazed her arm, but it still stung like a bitch.
She could barely hear anything over the panicked beating of her heart. Blood from the werewolf's wound dripped down onto her, staining her pajamas. The second shot had hit him. He’d thrown himself in the path of the gunfire to protect her, which was insane, and further confirmed she was being rescued by idiots.
The wind was blowing so hard her hair was practically standing on end. It whipped up dirt and leaves around them like a tornado.
Her mother was deathly still beneath her. She was breathing, but it was labored. Evangeline cursed herself for not trying harder to get her to a hospital. She'd never forgive herself if her mother died out here in the woods. It was her fault she was hurt in the first place. This was all her fault. She tightened her grip on her mother’s arms and tried to convince herself to just end all this. But…she didn’t want to die. Even if she did deserve it.
She looked back over her shoulder, weighing her options. During the day, her demonic side slept. She couldn’t use the fire magic at all. Instead, her other side awoke. It wouldn’t be much help here though, it wasn’t the type of magic you could use in a fight, especially with the talismans hanging around the men's necks. She was as helpless as a human.
Scooting forward, she dug through the leaves until her fingers hit a rock. The werewolf howled as two men circled around them. Another shot rang out and the wolf flinched from the impact but didn't flee. He pressed down closer against her as he howled again, hopefully calling the rest of his pack. Werewolves weren't her favorite –– they tended to be arrogant blowhards –– but she'd welcome a whole pack of them right about now.
A ruddy wolf appeared out of nowhere, ripping out the throat of one of the men. Evangeline flinched as blood sprayed from his neck, soaking into the leaves. It didn't seem like any of this could be real. She'd always known what she was, but she'd been able to ignore it all her life. She'd never seen someone die.
The black wolf ran toward the ruddy wolf and they attacked the second man together. Evangeline frantically pulled at the rock buried in the dirt. A twig snapped in front of her and she looked up, straight into the eyes of a third attacker.
He lifted his gun toward her. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion as she ripped the rock free. He peered down the sight of the rifle. She threw the rock, a scream erupting from her throat. The rock hit his gun, knocking it off just enough that the shot went wide.
A red blur flew toward him, hitting him so hard his neck snapped to the side. The gun flew form his hands and the werewolf’s jaws clamped around his throat. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see what happened next.
Something nudged her shoulder. She peeked behind her to see the gray werewolf looking at her expectantly. He nodded, as if to say yes, it’s safe now.
Hesitantly, she sat up and looked around. The bodies were still there, laying in growing pools of blood. Bile rose in the back of her throat and she forced herself to look away.
The ruddy wolf shifted into a woman as she approached. Her wavy red hair fell down over her shoulders but did nothing to hide the fact that she was buck ass naked. Or the blood dripping from her chin and slipping down her neck in little rivulets.
Evangeline’s eyes were immediately drawn to the black demon mark on the woman’s chest. It twitched as her uncle appeared behind the woman. It wouldn’t be visible to everyone but she could see those sorts of things.
"If you want your mother to live, go with them," Kadrithan said, still scowling at her from their last argument.
She didn't want to go with these people, but, once again, her uncle had outmaneuvered her. It was easy when he had all the information and she had none of it.
"We have to go, can you walk?" the woman asked.
"Yeah, but my mother can't."
"I'll carry her," the woman said, brushing past her and kneeling at her mother's side.
"Be careful!" she warned, hovering over them.
The woman glared at her. "Obviously."
With more tenderness than she'd expected, the woman eased her arms under her mother's knees and shoulder. She lifted her like she weighed two pounds. It was effortless. Damn werewolves and their superhuman strength.
"You could be stronger too if you would just give someone a mark," her uncle whispered in her ear as though he could read her mind.
She pressed her lips together in annoyance and ignored him. She jumped when she felt fur brush her hand. The other wolf, the guy, was standing next to her looking around warily. His ears were perked up, twitching this way and that.
He huffed softly and the woman nodded. "I know, let's go." The woman turned to Evangeline for a moment. "We're going to go as fast as you can. If we get in trouble, Tommy is going to shift and carry you on his back."
Evangeline nodded and started walking. Her feet ached and she was so thirsty it felt like her throat was cracking, but none of that mattered. They had to get her mother to safety.
Chapter 20
CERI
The strain of channeling so much magic was beginning to wear on Ceri. She pressed her fingers deeper into the dirt but she couldn’t feel them anymore. They’d gone numb. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she struggled to breathe past the burning in her lungs.
Wind swirled around her in a funnel that grew narrower and narrower. Darkness pressed in from all sides invisible to the naked eye. She could see it though, even with her eyes shut.
“You can’t win this battle.” The sorcerer’s voice drifted past her. The wind tickled her neck as though it was his breath.
She ground her teeth together. He was getting closer to the girl, but he hadn’t found her yet. She was slowing him down more than she had
thought possible. He could taunt all he wanted, it was merely a sign of his frustration.
“Neither can you,” she whispered back.
Amber and Tommy had to be close to finding her. She’d felt something through the pack bond. A tug. It had almost made her falter, but it had been brief, and she’d held onto the spell through it. If Amber could get to the girl first, Ceri could protect her.
The owl squawked and her eyes flew open in alarm. The large bird fell back, wrapped in ropes of darkness that threatened to crush its wings. She lifted one hand and a gust of air rushed past her, hitting the bird and the dark magic and loosening the bonds just enough for the owl to struggle free. It lifted into the air, circling overhead.
“Just go!” she shouted, fear sinking into her. The darkness was closer than she realized. The sorcerer’s magic was closing in around her and she was about to lose this fight. He was too powerful.
The weight of the magic slammed into her. She fell back, pinned against the ground, unable to move. It felt like her teeth were going to crack as her jaw clenched tight. Breathing became harder with every breath as her lungs tired.
Something wet touched her face. After a moment, she realized it was a tongue. The weight of the magic lessened, but she felt fur pressing against her neck and arms. Another lick, then warmth enveloped her. The darkness vanished.
With a gasp, her eyes flew open. Genevieve was looking down at her in wolf form, whining softly.
“How the hell did you get here?” she croaked.
The wolf rolled her eyes and scooted back far enough that she could sit up. Blood dripped from Ceri’s nose and she coughed, tasting it on the back of her tongue as well.
Genevieve was looking around them warily. She stood abruptly, her ears perking up as she looked to the west. A moment later, Amber burst out of the trees, naked, and carrying an old woman. Ceri wasn’t sure the woman was alive. She was badly beaten, and had severe burns on the lower half of her body.
Behind Amber was Tommy, in wolf form, and a blonde girl that looked around his age. Her bare feet were torn up and her pajamas were filthy from the run through the woods. Tommy quickly grabbed his and Amber’s clothes, carrying them in his mouth.
“Run,” Amber said urgently.
Her legs wobbled underneath her as she turned to flee, but Tommy was right there, supporting her. She wound her fingers into his fur and let him drag her forward as she attempted to keep up. The blonde girl kept her eyes glued to the woman Amber was holding.
“You’re jostling her too much,” the girl hissed, trying to grab Amber’s arm.
“She’s unconscious, she can’t feel it,” Amber snapped. “Stop complaining and run.”
As Ceri grabbed her bag, she could still feel the sorcerer’s spell pressing down on them. He would find the girl any second now. They needed to go faster. She was exhausted, but she had to save what strength she had left to protect the girl once the spell found its mark. She would have one chance to fight him off then.
The forest thinned slightly and Amber’s truck came into view. Genevieve had parked behind the truck and left her clothes in a pile by her driver’s side door, which was hanging open. She’d been in a hurry.
Amber ran to the passenger side of the truck and the girl yanked the door open. She laid the woman down on the bench seat.
“Has that sorcerer done whatever to the girl yet?” Amber asked as she grabbed the clothes Tommy had dropped next to her. “Tommy, go with Gen, there’s no room,” she shouted over her shoulder.
Genevieve, who was hopping on one foot trying to get redressed, shouted back, “When is someone going to explain what the hell is going on?”
“When we’re back, just take Tommy and drive home as fast as you can,” Amber said, running toward the driver side of her truck.
The girl was already sitting in the truck with the old woman’s head in her lap. Ceri jumped in the passenger door and crouched on the floor. She dumped half the contents of her bag out between her legs, scrambling to find something that would help the old woman until she could properly heal her, or get her to a hospital.
Amber started the truck and threw it into reverse. The truck whipped around, slinging Ceri into the dashboard. Amber gunned it toward the main road, gravel flying from under her tires.
The girl glared at someone Ceri couldn’t see and flicked them off. “This is all your fault anyhow!”
Amber rolled her eyes. “Do you know who is after you?”
“No, I don’t know, and I don’t care,” the girl snapped. “I––” Her eyes rolled back in her head and a red glow thrummed around her body. Her muscles rippled under her skin as she began to shake.
Ceri grabbed the bundle of herbs she’d been putting together and shoved it in the girl’s mouth, holding her jaw shut.
“What the hell is that?” Amber demanded.
“The sorcerer,” Ceri said, pushing up onto her knees so she could get a hand around the back of the girl’s neck. This was going to be tricky, but lucky for her, psychic attacks were one of her family’s specialties.
“Custodiat cor tuum. Custodiat animam. Custodiat cor tuum.” Ceri’s fingers dug into the girl’s neck as she repeated the chant. There was magic inside her, and it was helping Ceri fight back. It was hot and uncontrolled. Whatever this girl was, she was completely untrained.
The sorcerer’s spell worked by using the blood in its victim’s body to force them to return to the sorcerer, by any means. If the spell couldn’t be stopped before it reached its target, the only option was to change the victim’s blood. Ceri abhorred what she had to do, but the only way to fight the sorcerer’s blood magic, was with more of the same.
The darkness lashed at the truck. There was no time left. Ceri looked up at Amber as fear curled in her gut. If she didn’t do something to stop this, Amber would die. Just like that. All because she was doing the only thing she could to protect her pack. Ceri couldn’t let that happen.
Never hesitate.
Fuck you, grandmother, she thought as she squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed the blessed knife from the pocket in her bag and drug the tip along the back of her arm. There was only one other scar there from years ago. It had almost faded completely. It would have a twin now. Two times Ceri hadn’t been able to find a way to avoid using black magic. Two failures.
Sorcery was dark magic, but she wasn’t strong enough to fight back with only white magic. As the blood seeped from her palm, she swore to herself to find a way to do so in the future without having to resort to this. The pack bond curled around her but she wanted to shove it away. This was going to leave its mark on her and the pack.
The blood seeped out of the wound, writhing on her skin instead of dripping. She began chanting again, calling on her own magic, and whatever she could drag from the pack bond. Flipping the knife around, she sliced through the sleeve of the girl’s pajamas, opening a small wound at the same time. The girl didn’t even flinch, too lost in the haze of the sorcerer’s spell.
Her blood stretched toward the wound and sank into it. Ceri’s gritted her teeth as she forced herself into the girl’s body and mind.
“Ceri, what the hell are you doing?” Amber asked as she skidded around a turn.
“Saving this girl’s life so you don’t die,” she replied quietly. The dark magic pulsed around her as her magic blazed to life. It was always warm and comforting, but this…this was different. This was like standing on the surface of the sun. It didn’t hurt her, it raged inside of her with an addictive thrill. This was the rush of heroin and crackling energy of cocaine. Sorcerers weren’t just power hungry. They were addicts. She was going to regret this.
The spell she was using wasn’t straightforward. It was an off the cuff combination of a white magic spell of psychic protection with the power of a blood sacrifice. Her family had always been inventors and creators. They twisted magic in new ways. Ceri had always excelled at this. She was the only one of her parent’s children to truly match her grandmother’s tal
ents. Some days she hated it.
She pushed the old guilt away and plucked at the threads of magic weaving around her and the girl. Ceri cocooned her in blood, magic, and the pack bond. It wouldn’t make her pack, but it would let Ceri use the strength of the pack and her own magic to protect her from the sorcerer’s attack.
Amber swerved sharply, her breath coming in pants. “How much longer?”
“Shut up, I need to focus,” Ceri said sharply, forcing her mind back to the task at hand. It was uncomfortable, but it wouldn’t truly harm Amber. The still angry part of her mind considered this Amber’s penance for taking the demon’s mark in the first place. This was affecting the whole pack, not just her.
Something in the girl shifted, as though it was coming awake. The hot tendrils of magic inspected Ceri. They poked and prodded, searching for a threat, but when they found none, retreated. Ceri’s hands shook as the nature of the magic finally became apparent.
Ceri’s protective spell slid into place, locking around herself and the girl. They were tied together until she released the spell. Ceri opened her eyes and pressed herself back against the dash, horrified. If Amber’s life hadn’t been at stake she would have ripped the spell away and thrown the girl out of the car.
“What’s wrong? Is it over?” Amber asked, still breathless.
“She’s…a demon, but…” There was something else, but it didn’t make sense. Ceri looked up at her alpha. “She’s part angel as well.”
“That’s impossible,” Amber said, eyes going wide.
Chapter 21
AMBER
Amber thought she might be sick. She could still taste the blood that had coated her tongue. It was drying on her skin and it made her want to bathe in acid. She wasn’t sure she’d ever feel clean again.
They’d tried to kill that girl in cold blood. They’d deserved to die, but for some reason that didn’t take away the guilt she felt. She’d seen the fear in their eyes when she’d killed them.
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