You idiot wolf, why would you risk it?
Fifty-Three
RYDER
The coven’smagick is a cold wash of air, followed by the freezing tendrils of Darkness crawling along my skin.
Holly shivers. “What thefuckwas that?”
I gesture for them to be silent and scan the vast landscape—and the strangest design. Mostly tree, partly mansion, the massive oak rests within a dip in the hilly land, partially hidden from our viewpoint.
My stomach pulses with the bond—apprehension mainly. She’s not frightened, which makes breathing a bit easier, but her lack of fear is concerning too.
“How do we get in?” Conan asks, knowing full well I don’t have an answer.
Holly repeats, “Okay, but what was that sensation?”
“Will all of you shut up?” My teeth smash together. Next one to talk will have their tail ripped from their body. “Magick.”
The magick within Banff feels…less. Not as heavy, but here beside the barrier Morgan’s magick makes visible, it cakes that of Twilight Grove around us like inescapable mud.
“Lucky guess says they know we’re here,” Xander murmurs. “They definitely have extra precautions if they’re hiding an entire town.”
“Agreed. They’ll come.”
Holly’s mouth folds in the corners as she picks at the shirt she put on moments ago. “I’d feel better about this if we could be in wolf form.”
I would too, since four legs and sharp teeth typically yields better results, but as an animal, we’re an instant threat. Not knowing exactly what we’re up against, with my mate’s life on the line, means playing this smart.
The tug in my stomach propels my first step over the grass. Carina’s so close, and once she’s within reaching distance, there’s no way I’ll be letting her go again. For the first time, I’m truly remorseful she isn’t a shifter and thus unable to feel my proximity.
“Let’s go. We’ll get closer. Hopefully they intercept us and take us to her.”
I take off across the grassy field while the others follow in formation. One way or another, sneaking inside will prove challenging, and assuming Xander is correct, they’ll find us soon enough.
As we round a hill, a figure appears. Without the cloak, the face of the witch who not only kidnapped my mate but sped up my father’s death pulls a longing for blood into my mouth—a longing to snap her neck and watch her bleed out.
“Figured you’d come at some point based on the bite on Carina’s neck.”
My body trembles not only in rage but with the need to shift. It’d four against one, and her magick could only hold out so long, but then we’d still need to get inside and find Carina.
“She has no idea she’s your mate, does she?” the raspy voice continues.
My lips pull back.
“So that’s a no,” she deduces. “There’s a theory, and I suspect you might be able to help.”
She waves her hand, and between my next steps, the grass beneath my feet changes, replaced by a dim room with dirt-covered walls and a ceiling dripping with roots. Against the far wall, there are three cells, but it’s the centre one my vision zeroes in on, my eyes darkening as my entire focus shifts to the woman inside it.
Carina.
She shouts my name and rushes to the bars, hands latching around the wood as she rams against them. Her frantic look moves to the High Priestess, her face twisting into a lightning storm of hatred and panic. My stomach clenches.
My mate is behindfucking bars.
“Ryder!” Eyes blown wide, she gestures to something behind me a second before being flung into the air alongside my packmates. Our backs slam against the wall opposite the cells, the ache up my spine instant.
Vines immediately attack, and no pushing defeats her magick. They dance in the air, avoiding my reach until latching around my waist, chest, and wrists, pinning my arms out to either side.
