Selene screamed as her body lurched with another pulse of Nickelova’s amulet. All the air was sucked from her lungs as a rush of darkness overtook her. A moment later, she landed somewhere hard and cold and totally alone.
Jason had just fastenedthe last button on his dress shirt when he heard Selene’s scream. He ignored the questioning murmurs around him and broke into a dead run, taking the short way back to the place where they’d been, the direction of the scream. But when he reached the tightly grouped trees, she was gone.
“Selene! Selene!”
“She went this way,” Silas said, arriving behind him and sniffing the air. The two brothers walked to the tree-lined border of the property and stopped. “She passed beyond the protective boundary.”
“Why? Why would she do that?”
“There’s a kill.” Silas pointed at a dead doe. He approached the carcass, carefully picking his way through the tight web of branches that signified the border. “Do you smell that?”
Jason caught a whiff of someone other than Selene, a dangerous scent he hadn’t smelled in weeks. “Dragon magic.” A hard lump formed in his throat.
“Fuck.” Silas dug his fingers into his wild hair.
Jason’s phone rang. He slid it from his pocket, glancing at Silas when he saw who was calling. He tapped the screen and raised it to his ear.
“Jason?” said the familiar, dark voice, edged in gravel. “Ryker from Lost Things.”
“This isn’t a good time.”
“Something just arrived in my store for you.”
“What? What are you talking about? Arrived? Did someone bring something in?”
“No, Mr. Flynn. This item appeared where before there was nothing. I think you’d better take a look. I’m sending a picture now.”
Jason heard the chirp of a text coming in. One look and he doubled over. “No. No. No.”
“It smells of dragon,” Ryker said.
“What is it?” Silas asked. “Show me.”
Jason held up his phone, his hand trembling so hard he was surprised his brother could make out the picture. But the item was unmistakable. A ponytail of caramel-colored hair lay across the counter at Lost Things, labeled with a simple note.For Jason Flynn.
21
“Nickelova took Selene.” Jason couldn’t breathe. This was a living nightmare, the worst possible scenario. He knew Nickie would come back forhim. It never once occurred to him that she might target Selene.
Silas grabbed the phone out of Jason’s hand. “Who is this guy Ryker? How do we know he’s not helping Nickelova?”
“He’s a business associate.” Jason’s voice trembled with a mixture of anger and fear. “Look, Nickie wants me to follow her clues. She’s always wanted that. She won’t free Selene unless I go to her.” Jason strode toward Rivergate.
“You’ll be walking right into her trap!” Grabbing his elbow, Silas whirled him around. “She’s expecting you to do something rash. She’s using Selene as bait.”
Jason bit his lip. “And I can’t keep her dangling from the hook.”
“You’ll have to shift again tonight. You’ll be vulnerable,” Silas said.
“I’ll also be at my strongest.”
“Until you’re not you anymore. The wolf is unpredictable. You could get Selene killed.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“Wait until after the shift, Jason,” Silas said. “Nickelova won’t hurt Selene because she needs the hold over you. It’ll give us time to prepare.”
“I am not going to leave Selene in the clutches of that madwoman a moment longer than I have to.”
