Once I felt completely in control, I placed my fingers on top of the soil and gently sent my magic forth, seeking anything I could find out about Ben.
Natural magic roared through my veins as I gently cracked through the frozen ground and down where the soil was softer. A shiver rolled over me, and I felt the heavy weight of something…another jacket or blanket, settling over my shoulders, already warm from someone’s body.
It didn’t take long for the ground to tell me a story. The land closer to the building was shaken at the violence. Blood lay at the surface close to the door. Not enough to be worrisome and probably from the same wound he’d sustained back at his home.
I examined the soil around the entire building, but the brunt of the information stayed by the front door. Easing a vine through the soil, I crept up the wall, searching for any vulnerabilities to allow me in.
The building was old, so there were several. Something to keep in mind if things went really sideways. Holding the vine there at the first tiny opening, I withdrew and searched for the supposed pothos inside.
It took far too long, and when I finally found it, it was so close to death, it was almost useless. Resisting the urge to boost nutrients in the soil and perk it up, I gently touched one of the leaves to read the plant’s emotions. I gasped in horror. Blood. So much blood. Violence. Anger. Despair.
I jerked away, coming out of my magic with a gasp. “Ben is seriously injured.” I swallowed hard. “That’s all I know.”
Caelan’s eyes glowed with power. “We go in. Right now.”
“We only have half an hour before the potion wears off,” I warned.
“If things go well, everyone will be dead in five,” Christian growled.
Three flashes of light revealed three wildly different wolves, Caelan looming over the other two. He nudged me once with his head. When I went to follow, he pushed me back and yipped softly.
“Stay?”
He nodded.
I scoffed. “I can help.”
He shook his head and nudged me again.
I crouched and looked him in the eye. “We talked about this. I’m going. I’ll stay outside, but I’m going with you.”
Caelan’s upper lip curled, showing off impressive fangs.
I patted his head. “Yes, you’re so impressive.”
A soft huff of air from the other wolves. Caelan bumped me again and turned.
When I followed this time, he didn’t react.
We crept silently closerto the building, sticking to areas of thicker brush as best we could, though the entire area was thin with plant life, even in the densest of areas. When we were a few feet away, Caelan nudged his head, and Pax and Christian veered off to the right.
Caelan speared me with a look and veered left. I sank to the ground and waited. All three wolves had their noses to the ground, carefully investigating. They disappeared around the corners, but it wasn’t long before they were back.
Caelan loped over to me and shifted in a flash of light. “Ben’s missing an arm. We’ll need your healing abilities, and I don’t think we’ll have time to get him home.”
I blinked. “An arm?” I swallowed. “Can a shifter regrow a limb?”
“Maybe.” He bent and pressed a firm kiss against my lips. “Stay ready.”
I nodded. He ran back over and waited by the door. Pax and Christian crouched, their lips pulled away from their teeth. Caelan braced himself and ripped the door off the hinges.
A high-pitched feminine scream rang into the quiet winter air. Savage satisfaction flooded my bloodstream. The back door banged open and two huge wolves barreled out, tangled together and tearing each other apart.
Caelan and another who had to be Donovan. Pax and Christian came out the front in human form, the younger wolf holding Ben in a bridal carry. Blood pumped from his severed arm. I sucked in a shocked breath and rushed toward them, gathering my magic as I ran.
“We have to get him back to the Keep,” Christian said as I struggled to keep up.
Ben’s face was white, his head lolling with Pax’s movement.
