Mathlin appeared behind him, squawking in horror. Titan had to grab his omega around the waist to stop him from running straight out. “Jannie! Let me go, Titan! How did Wildcart get out there?!”
The back door had been shut. Titan remembered closing it, so the cart’s escape didn’t make sense. But there wasn’t time to worry about it. Could he reach Wildcart and steer it back into the bakery without catching Valberdon’s attention?
“I don’t fucking know, but you’re staying in here.” Titan squeezed Mathlin’s waist and released him just inside the open back door. “Cover me.”
Mathlin stuffed some spells into Titan’s hand. Titan dashed out of the bakery.
Before he could take more than a few steps, Wildcart noticed him. It squeaked its wheels excitedly and rolled away, like it thought they were playing a game of Catch.
“Wildcart! Get back here!” Titan hissed, lunging for it.
To his horror, the cart wheeled in a large arc, heading for the front of the bakery.
Where Valberdon was.
29
ATTACK WITH BALLS (PART 2)
Titan had no options left.
“Wildcart!” he roared.
The cart paused, turning toward him curiously.
“Get back inside, now,” Titan ordered, sprinting toward it. “It’s not safe out here.”
That was the understatement of the century.
Wildcart backed away to one side, then the other, like a child dragging their feet.
“Good carts go back to where they belong,” Titan said sternly. “And you and Jannie belong with Mathlin in the bakery.”
The cart seemed to cheer up then. It started toward the still-open back door; Titan grasped its handle and began shoving the cart to make it move faster.
“Titan!” Mathlin hissed.
Footsteps were drawing closer, coming around the building. Fuck.
Titan gave Wildcart a big push, placing himself between them. Scarcely had Wildcart made it halfway back when Valberdon rounded the corner, cold eyes landing on Wildcart and Jannie.
Titan’s stomach dropped. He roared to distract the wizard.
This close, he could see the long white hair and high forehead that Everdin had described. Valberdon had a cruel air to him that Titan could sense, a bitter, sour scent that coated Titan’s tongue and made him want to spit.
“No one mentioned the offspring,” Valberdon said with an oily delight. “Ah, Mathlin. How nice. You’re providing me with a copy of you.”
“What the actual fuck,” Titan hissed. His wolf snarled beneath his skin; he wanted to shift, wanted to rip out the man’s throat.
But he could sense the wizard’s power. Valberdon was strong, as strong as Uriel, and Urielwas not here.
Were Uriel’s paper spells going to work against someone like that?
Valberdon ignored Titan and raised his hand toward Jannie and Wildcart.
Titan reacted on instinct. In one swift move, he drew his gun and flicked the safety off, aiming for Valberdon’s forehead.
Valberdon scoffed and waved his hand like he was swatting a fly; a blunt force came out of nowhere and smacked Titan bodily to the side. The shot went astray.
