I hung up and dialed Xavier in one move. "Tash is in trouble," I snapped, no hello, no preamble, just the facts. "I got her text very early this morning that she went home but something's wrong. She never made it there."
He didn't even pause. "Give me her last known location. I'm leaving the house for patrol now anyway."
"The twins are at the rental cabin, the one right past the old sawmill. But Tash isn't there, though she left here a couple of hours ago. I'm going to check the route now." I was grabbing boots and a jacket as I spoke.
"Copy. I'll make sure there's no one near the cabin, then sweep for her car from that direction. If you can, track the bond."
"Already on it."
I hung up. We didn't have a real bond yet, and whatever had helped me find her the other day when she was panicking at the creek wasn't working. Either she wasn't panicking or something was blocking us.
My hands shook as I texted Mom. No time for explanations, just the order.
Get the twins. Use the safe house. Now. Leave the humans there.
It was shocking that the order was going after Tash, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Them going after the fully human friends of Tash's was. It just didn't happen.
She replied in three seconds.
Already leaving.
She knew the drill. We'd done this too many times. The explanations could come later, and would, but in the heat of the moment we did as we were told by the person who clearly knew the most. In this case, it was me.
My phone rang. Gerty.
"What's going on?" she snapped when I picked up.
"Tash headed home two hours ago and didn't make it there. There's been threats against my family in the past. I'm sending my mother over and the sheriff will be checking too. These people are armed and dangerous, Gerty. I'm going to see if I can find Tash's car. My mother will take the girls somewhere safe."
"I'll take Beth and we'll spend the day in Knoxville, shopping," Gerty said. "But you better keep me posted as soon as you know where my best friend is."
"I will."
I hung up and tore out the door. I didn't even lock up. Caden was shrieking. I barely heard the slam of my own boots as I hit the truck, gunned the engine, and fishtailed up the gravel. Every hair on my arms stood up, skin burning so hot I nearly scorched the steering wheel.
Goddamn it, Tash.
The bond had been a flicker before, a little thread of magic, sometimes clear, sometimes not. Then it was radio silent. All of a sudden now it was like she was right here beside me, tornado-strong, yanking me toward her. The world outside my headlights barely mattered. Nothing but black pavement and the banshee-wail in my head.
Her fear came in waves, jagged and erratic.Sometimes sharp enough to blind me. Sometimes it faded, replaced by grim determination.
Christ. What was going on?
I hit the main road and nearly missed the turn, wheels locking as I saw the shape of her car, nose-down in the ditch, hazard lights still blinking. The driver's door hung open, battered. No sign of her.
I skidded to a stop and jumped out so fast I nearly left the engine running.
The smell hit me like a roundhouse.
Mint.
Not the sweet candy shit. This was pure peppermint, sharp as knives. It clawed up my throat, making me gag. The ground was littered with leaves and wet mud, but all I could smell was the reek of it. Dragon bane. Hunters used it to burn out senses, to break a dragon's magic wide open.
I gritted my teeth as bile threatened. They'd used it on her. Maybe on themselves, too. Bastards.
The car told the story. It'd been shoved hard off the road, side scraped by a bull. The urgency in me doubled.
Fly! Now! Find her!Caden banged against the inside of my ribs, wild to get out, wild to hunt.
