VERONICA
Nearly an hour later, we emerged from a drainage culvert five miles from the academy. My legs ached from trudging through the water and muck in the lower tunnels, and my feet were completely soaked.
“Fucking finally,” Declan said, standing up straight and taking a deep breath. “Smelled like shit in there,” he added, casting a disgusted look at the tunnel over his shoulder. “Literally.”
“We’re free, though,” I said with a smile.
The stern expression on his face slowly slipped away, and a begrudging smile appeared. He nodded. “I suppose you’re right. Good job. You got our asses out of the fire back there.” He glanced around, peering through the forest. “How far are we from the city?”
I climbed out of the culvert and up on the mound of earth on the right side. “This spot is probably four or five miles from the academy. It took me about two hours to get to your place last night.” I glanced over at him, and eyed him up and down, before grinning. “Can you keep up with a wolf running full speed?”
He gazed back at me, his mouth twisting sardonically. “Doubtful. I’ve got a better idea. How close is the highway?”
“What plan? Are you gonna carjack somebody?” I pulled the rook from my pocket again. “We could still use this.”
“Put it away,” he said, and pulled his cell phone out. “Let’s get to the highway. Any clue where the nearest gas station is?”
Twenty minutes later, Declan and I watched an Uber pull up at the pumps of a nearby gas station. In fact, it was the same convenience store Wendy and I had stopped at for snacks on the way home from the bookstore. How had so much happened in a little over a day?
“Declan?” the driver asked.
“That’s me,” Declan said.
The guy glanced down at our muddy shoes, opened his mouth to say something, then sighed and unlocked the doors. “Hop in.”
The trip back to Declan’s place took less time than my first foray and it was far easier. It was much faster to get somewhere when you didn’t have to run on four legs and didn’t need to stop every ten minutes to hide from hunters. Speaking of, this was a good idea for more than just speed. If we’d gone on foot, the professors might have caught up and resumed their chase. This way, we could put miles between us and make it impossible for them to track me down.
Slipping Wendy’s glasses from my pocket once more, I attempted to use them as I had before. Even if they couldn’t helpme locate her, it would be nice to know what she was feeling. Curling my fingers around them, I tried to feel her emotions or mental state, but there was nothing.
Declan must have seen my disappointment and leaned over to whisper in my ear. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t feel her through the glasses anymore,” I murmured back, keeping my voice low. “It’s like the magical connection to her is gone.”
He patted my thigh. “Don’t be upset. The connection was bound to fade the longer she was gone.”
“Yeah,” I said.
The spell Wendy had used earlier had probably sapped the magical connection and severed the link to her. That didn’t make me feel any better, though. I stuffed the glasses back in my pocket, then leaned my head back against the seat.
When we pulled up outside Declan’s house, he gave the guy a generous tip in cash, which seemed to make the driver forget all about the mud he’d have to clean.
After double-checking that no one had invaded the house in the time we’d been gone, he visibly relaxed, his shoulders slumping. He looked as exhausted as I felt, even though we’d both slept for the better part of twelve hours earlier.
“We have to grab anything we need and get the hell out of here,” Declan said.
I looked around at the house, unsure what he meant. “I thought you said it was safe here? No one could find it.”
He sighed, walking into the kitchen and pulling a bottle of whiskey from a cabinet. “That was before tonight,” he said as he poured two glasses. “Those professors saw my face. They could tell anyone about me. Fuck, they could probably do a memory charm on each other and draw a perfect picture of me, then disseminate it through magical circles. It won’t be long untilsomebodyrecognizes me. We need to move before that happens. Time to find that new safe house.”
“Oh,” I muttered. I hadn’t thought of that.
“Yeah.” He slammed the whiskey back, then set the glass down with aclack. “It sucks, but it’s where we are right now. Here. Take the edge off.”
He handed me the other glass. Before I could talk myself out of it, I tipped it back and swallowed the full shot. It was like I’d swallowed a flame. Acid scorched its way down my throat and into my stomach. For a moment, I couldn’t even breathe, like the time I’d been a child and fell off the swings at a playground, knocking my breath away. Finally, I managed one gasping breath, then started coughing. Declan leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, and grinned at me.
“Didn’t know you were a newbie to liquor,” he chuckled.
I put a hand on the kitchen table to steady myself. “I’m…more of…a wine person.”
