“Gone.”
Pain threatened to rip open his chest, shock not enough to overcome it. Patrick reached for his magic and found a raw, gaping hole where it should have been in his damaged soul. He took a breath and let himself fall into darkness, somehow knowing Jono would catch him in the end.
14
Patrick wentlimp in Jono’s arms, and he tried not to panic. He could hear Patrick’s heart beating too fast for comfort, but the mage was alive. Blinking raindrops out of his eyes, Jono gathered Patrick into his arms and got to his feet.
Jono looked down at Patrick’s too-pale face, head lolling against his shoulder. His dark red hair was plastered to his skull, the water running down his cheeks looking like tears. He felt too cold to Jono’s heightened senses, and all Jono wanted to do right then was get Patrick somewhere safe.
Nadine ran across the blasted sand, and when she reached for Patrick, Jono couldn’t help but take a step back. He didn’t bother trying to choke back his growl.
She scowled. “Let me see him.”
“He’s cold. We need to get him out of the rain,” Jono argued.
“And I need to do a field check, so hold still.”
Jono allowed Nadine to do a brief check on Patrick, fighting against the instinct to find shelter. Emma and her pack were on high alert, keeping an eye on the damaged area of the beach they stood in. Leon had Tyler’s arm slung over his shoulder. The sorcerer looked absolutely exhausted, but he was standing on his own two feet. That was a far cry from Patrick’s condition.
Nadine pulled her hand away from Patrick, the violet glow at her fingertips fading away. “He’s suffering from magical burnout. We need to go to ground.”
“We can go to my apartment,” Marek said.
Jono unclenched his teeth, anger riding his voice. “We wouldn’t be in this bloody situation if you had just stayedhomein the first place, Marek.”
Hazel eyes washed out to a bright white, Marek’s voice and eyes no longer his own. “Our vessel came here because we told him to. This had to happen. This is the only way.”
“What way?” Nadine demanded. “Why have us do this?”
Fate had no further answers to give.
Marek blinked his eyes, the white disappearing. He shook his head hard, mouth twisting in pain and self-recrimination. “I’m sorry. I’msorry. I didn’t have a choice.”
Sage took his hand in hers, giving it a comforting squeeze. “It’s all right.”
Jono held his tongue, knowing his anger wouldn’t find the correct target right now. Skuld, or whichever of the Norns who controlled Marek’s sight, had their reasons for drawing them out here. Jono had never been at the mercy of gods the way Marek was, and Patrick seemed to be, but he had a feeling that would change.
“We need to go,” Nadine said.
“Where?” Jono asked.
Nadine ignored his question and went to retrieve Patrick’s rifle where Jono had dropped it in the sand. “The wolf pack needs to get out of here and stay out of sight.”
“The cops will need a statement,” Sage said.
“They aren’t getting one here.” Nadine slung Patrick’s rifle over her shoulder and jerked her head toward the stairs leading back to the property. “The seer can come with us.”
Emma and Leon shared a single glance before Leon raised his voice. “Let’s go. We’re heading home.”
Nadine headed up the stairs first, the way slippery. Jono was right behind her, Patrick deadweight in his arms. They passed through the destroyed backyard and entered the mansion. The werecreatures they’d left behind in the house earlier were no longer in half-shifted forms. Two were human while a third had fully shifted, the monstrous wolf growling at their approach from behind Nadine’s shield.
“Shift, and head home,” Emma snapped.
Nadine snapped her fingers, and the shields vanished. Jono followed her back outside into the rain. She immediately sprinted into a run and he easily kept up, holding Patrick tight in his arms. He could hear Emma, Marek, and Sage running behind him while everyone else started getting into the cars parked in the long driveway.
They ran for where they’d parked the SUV down the street. Jono could hear sirens off in the far distance, his enhanced hearing picking it up through the sound of the storm. “Cops.”
“Not my problem,” Nadine tossed over her shoulder.
