Every root.
Every branch.
Every stubborn thread of magic that ran through the earth beneath Stonewick.
“Maeve!” Twobble shouted from somewhere behind me. “I think you’re winning!”
“Don’t say that yet!” Skonk yelled.
Another shadow dove toward the center of the clearing, and Keegan intercepted it before it got halfway there.
The massive dark wolf tore straight through the thing and skidded across the leaves as it dissolved around him. His fur was streaked with dirt now, his chest heaving with effort, but he didn’t slow down. It was amazing to watch Keegan in action, not held back by a curse or a looming threat that wasn’t his choice.
He launched himself into the next one, and the crowd behind him surged forward with renewed energy.
The Priestess watched it all from the edge of the clearing.
The mist around her stirred slowly, curling around the dark folds of her robes.
For the first time since she’d appeared, her expression had changed.
Not fear.
But surprise.
She hadn’t expected this.
The shadows circled her more tightly now, drifting closer to the protective cloud of mist around her shoulders.
I saw something move in the trees behind her again.
And I thought it was another shadow, but the shape was wrong.
What was behind her was solid and tall.
A man stepped out of the darkness.
The movement was quiet enough that most of the clearing didn’t notice right away. He simply walked forward through the drifting mist as if the battle raging around us wasn’t worth hurrying for.
The Priestess turned.
And froze.
The shock on her face was real this time.
“Impossible,” she breathed.
The man didn’t answer, and he stepped past her, straight into the clearing.
My breath caught in my throat.
Gideon.
Even from across the clearing, I knew it was him.
Dark hair.
Dark eyes.
