“Sara-Kate?” his eyes finally shining with fear and worry. “What’s happened? What did you see?”
I sobbed, trying to gather my thoughts. “I think the Stonebound are closing in. We have to help her, Alaric. We have to go back.”
His mouth was set in a grim line as he stood and grabbed my bag at the end of the bed, throwing it next to me. “Get dressed. I’ll go get ready and meet you in the garage. We’ll drive down to the city right now.”
“To Brooklyn.” I corrected. “She’s staying there with her grandmother for the holiday.”
He nodded, leaving me to change. Within 10 minutes we were in the other Range Rover, barreling down the highway. It was barely past two in the morning as I texted and called Sara-Kate to no avail. I could only hope and pray we weren’t too late.
Alaric drove resolutely for the next five hours, his eyes never wavering from the road as the GPS system called out directions. I sent Sara-Kate at least twenty texts, all unanswered. I tried calling her, but her phone went straight to voicemail. Alaric kept one hand on the wheel and one on my knee, squeezing to keep me calm whenever the bond between us flared with my unending panic. I tried to breathe, tried to keep my head, and tried to remain calm, but the vision of Sara-Kate in the Stonebound’s grasp made it hard for me to concentrate.
By the time we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, I was vibrating from pent-up anxiety and panic.
“Mari,” Alaric warned. “Breathe. Keep calm. Your power is surging. I can feel it.”
He was right. My skin felt hot, like I was moments away from bursting into flames. But that would have to wait. We were only minutes from Sara-Kate’s grandmother’s apartment. Yet, the closer we got, the heavier the traffic became until I finally laid eyes on what was holding up the traffic. There were police cars and fire trucks surrounding the area where smoldering smoke was still wafting into the morning air of an apartment building that was falling into nothing more than ash.
As if he could read my mind, Alaric reached for me, calling my name. But I was faster. I threw the door open, sprinting the rest of the way through the crowd of people who had gathered. I ran all the way, determined to run right into the still smoldering wreckage when a firefighter caught me, pulling me back.
“Woah, there! You can’t go in. It’s still active.”
“Please, my friend! She’s in there!” I screeched, clawing at his arms. The hot rage of my power skimmed the surface of my fingers, burning right through his fireman’s jacket and burning his skin. He yelped, pushing me away, looking at me with awe and fear. I pushed past him until I got to the physical barrier keeping other onlookers and survivors away.
“Sara-Kate!” I screamed, tears stinging my eyes as the smoke continued to billow in the wind.
“Are you looking for the Johnsons?” A soft, wrinkled hand pulled at my arm.
I turned to the old woman, wrapped in her shawl with a little white and tan Chihuahua dog shaking in her arms.
“Yes,” I sobbed. “Did they make it out?”
Her eyes shone with tears as she shook her head. “I haven’t seen Brenda or her girls yet.”
“Ma’am, we are still searching the building for survivors.” Another firefighter came through, pulling at me to move away from the wreckage. Before I could fight him, another set of strong and familiar arms wrapped around me, picking me up and carrying me away from the scene.
“No!” I slammed my hands against Alaric. “Put me down!”
“We have to get out of here,” he said through gritted teeth. “You are unstable and cannot be trusted not to use your power again.”
“I don’t care,” I snapped. “I was too late. We were too late.”
Just as we reached the other side of the street where Alaric’s Range Rover sat, a deep, familiar voice echoed through my brain, reverberating against my skull painfully.
Seek the Obelisk. She waits.
Alaric almost dropped me, leaning us against his car as his wide, panicked eyes met mine and I realized he heard the voice too, through the bond.
“We have to get to Central Park.” I grabbed at his shirt,pulling his face closer to mine so he understood. “We have to go now. She’s there.”
My tears burned hot against my cheeks, but I forced them down. Even as Alaric shoved me into the passenger seat, the words burned like a brand into my skull. The Obelisk. Waiting. And this time, I knew—we weren’t racing against fire, but against fate itself.
Chapter Twenty
Alaric threw the car into park just outside the MET where we both knew it would probably get towed or, at the very least, ticketed, but we didn’t care. We sprinted down the worn path towards the Obelisk monument, ignoring the confused glances of morning runners and onlookers. The sun was just rising above the horizon, making the sky brighter. The crisp November air bit at my skin, but I raced onward, my intuition and the voice leading me back to where this all would end one way or another.
We turned the corner and Alaric pulled at my arm painfully, forcing me to stop as seven Stonebound came into view, all still as statues in front of the Obelisk. And within their circle lay Sara-Kate, the pendant around her neck faintly glowing.
“We need backup,” Alaric whispered, pushing me behind him in an effort to protect me. “Go back to the council. Get every Bloodwright you can find.”
