And better yet…
I pull out my phone and send a quick text with a pin to our location.
Around me, my friends wait for the Order infiltration team to give us the go-ahead. Wylder crouches to my left, his hands pressed against the sandy earth.
Absently, I wonder how the desert location affects his plant magic. Can he still conjure vines and command the trees when we’re surrounded by cacti and scrub?
Orion lets out a rumbled growl, his tiger pressed against Asher’s side. His striped tail twitches like a thick rope, the anticipation of what’s coming building in all of us.
Rowan is standing in Garrison’s shadow, glaring up at the golden sky. With her shadow magic, she is definitely more endless night than sweet delight.
And then there’s Asher.
My bestie guardian angel stands next to me, his compound bow slung at the ready, the bolts strapped to his hip.
"You good?" I whisper.
He grins, sharp and bright. “I’m here, able to help fight the bad guys, ready to protect you, so yeah, I’m great.”
I lean over to give him a hug. “Love you, Hendrix.”
“Love you more, Hallowind.”
Garrison presses a finger against the communicator in his ear and nods. “All right, the infiltration team has taken down all security measures, and the secondary line has the place surrounded. We go on my mark.”
This is it. My sisters are in there… I know they are.
They have to be.
Garrison raises one massive hand, listening to the updates over the Order communicators. A few agonizingly long moments pass before he points forward. “Go!”
We charge forward, racing toward the tall stone walls.
“Follow me, people!” Garrison’s massive minotaur frame strikes off at a run. His footfalls are heavy, but he moves remarkably quickly for a man the size of an SUV.
Our group picks up speed as we barrel straight toward the compound wall. When I expect him to slow down so we can scale the wall, magic zings across my skin.
Garrison throws a hand forward, and an entire section of the wall disappears. He races ahead, joining a group of witches, fae, and shifters coming across the compound courtyard from other directions.
A pulse of dark magic erupts from the building, and five cloaked figures materialize on the roof. I’d bet my balls it’sLaurel standing front and center, her silver hair whipping free of the ebony hood hiding her identity.
I knew about two other witches from the secret meeting but have no idea who the other two might be. Not that it matters. They’re all going down.
The air bursts with ozone as magic erupts all around us.
According to what the Order gleaned, the captive witches are housed in the long, low barrack building off to the right. I leave the battle behind, and head straight there.
Sure, I want Laurel to pay, but I want my sisters rescued and safe much more.
I sprint toward the barracks. Wylder, Asher, Rowan, and Orion in my battle group. Garrison made me promise that we’d stick to rescue and recovery and leave the taking down of the enemy to those with more experience.
That was an easy concession.
I’m here for Lily and Violet… and any other victims they have inside. My commitment to my sisters outweighs all thoughts of revenge.
Orion’s white tiger hits the door at full speed, nearly four hundred pounds of supernatural muscle and fury.
The doorshatters.
