Chapter 18

Michael swore a blue streak, and I joined him. He pressed harder on the gas. We couldn't go much faster or we'd spin-out. I looked behind us. The mage held another fireball. Dammit. We couldn't take another hit.

I turned to Michael. "Promise me you'll protect the kids."

His jaw hardened. "Abe—"

"Left!" I yelled.

He swerved, dodging the next lob. This was it. We'd go into a tailspin, and it would be all over. Miraculously, Michael kept the car on the pavement, a sheen of sweat on his brow.

"I have to stop that mage. You know it. I know it. Promise me."

"With my life."

That was all I needed. I rolled the passenger window down, shifted into my raven, and launched. The wind buffeted me, and I almost lost control. I flapped furiously, climbing as fast as I could go. The mage aimed his next fireball at me. I was out of range, and it fell to the street with a loud explosion.

I let the SUV pass. The mage swiveled, looking for me, but I blended into the night. After a moment, he refocused on the Caddy. Perfect. I swooped down behind him. My talons locked onto his coat, and using all my strength, I dragged him airborne. He shrieked, grabbing for the sunroof and dropping his fireball into his ride. We cleared the car and soared.

The SUV went up in a fiery explosion. The heat singed my wings. I veered sharply. Despite my dodge, shrapnel still peppered the mage's lower body. He let out a pained scream. Then the fucker tried to electrocute me.

I released him. He hit the pavement with a sickening smack. No way he survived the fall. I hoped the kids hadn't seen it.

I kept rising, visibility growing worse. As much as I didn't want to be shot out of the sky, I dropped lower and winged toward Federal Hill, doing my best to keep our car in my sights. I could probably catch them down there.

The Caddy rounded Federal Hill Park. Before Michael completed the second turn, another SUV cut him off, skidding sideways to block his momentum. He spun onto a narrow street that ran between the park and the art museum, side-swiping the shades' vehicle as he rounded the corner. Damn, that wolf knew how to handle a car.

Several SUVs appeared behind him. Where had they all come from? The sound of gunfire was loud, even with the wind.

No snowplow had been down this way. The Caddy bumped along as Michael crested the snow, not slowing for an instant. Once he reached the end of the lane, he'd fully round the park. He'd be headed back toward the Lord Baltimore.

I wanted to croak in triumph.

Then two more SUVs appeared, blocking escape. Fuck! I swooped lower in case I could help. Maybe I could draw their fire?

His best bet was to ram the vehicles head on and to knock them out of the way. Risky, considering the single-lane street didn't have any maneuvering room. A half wall on one side and trees on the other closed it in.

The Caddy veered off the road and onto the sidewalk. The half wall was coming up fast in front of him.

Shit! Had he lost control of the car?

The Caddy swung hard up the hill and made for the top, off-roading it. The hell was he doing? The SUVs behind him drew to a slippery halt. Shades poured from the vehicles and took up position, aiming their guns at our car. Before I had time to react, they opened fire. Most bullets didn't hit, though some did. He needed to get out of there!

I swooped and raked my talons over one guy's face. He yelped, drawing attention away from the Caddy. I winged hard, hoping to move out of range. A bullet grazed my tail feathers and sent me flailing. I corrected and kept rising. The distraction only lasted a moment. Enough, I hoped.

Michael made it about two-thirds up Federal Hill before his tires spun. Dammit! He wasn't going to make it. My stomach flip-flopped. Where the hell was Kennedy?

The car slowed to a stop. I heard the shades' laughter. They'd ceased firing and waited. Fuckers. I prepared myself to do . . . something. Anything. It couldn't end like this. Not with Michael. And not with those kids.

The Caddy's brake lights came on. And then Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" thundered from the speakers. The tires kicked up snow before the car roared down the hill in reverse. Pedal to the metal. Fuck!

The shades shouted and opened fire, but the Caddy was a tank. Bullets pierced the trunk, the tires, and shattered the remains of the back window. Still, it barreled on. It rammed into the SUVs like a snowplow, shoving the vehicles into the now-fleeing attackers.

The Caddy's engine sputtered, kept running. The rear axle had cracked, though. Not going anywhere. The music continued to blare. Talons raking, I dove at a shade who leveled her weapon at the car. I hit from behind, knocking her from her feet. The gun clattered away.

Not hurting those kids. Or my mate.

Another went down under a—my—huge dire wolf.

A half dozen more dark SUVs turned onto the street. I swore before noticing Kennedy's Oleander logo on the vehicles' hoods.

Reinforcements at last.

A moment later, six more cars showed up at the other end of the street. They'd caught the remaining attackers in a pincer maneuver.

Kennedy's soldiers streamed from the cars and took up positions.

The shades dropped their weapons and melted away into the night.

Dammit.