Chapter 13

13

W e were in the middle of absolute nowhere.

What were the odds of someone else being out here, stopping where we stopped?

I trusted Onyx and his observational skills but damn it, we had nowhere to go—there was no one around to help and no other traffic on the road except for the single vehicle following us.

“What does it look like?” I asked him, dropping my voice low and somehow feeling foolish because of it. It wasn’t as if our car was bugged. Or had someone gotten in while we were distracted at the glen?

Crap, at this point, anything was possible.

“Look for other roads where we might be able to lose them,” Onyx urged, his face gaunt.

This road was about the size of a normal two-lane back in the mortal world but it seemed as though we’d somehow made our way into the heart of the wilderness. The same sprawling forests I’d seen from the air, on my way to meeting with the Claw & Fang, covered this part of the world as well, surrounding isolated pockets of towns.

“There’s nothing here,” I protested. “Did you see the maps at the glen? This road is the only one cutting through the forest. The best thing we can do is try to make it out of here and once we do, hope we can lose them.”

My knuckles went white, my skin broke out in a cold sweat, and Noren whined.

I had a terrible gut feeling that whoever followed us had waited until now to show themselves. On purpose. A calculated move. Whoever it was, they wanted us to see them.

I pressed my foot to the pedal and pushed the car to go faster.

Although their headlights were off, once I tuned in to the vehicle’s presence, they were easier to spot. They maintained the same distance behind us and sped up to stay within eyesight.

The cold sweat spread everywhere and my muscles trembled.

“What are we going to do?” Onyx whispered.

No clue. As per usual.

I eased off a bit and slowed down, hoping against hope that trudging along at Grandma Moses speed would entice the other person to pass. To show us that they were a normal person and not a threat.

The other vehicle slowed down as well.

Same distance—no more, no less.

“Well, now we know they are definitely tailing us on purpose.” Onyx sounded resigned.

My teeth clattered together and I clenched down on them to stop the movement. It was fine. We’ll make it out of this somehow . We had to.

With only one road, it wasn't like they had many places to go, either. If I sped up enough then I might be able to swerve off into the trees and have them pass us by. Maybe.

“Whatever you’re thinking about, it won’t work.”

“You don’t know that,” I murmured. My grip on the wheel tightened despite my now clammy palms.

The sweat pooled under my arms. I caught sight of Noren in the rearview mirror, his hackles lifted and a warning growl rumbling his throat. He was either picking up on my anxiety or something my senses weren't able to quantify yet.

Either way?—

“I do know that.” Onyx rolled down the window and stuck his face out, drawing in the air. “Shit, Tavi, this is bad. This is big bad.”

“What is it?” My voice broke.

I took the curve too fast, the tires screeching. The road straightened out and I slammed on the brakes in time to avoid a second vehicle blocking our path. Four brawny bodies leaned against the side and straightened when they saw us coming.

Onyx yelled, slamming his hand against the dash as I hit the brakes harder, trying to keep the car from fishtailing.

We finally skidded to a stop and the only sound was Noren’s growl. That sound raised my hackles but the four big men blocking the road in front of us barely blinked.

“Get out of the vehicle,” the nearest one called out with a sneer. “ Now .”

I saw no weapons on them. The speaker was a tall man with a mangy salt-and-pepper beard and only a single functioning eye. Long brown hair fell to his chest. He was dressed in a checkered shirt and stained jeans, with his shoulders slumped menacingly forward. The others slipped in close to him.

“Well?” the man pressed. He tilted his head to the side and one of his associates shifted forward and brought his palms hard against the hood of the car. “What is it going to be, kids?”

Noren’s growling grew louder with his sights set unblinkingly on the four men.

When we made no move to obey, the other two slinked forward, their eyes gleaming dully in the darkness.

“Get out of the fucking car!” the leader screamed.

These men were not playing around. We had one shot at getting out of here: We had to shift. It was the only way we’d be able to outrun them.

I glanced over at Onyx and saw a similar gleam of recognition in his eyes. He’d had the same thought. I gave him a tiny nod, hoping none of the others would be able to see it in the gloom.

Then I sent out a wave of magic to open the back door to let Noren out. He headed straight for the closest man, with his maw gaping open and saliva dripping from his fangs.

I turned my attention inward, reaching for my inner wolf.

We’re out of options.

The thought played on repeat in my head as familiar magic flooded my system, a power uniquely mine that wasn’t dependent on energy. I’d be able to shift exhausted, starving. Even without a full moon.

I gathered my resources and Onyx and I moved in tandem. Our doors blew open, magic erupting out of us and swirling through the interior of the car like a whirlwind. The power lurking beneath his skin shifted his limbs in a blink, and from the periphery of my vision I caught sight of a massive wolf landing on all fours where a man had stood.

The wolf took off in an instant.

My half-shifter warrior form would be bigger, stronger, in case the others caught up to us. But I needed speed. Shards of panic bit into me as I called the change, a corona of magic swallowing me.

My wolf lifted to the surface and took over. My limbs lengthened, teeth growing sharper and claws digging into the soft rich earth when I landed as well. My senses tripled from my human and fae form, my awareness stretching until I knew two things without a doubt.

Noren was right behind me.

And some of the men at the roadblock were shifters in hot pursuit.

Their musky scents permeated the air around us and I took off without a sense of direction. The change hurt more without the full moon but the first pricks of pain trickled away as my muscles warmed.

This form was more natural. My wolf took control, uncaring about the thundering of my pulse. My tongue lolled out and I kept my head low for speed. Long strides took me far, over scrub, across streams, and through the underbrush.

There was no clear path ahead and I lost sight of Onyx somewhere in the gloom.

I’d find him again.

His scent was unmistakable, like fire on a cold winter night. And there was Noren only a few paces to my side, occasionally nudging me with his shoulder to get me to change direction.

My wolf was sleek, longer and closer to the ground with a pelt of pure black to help me blend into my surroundings. Noren towered over me even in this shape and was unnaturally silent when I tripped and crashed over a downed log.

He refused to leave my side and nosed me, urging me to get up.

Underbrush snapped behind us. The growl of the two wolves pursuing us grew louder and a howl split the night and raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

I bared my teeth.

Panting, I took off with as much speed as I could. Without warning, the spot on my arm where Madam Muerte’s corpse had bitten began to throb. It pulsed with an unnatural heat and I found myself missing my next step and losing my balance.

My snout plowed into the earth and I snapped my teeth and snorted to dislodge the dirt from my nostrils.

Noren huffed and glared at me with narrowed eyes.

My infection may have looked healed in the hospital but with every foot we ran in the forest, it grew hotter, scalding me. I fought against another flare-up of blood magic because Barbara wasn’t around to fix me this time.

I had to outrun the other shifters. I had to get somewhere safe, find Onyx, make it out of this mess.

Two massive wolves cut us off and I pulled up short before canines snapped inches from my face.

My heart lurched into my throat, my strength flagging more with every passing second as the two wolves circled me. Noren moved into place with his back arched in a protective stance.

Not now .

I couldn’t do this now. Not when I felt this way. Not when I might pass out and shift back into human form. I was as good as dead at that point.

The pain in my arm splintered higher into my shoulder, and when the nearest shifter snapped at me again, I yelped, backing up into Noren. He leaped to attention and stood on his back legs, bellowing out a warning.

The other two attacked him at the same time, coordinating their movements to snap at his sensitive underbelly. In the next beat, they changed as well. Their forms twisted, warped into halfling wolf form. Powerful warriors designed to stand a chance against something the size of a direwolf. They were as large as fully grown grizzlies and packed with muscle.

They swung at him and forced Noren back a step to avoid the hit. His rear claw stomped down dangerously close to my body and I was too slow to get out of the way.

My small yip of surprise startled him and in the moment he turned to look at me, the warriors moved.

They reached for him, with one moving high and the other low. Somehow they managed to get him between them and they forced him to the ground.

My chest constricted. I ran forward without thinking and the closest one kicked out at me. His hit landed on my shoulder and I buckled, yelping.

Helpless.

Son of a bitch, that hurt!

Black dots danced in front of me, and through the blur I saw them wrestle Noren to the ground, slamming his head down to the dirt repeatedly. His growl cut off unnaturally and he fell still.

The warriors dropped him and turned to me, their eyes glowing red.

The pain took a back seat to the red hot fury coursing through my blood. They’d hurt my partner. Despite my disadvantage, I drew on my power and forced the change as well.

I’d barely escaped against one male in halfling warrior form. Against two, and working with my zombie bite, I stood no chance.

Not a single damn chance.

They snarled out a warning, and without waiting for my vision to clear, I launched at them. Landing just short and gnashing at the closest warrior’s leg. The surprise had him tripping.

I stalked forward, my hackles lifted, muscles contorting as I stepped up beside Noren. My bones gave a twang before they contorted and lengthened. My snout grew longer, teeth sharper, and black hair grew thick along my muscled arms and legs.

They were still much larger than me. Without thought, I pounced, enraged enough to tear them to shreds.

The one on the left saw me coming and opened his mouth to roar out a warning. The ground shook, the trees dropping multiple leaves in a maelstrom around us.

I pivoted to avoid the swipe of his claws and came up swinging with a roar of my own. His eyes grew wide with shock, the whites showing, and I raked my claws across his jaw.

We were motion itself, but to stop would be to damn us both.

Noren needed me.

Noren was hurt and all he’d done was try to protect me.

I went full out, despite not being at my best. Their scents were noxiously strong, a combination of musk and sweat and hormones. I was wild and furious and the smell drove me out of my mind in the worst kind of way.

Without the strength in my limbs, I was as good as meat to these guys.

They worked together seamlessly, partners from way back if I had to guess, and the one on the left brought his paw down toward the top of my skull.

I ducked at the last moment, turning to kick against the nearest tree trunk and gain momentum. I came up swinging with a rock in my paw and let it fly.

It hit the shifter in the side and he yelped, howling, clutching his side.

How do you like some cracked ribs, fucker ?

I redoubled my efforts and pushed off the ground, grabbing the nearest tree limb and swinging around to land behind the second warrior.

He turned, much too slow with his enormous bulk, and I took him around the midsection and pushed him to the ground.

A bonfire glowed inside of me as I reared back and sliced my claws across the warrior’s back. I realized I’d barely grazed his skin as he bucked beneath me.

If I didn’t take care of them, they’d take care of me. I just needed them unconscious. Then I could get Noren and find Onyx.

I dug my claws in deeper until I cut through fur and skin and tendon.

The warrior’s howl of pain split the forest air, but my triumph was cut short when his cohort grabbed me around the neck and yanked.

I flew off the other one’s back, my air supply cut. Choking, I reached for my magic, the deep swirling pool of it. There was more to this than physical might. If I had enough magic to complete the change, then I had enough to work a spell.

I’d call down the sun. I knew how to use the elements to help myself.

I scrambled to get free at the same time, kicking out with my hind legs but finding no purchase. I wrapped lethal claw-tipped fingers around the shifter's bulky forearms to pry him off of me.

Only now, nothing but the smallest scrap of a spark erupted from my fingertips. Not nearly enough to burn my way out of this chokehold.

Not enough juice left inside of me to call up my power. Okay, so?—

I grunted as pain lanced through me and dirt and mud splattered from where I dug furrows in the ground.

My mind scrambled as my body slowed with the lack of oxygen. Panic made it hard to think and I dug my claws down as deep as they would go, puncturing the shifter.

He growled but the sound changed into a pained whine and he loosened his grip. Just a little. Enough for me to twist and jerk away from him.

The second warrior lumbered closer.

My body hurt, every inch of me contracting at the same time until I wanted to curl into a tight ball.

I heard myself breathing, saw the rest of the world through the stars dancing in front of my vision as I drew wave after wave of rage-scented air into my lungs.

The second warrior grabbed me by one of my ears and yanked. He pummeled me with his paws, with his legs, nothing but a mass of muscle forcing me into a defensive position.

I had no time to brace for the attack before he kicked at my knee and I howled in agony.

My tendons throbbed.

I ducked to the side and narrowly avoided the next swing of his claws. The other warrior regained his wits and the two of them stopped to stare down at me. Finally the first one scraped his claws across my ear before releasing me.

I tried to get up, drawing on the last of my reserves, but dropped back down to the ground. Someone had set me on fire. They’d doused me with acid and left me to die but the pressure inside of me refused to ease. Even the pain from the cuts and bruises and slices over my skin were nothing compared to the chorus of agony inside. And with no magic to help me, sending the rest of my power out against them wasn’t happening.

I was finished.

Noren …

My head spun in dizzy circles and my eyes squeezed shut on their own. Without having to look, I felt the others loom over me. Staring, deciding what to do to continue this torturous fight.

Through overheated nostrils, I sensed the other shifters as they came into the clearing. Three more werewolves joined the first two and muddied the air with their scents.

I gagged, the magic keeping me in this physical form fading second by second. I lost energy the way some people lost blood, and by the time the clearing filled with bodies, I passed out.