Chapter Thirty-Four

The snapping of a twig echoed through the fog and we all froze. The sound came again, too rhythmic to be natural. Something was out there.

My eyes strained against the blanketing mist. Beside me, Cole had gone perfectly still, head cocked as he listened intently. The others watched the woods warily, and Alina's hackles rose.

"Could be an animal," Jax murmured, almost hopefully.

Cole shook his head slowly. "It's not."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. He was right. There was something out there, and it had been following us since we got out of the fire what felt like hours ago. We were being hunted.

For a long moment we stood tense and silent, ears straining for the slightest noise. But whatever it was, it wasn't ready to make its move yet.

"Alina, switch with Jax," Cole said, staring out into the gloom. Without a word, Jax told his wolf form, and Alina switched back to human, reclaiming her clothes from Cole.

As we moved cautiously onward, Cole stumbled ever so slightly. It was subtle, barely a hitch in his usually smooth gait before he pressed on. I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been watching him. Weird. He was usually so surefooted, like he'd been born to trek through woods, in wolf form or human.

But now that I was watching for it, other small signs drew my attention. A tightness around his eyes when the terrain grew rough. Movements less fluid than usual, conserving his energy. Imperceptible winces when he thought no one was looking.

Cole was hurt, I was sure of it. Just as I was sure he'd never admit it, not when he was leading our small pack. He would always put his needs last. But I wasn't him, and he came first for me. I stayed close, ready to support him if he needed it, eyes on him as much as the terrain around us.

Jax let out a quiet yip.

"What is it?" Cole asked. "Danger?"

Jax shook his head.

"Food?"

Another shake.

"Water?"

Jax nodded, and I sighed in relief. I'd been parched by the time we'd escaped the fire, and our long trek through the woods had done nothing to help.

"Good. Let's go, but be careful. I wouldn't put it past Astor to have set a trap for us."

No, neither would I. We moved on cautiously, the eerie sounds continuing at intervals, fraying our nerves even though nothing attacked. Or maybe because nothing attacked.

When Cole stumbled on an unseen root, he recovered swiftly, face betraying nothing. But I didn't miss the fleeting tension in his jaw, the carefully controlled exhale. Whatever was bothering him, his shifter healing didn't seem to be helping. If anything, he was getting worse. He was going to need to rest soon, though he'd never admit it. We couldn't reach that water source soon enough, as far as I was concerned.

Eventually, I picked up the sounds of flowing water, and it wasn't much longer until we broke through the foliage and the small stream came into sight. I battled the urge to run to it, instead moving slowly, checking for any kind of ambush, but it looked like we were alone out here. Aside from whatever the hell was hunting us, that was.

We took turns to drink our fill from the stream, and I watched from the corner of my eye as Cole finished drinking and rose stiffly to his feet.

"Do you think we should rest here?" I suggested, letting the cool water trickle down my throat and slake my thirst. "Save our energy for whatever might be coming?"

Cole shook his head. "It's too exposed, and the water could attract predators. We'll look for somewhere to set up camp a little way off. Keep your eyes open for any shelter. We'll forage and set traps along the way. Jax, shift back. We can trap and gather better if we're all human."

We moved deeper into the woods, the stream falling further away to our left, and then we moved parallel to it, searching the fog-cloaked woods for anything that might serve as a shelter. The trees grew denser, making our progress slower, but at least it gave us a few more options for setting traps.

Cole and Alina gathered vines and bent saplings, weaving them into makeshift snares as we went. When we got out of here, I had to get Cole to teach me how to do that. The thought hit me like a punch to the solar plexus. Because when we got out of here, my father was waiting, and he would collect on his debt. I forced the thought down and focused on foraging for nuts and berries, just in case the traps didn't yield as much as we hoped. There was no sense wasting energy worrying about tomorrow. Not while today was still in question.

The woods remained eerily silent aside from the occasional unnatural cry splitting the air. Still, nothing emerged from the fog, which I was taking as a win. Cole took point as we moved, testing the way ahead as he worked. But I noticed his steps were slower, his movements lacking their usual grace. He paused more often, leaning against trees to take the weight off his leg when he thought we weren't watching.

But I was. And my concern deepened each time he faltered. I kept my eyes on him, watching him navigate the uneven terrain. His jaw was clenched, face pale and beaded with sweat. He was pushing himself to his limits. Sooner or later he was going to have to rest up, pride be damned. I wasn't going to let him kill himself out here because he was scared of looking like less than the perfect alpha.

Fuck.

Scared. That fucking necklace!

"Cole, I—"

"Up ahead," Jax called suddenly, angling toward a rocky outcropping shrouded in vines. It wasn't much, but it might provide shelter.

We were almost there when Cole staggered, catching himself against a tree trunk. I turned back just as his legs buckled and he collapsed limply to the forest floor.

"Cole!" I raced to his side, my own weariness forgotten. His skin was cold when I touched his face. "Cole, wake up!"

"What's wrong with him?" Jax demanded, dropping into a crouch next to us.

I shook my head, my hands fluttering around him uselessly. "I don't know, he's been struggling for a while, stumbling when no-one's watching. I think he's hurt, or maybe the necklace, or…"

"Cali!"

I sucked in a sharp breath and nodded. "We should check him over, look for any injuries."

It didn't take us long to find it. A small puncture wound in his calf that was red and inflamed. Jax swore under his breath.

"The centipedes."

"One landed on him when we were running," I said, my eyes wide with horror. "We got it off, but…"

"It must have injected him with venom," Alina said, hovering anxiously behind Jax. "The more he pushed himself…"

"The faster it spread into his system," I said grimly. "I knew I hated bugs for a reason."

"It's worse than that," Jax said. "There's no anti-venom for centipedes. Fuck."

"There's got to be something we can do. We can't just leave him like this!"

"There might be something," Alina said. "It's a long shot, but…"

"But what?" I demanded, halfway to my feet. If there was a way to help Cole, then I was going to find it, no matter the cost.

"There's a mushroom. It only grows near magic—like places where portals open, or where fae have worked powerful glamors."

My hope shattered into desolation and I sank back to the ground beside Cole. "The academy's warded against incoming portals, and we can't get out."

"The fae train out in the grounds sometimes," Jax said. "I've seen them."

We both turned to Alina.

"That could be enough," she allowed.

"Then the two of you should go," I told them.

"We can't leave you alone when Cole is like this," Jax protested.

"You have to. You're the only one who knows where the fae train, and Alina's the only one who knows what the mushroom looks like. I'll keep watch over Cole until you get back. Help me move him over there so we're more hidden."

He nodded, and between us we moved Cole, setting him down carefully in the shelter of the outcropping, and Alina followed, piling our meager supplies against the cliff face.

"We'll be back as quickly as we can," she said.

I nodded, carefully removing the necklace from Cole and slipping it over my own head.

"We should take that," Jax said.

"No. You'll be faster without it trying to slow you down."

"Leave it on Cole, then," he pressed.

"I can't. Cole's fear…it's being too weak to lead."

"Shit." Jax snapped his head to the side on a frustrated snarl.

"Yeah." I tucked the necklace under my shirt. "Go on. We'll be fine. Just…be quick, okay? I don't know how long he has."

"We will," Jax vowed.

I settled down beside Cole in the small clearing, watching the two of them go. The fog was thinner here, hovering at the edges of our clearing, and my eyes searching it constantly, flicking restlessly between one spot and the next, waiting for someone—something—to take advantage of our vulnerability.

"Cali?" Cole croaked. My eyes snapped back down to him.

"I'm here," I said, squeezing his hand. "And you're an idiot. You should have told me how badly you were hurt."

"Cali? Where are you?"

"What? That's not funny, Cole."

"Cali?" He twisted round, jerking his hand from mine and scanning the clearing frantically. "Cali!"

"I'm right here, Cole! Shit, the venom, it must be—"

"Cali! Cali…" He sank back to the ground, eyelids fluttering. "Cali…"

Throat squeezing in terror, I pressed my fingers to his neck, sagging in relief as I felt the thready pumping of his pulse. Wherever Alina and Jax were headed, I hoped it wasn't far. I didn't know how long Cole had left. If he was hallucinating already…

With a frantic sob, I grabbed one of the vines from the pile and tied it above the puncture wound. I didn't know how much venom was already in his system, but if this would slow it even a little then I had to try.

That done, I settled down to keep watch, wishing I had some kind of container for water to at least keep him hydrated. But it didn't matter. Because Alina and Jax were going to find the mushroom, and Cole was going to be fine. He had to be.

A twig snapped somewhere nearby and I whirled round, peering out into the gloom. Shit. Something was out there.

Another twig snapped, closer this time, and I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching. Human footsteps. And there was no way Alina and Jax would be back already.

Slowly, as quietly as I was able, I got to my feet, cursing my stupidity in not scavenging anything that could be used as a weapon. Whoever was out there was right on top of us now—there was no time to shift. I snatched up one of the sturdier vines. It wasn't much, but if I could get out of sight and behind whoever was coming…

Before I had a chance to move, the bushes parted, and four figures stepped through. And at the front of them was Kallan. He paused, taking in Cole's prone form, and then threw back his head and laughed.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" he sneered, swaggering closer and ignoring me completely. "Looks like your little pack of misfits left you here to die, all alone."

All alone?

Kallan shared a gloating look with Eva, Harvey, and…Wes. Of course. Because as if today couldn't have gotten any worse.

"I say we finish him before the others get back," Wes said.

"Get away from him," I snarled, straightening.

"Cali?" Kallan frowned as he looked around, his eyes skipping straight over me. What the actual fuck? "I could've sworn I just heard…"

"Yeah, me too," Eva said, looking uneasy. "Let's get this done and get out of here."

"We should just leave," Harvey said. "Their scent is all over this place, they'll be back soon. And I don't want to fight the dhampir if she's fed recently."

"Fucking coward," Eva snapped. "He's practically dead already, and if the others were nearby, they'd have heard us and come running by now."

"But—"

"But, but, but," Wes said in a high pitched, mocking whine, shoving past Harvey. "Man the fuck up. With Bryant out of the way, the Iron Shadows will be nothing. We can end the war right here, and claim his territory for the Black Winds."

Wes started to shrug out of his shirt, and I bit back a curse. If I was hoping they were going to stand around here grandstanding for another hour or two until Jax and Alina got back, I was shit out of luck. But at least I had one advantage: they couldn't see me, for some reason. Whatever. I'd take it. I moved as quietly as I could, circling round behind them. Eva tensed as I passed within a few feet of her, then rolled out her shoulders. I'd deal with her later. Right now, I needed to keep Wes from putting his filthy claws anywhere near my mate.

I stretched out the vine between my hands, and crept behind him.

"What the fuck is that?" Harvey said, his eyes widening as they fixed on my hands…no, the vine. Fuck.

I didn't give them time to react, lunging forward and looping the vine around Wes's neck. As he cried out in shock, I hauled back and down, pulling him off balance. His feet scrabbled in the dirt and his hands clawed at the vine.

"Wes!"

"Get the vine!"

Well, shit. Dropping my weapon, I raised my foot and stamped down hard on Wes's knee, my lips pressing into a grim smile as I felt it buckle under the blow. He roared in pain and dropped to the floor, clutching the shattered joint. He kicked out with his other leg and I jumped back in a spray of loose dirt.

Kallan froze, his eyes locked onto the spot I'd been in, and then he canted his head, his lips pulled back in a feral sneer.

"Looks like we're not so alone here as we thought."

"The dhampir," Harvey said, his eyes frantically scanning just to the left of where I was standing.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Kallan said, stalking towards me. I stepped back carefully, trying to make as little sound as possible. On the other hand, maybe I should make some sound, and try to lure them away from Cole.

"How you doing, Wes?" Kallan asked, without tearing his eyes from the spot I'd been in.

"I'll live," Wes grunted.

"Pity," I said, and Kallan whirled round, his eyes snapping to the spot I was in. I stepped carefully again.

"That's some pretty powerful magic you're playing with, dhampir," Kallan said. "Are you fucking a fae as well?"

I bit down on my tongue before I could spit a retort.

"I knew you were a blood whore," he added, stepping towards me, "but I guess if you'll fuck a fang you'll fuck anything, right? I almost feel bad for Bryant, being stuck with a piece of trash like you for a mate."

A growl almost slipped from my mouth and Kallan's head snapped towards me, zeroing in on my position as he took another step. Dammit. I needed to get a better grip on my temper.

"He'll probably thank us for killing him. It'll spare him the humiliation of being shackled to a halfbreed whore for the rest of his life."

I made to step forward, and arms suddenly wound around my torso from behind.

"Got her," Harvey hissed in triumph. I slammed my head back into his face and heard bone crunch. He cried out but his grip tightened.

"Eva, grab some of those vines," Kallan said. "Let's get her tied up. I'm going to take my time with this."

"Bite me," I spat, twisting in Harvey's grip but totally unable to get my arms free. Shit, he was strong. Eva hurried over with a handful of vines as Wes forced himself up with a growl.

"Save some for me," he said, limping my way.

"Don't worry," Kallan said, leaning in as he got close to me. "I'll let you watch us kill your mate before we get started on you. I wouldn't want you to miss a thing."

Gritting my teeth, I lifted both my legs and slammed my feet into Kallan's chest with all my strength.

He staggered back with a pained grunt as the double kick caught him hard in the sternum. At the same time, my body's sudden backward momentum sent Harvey crashing to the ground behind me. His grip loosened as he hit the forest floor and I rolled free, coming up in a crouch.

Kallan was still regaining his balance, rage burning in his eyes.

"Grab her!" he yelled at Eva. She dropped the vines and dove toward me. I sidestepped her clumsy lunge, leaving her to sail through empty air, and darted to Cole's side, standing protectively over him.

"Where is she?" Harvey asked, turning warily as he regained his feet.

"Three guesses," Kallan said, nodding towards Cole. Ugh. I really was transparent—and not just literally. His mouth took on his customary malicious sneer. "Play all the games you like, dhampir. But you're still outnumbered four to one. And I'm still going to kill your mate."

"Three and a half, at best," I taunted—because it wasn't like they didn't know where I was. Wes growled as he ambled towards me, and I switched to Cole's other side, moving carefully to avoid giving myself away. Might as well at least make them work for it.

"Fuck it," Kallan said. "I'm going to kill Bryant right now. And we'll deal with the bitch later."

"Yes, we will," Wes agreed, in a tone that sent a shudder the length of my spine. But it didn't matter, because if they wanted Cole, they were going to have to go through me first, and I was going to take as many of them down as I could.

"Let's make this quick, shall we? More time to play with the dhampir." He pulled a blade from a sheath at his hip—where the fuck had he got that?—and held it up. "You see this, dhampir? I'm going to use it to cut your mate's throat. Then I'm going to use it on you."

He advanced on Cole, and I carefully crouched right in front of him. As soon as he came within range, I rose up, slamming my shoulder into his stomach. The air rushed out of his lungs in a sharp huff and I threw an arm up, blocking the knife as his momentum drove it at my back.

"Get her," Wes snarled, and the other two rushed in. I shoved Kallan back and whirled, eyes darting between them, searching for the next attack.

Eva's fist sailed through empty air where my head had been a heartbeat before. I seized her arm, using her momentum to hurl her aside. She crashed into Wes as he charged, sending them both sprawling into the dirt.

No time to breathe. Kallan slashed with the knife, the blade slicing the air inches from my stomach. I twisted away, the knife barely missing again as he stabbed at my chest.

Harvey barreled toward me. I dropped and rolled, his fist just glancing off my shoulder. I swept his legs out from under him before he could recover, and he hit the ground hard.

A blur of movement—Wes was on me again. His fist clipped my temple, making my head spin. I scrambled back as he loomed over me. He kicked blindly, his boot catching my thigh, and I bit down on a gasp of pain. His injured leg buckled under him and I rolled just in time to avoid him landing on me, but his flailing hand smashed into my face, splitting my lip, forcing a cry of pain from me.

"There!" Kallan yelled. He dove toward the sound, knife extended. I flung myself sideway, but not quite fast enough and pain burned through my calf as the blade nicked me.

They were herding me away from Cole. I couldn't let them separate us. Kallan swiped at the empty air where I'd been. I dodged past him, sprinting for Cole's side.

Almost there. Eva appeared before me, arms spread to block my path. I feinted left then went right, barely avoiding her grasping hands.

I skidded to a stop by Cole, chest heaving. They circled us, peering for any sign of me. Blood dripped from my split lip and I swiped it away with the back of my hand before it could hit the ground and give me away, but it didn't matter. The marks my boots had left in the dirt told them everything they needed to know about where I was, and the blood from the jagged tear on my calf was already leaking through the shredded remains of my pants.

Kallan's smile broadened. "Game over."