Chapter 114

Icouldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t see through the tears.

I wasn’t even sure my own heart was beating.

The singular thought in my mind was that Killian was dead.

He’d run into the fire.

He’d run straight toward the hunter shooting at him.

“You need to fucking breathe, love,” Lane ordered angrily. Reaching across the console, he planted a hand to my chest. “Jesus fuck, your heart is racing. Woman, you need to fucking breathe.”

“I can’t…” I gasped out. I was thrown against the windows as the car took a turn too sharp.

“You can, and you fucking will,” he snapped. “You’re not dying in my fucking car. Just hold on tight. We’re almost fucking home.”

I still didn’t understand why we were going home. I didn’t understand the plan. Lane had separated the Byrnes: half at the house and half in the car behind us. He drove like a madman to our home.

But he wouldn’t tell me why. Nor did he tell Nolan and Declan. He just ordered them into a car with directions to keep up.

“Why did you let him go?” I asked. “Why—”

“You should fucking know there’s no stopping Killian when he has a plan,” Lane cut me off. His jaw clenched tight. “I’m not about to let his dumbass die. Not if I can do something about it.”

“What can you even do?” I exclaimed. I slapped the window and yelled, “He’s that way!”

“You don’t have a clue what I can do,” he said. I was getting tired of people saying that to me and expecting me to accept it.

“Then tell me!” I replied. “Tell me what you can do.”

“Just trust me,” he growled.

“I don’t.”

“Probably a smart fucking thing.” What did that even mean? The sound that escaped me was indescribable—frustration, anger, and fear all melded into one horrific mess.

His hand slammed to my chest, pushing me back in the seat as he took another turn going too fast. My brain skittered with the loss of traction in his tires. He flew through the side streets of Cedar Harbor like he belonged there until he was slamming on the brakes in our drive.

“Get in the house!” he ordered. Before I could say a word, he was out of the car.

“The hell I am,” I muttered and chased after him, following him to the backyard. I was too worked up to be left sitting and twiddling my thumbs. Declan’s truck halted hard on the gravel just as the gate swung shut.

“What the hell are we doing?” Declan demanded when he and Nolan jogged after us. “What the hell is going on? Why aren’t we back at the house?”

“Because it’s better to separate the lot of you,” Lane retorted. Pointing to the porch, he ordered, “Stay.”

“Like hell we will,” he snapped. “Not until you tell us what’s going on!”

“I’m getting your brother back!” he hollered. When Declan took another step after him, black magic shot from Lane’s hands and hit the three of us. “You’ll do better to stay out of my fucking way.”

I watched him stride across the lawn. Not a chance in hell. I wasn’t letting him do whatever he was going to do without me. Not if it meant saving Killian. I rushed after him, catching up just as his magic gathered in a swirl in front of him.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Lane grumbled, glancing over to see me. “Of course, you are.”

“Of course, I am what?” I asked. My eyes never left the mesmerizing swirl of inky black hovering in the air.

“You stay out of the fucking way, do you understand?” he replied, and I nodded, unable to find words. He chanted words I had no hope of understanding. Over and over on repeat.

Flames erupted around the edges of whatever circular magic hell the magical man was creating. They rippled and forced an image to come into visibility. My heart lurched into my throat as my knees gave out. My fingers dug into the wet dirt, clinging for dear life.

“No…” I let out, the breath knocked out of me with fear. “Ian…”

Clad in a wild array of purple magic, the hunter crouched in front of Killian. On his knees, he was bleeding, and his breathing was ragged. So much blood. She pushed the tip of a blade under his chin and forced him to look at her. Her mouth moved, twisting with a smile as she spoke words I couldn’t hear.

“How?” Lane whispered. I glanced at him, ready to yell at him for help, but faltered. His face contorted with confusion, and his head cocked to the side as he listened intently. I would’ve given anything to know what was happening.

“Save him,” I begged, but I wasn’t even sure Lane could hear me. He shushed me, his brows furrowing deeper. God, it had to be bad.

In one sudden movement, a blast of black magic shot out of his hand through the image. It gripped Killian and yanked him back away from the hunter. He flew across our backyard, tumbling over himself while the image in magic blinked out of existence.

“It’ll buy us fucking time,” Lane said to no one in particular. He rushed across the lawn as I scrambled to follow after him.

Killian wasn’t moving. My mind spiraled with the inevitable as I knelt next to him. My hands trembled. I didn’t know where to touch him. There was so much blood. Tears blurred my vision.

“Ian…” I whispered, my breath catching in my throat. “Please… please, wake up…”

“Come on, you stubborn asshole,” Lane growled. He grabbed Killian’s face, giving him a hard shake. “Fuck. Wake up, you asshole. I need you to fucking whistle.”

“Whistle?” Nolan asked from somewhere behind us, but Lane ignored him.

“Wake up!” He pressed two fingers to Killian’s neck. “Fuck. Not fast enough… fucking hell, Byrne. Wake your sorry ass up and whistle, damn it!”

“Why… why… why whistle?” I struggled to articulate the words I wanted to say.

“Why won’t you fucking do anything?” Declan demanded. I glanced over my shoulder to see him strain against Lane’s magic. “You have magic—”

“It won’t work,” he snapped. He hit Killian’s cheek harder. “Come on… come on, you furry motherfucker. Wake up!”

“Why not?” Declan pushed harder.

“Because my magic is her magic!” Lane exploded. “My magic won’t do shit against hers because it made her magic! I was there when your ancestor ravaged an entire continent by creating wolves without direction. Without discipline! I was there when the streets ran red with the blood of men, women, and children! I was there when entire fucking towns were burned to the goddamn ground! You want to talk about a fucking plague? Your kind was the fucking plague! I did something about it! Me! I made the hunters!”

Eyes wide, I stared at him. He was completely undeterred from his task of trying to wake Killian up. A loud growl filled the night as Nolan put a hand on Declan’s chest to hold him back.

Me? I just stared at Lane. The way he talked… there was no way he was that old. There was just no way…

“You wouldn’t fucking win, boy, so quit while you’re ahead,” Lane snarled, his gaze flicking to Declan briefly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve killed your kind. The last one I killed was a murderer a hundred years ago. Your kind turned non-violent and so did we. I’ve spent a long fucking time disbanding the major guilds of hunters around the world.”

“You clearly failed,” Declan retorted.

“Fanatics always exist,” he said. “Come on, wolf boy, I need you to wake up. I need you to fucking wake up and whistle, damn it.”

“Why do you want him to whistle?” I practically yelled at him. “Save his life!”

“I’m fucking trying! Damn it, Killian!” He smacked him again, and Killian awoke with a start. He grappled with Lane’s hands as he fought back weakly. Lane grabbed his hands, squeezing tight for support. “Whistle, you stubborn fucking man. I can’t save your ass if you don’t fucking whistle.”

Killian groaned as he settled back on the ground. The tiniest three-note whistle passed through his lips—so quiet I almost missed it—before he passed out again. Lane’s hold on his hands increased while his attention snapped to the forest line at the edge of our yard.

I followed his gaze. What was he looking for? My heart raced faster in my chest with thoughts of the hunter. What if she found us here? Did we even stand a chance?

Something moved in the darkness. My whole body locked up with fear.

“What the hell is that?” Declan asked.

A wolf stepped out of the woods, dark-furred and midnight eyes. Its hackles raised as it approached. The rest of us might as well have not existed from the way it honed in on Lane and Killian. I stared at it, wide-eyed with shock.

I’d recognize Killian’s wolf anywhere.

But…

My eyes flicked down to my husband.

“How…” I whispered.

“He needs you,” Lane said to the wolf. A deep growl was its response. It shoved hard into Lane, knocking him back on his ass. It lowered gingerly down on the ground beside Killian, laying its head on his chest with a mournful whine. That sound transitioned to a dangerous growl when Lane reached for Killian. “Easy, beast.”

Lane took hold of Killian’s wrist and tugged on a slip of string until it snapped. Speechless, I watched as his wolf glittered with black magic. Its form sagged and seized against Killian’s body until it disappeared, practically melting into my husband.