I peeked at the side mirror for what must have been the fiftieth time. Surprisingly, there was no one behind us. I thought for sure Tobias would have quickly engaged in hot pursuit. Not that I really wanted a fast-speed chase down the narrow roads of England.
“Do you think he will still come after us?” I asked.
Kael only had one hand on the steering wheel and was leaning back against his seat, though I was certain we were going well over the speed limit. I really hoped he had well-tuned reaction time. “I’m sure he isn’t far behind.”
I glanced behind us again. “I haven’t seen anything. ”
“Trust me, he’s doing everything he can to catch up. He may not care if we get to the mage, but I guarantee he won’t want PITO or his pack to find out he’s gone rogue.”
His pack. It brought up a point. “I thought that shifters in packs were bound to follow the rules.”
Kael nodded. “They’re supposed to be, which makes me believe he is certainly tied up in dark magic with the mage if he was able to break free.”
Now we had evil shifters to contend with. Super.
Forested land zipped by us in the form of rolling hills and dark trees. The magic inside me swirled, growing warmer with every minute. I felt taut, as if my skin were barely able to contain the eager magic inside of me. My hands clenched on the seat beside me, and my pulse quickened.
I wouldn’t be able to hold it in much longer.
As my stare landed on a particularly dark patch of forest, I straightened. “Stop the car.”
Kael pulled over onto the grass bumping up against the side of the road.
I swallowed. “He’s in there.”
I pointed toward the trees. My palm tingled, and I had to curl my fingers into my skin to keep the magic from bursting out.
The shifter climbed out of the car, and I did the same, throwing my bag over my shoulder. He popped the trunk and headed toward the back of the car.
Kael let out a long whistle, then grinned. I hurried to see what had his eyes looking like a kid who had found a box full of free candy.
The trunk was full of weapons. Guns, mostly, but there were also some knives, a couple of swords, and a lethal-looking ax that would only be possible for someone with Kael’s shoulders to actually use effectively.
My partner snapped up a pair of sleek pistols then glanced at me expectantly. Guns weren’t really my thing. Those swords were pretty sweet, but I’d probably be more likely to inadvertently stab myself.
“No, thanks,” I said. “I’ve got Chaucer.”
Kael shook his head, though whether it was at the nickname for my knife or my refusal to choose another weapon, I didn’t know. He started off toward the woods.
“Wait, shouldn’t we move the car? If Tobias comes along, won’t he know where to find us?”
“I don’t think it really matters. I’m sure he knows where to find the mage, and he knows that’s where we’re headed.”
My gaze locked on the forest ahead of us. The key felt as if it were ready to jump right off my chest from where it hung. I pulled in a deep breath as we stepped through the browning, brittle grass.
This was happening. We were really doing this.
Images of sacrifice and blood bubbled up inside of me, and I grabbed Kael’s arm.
I had to tell him.
The shifter paused and glanced down at me. His eyebrows knitted together while I tried to come up with the proper way to tell him what I needed to do.
“Don’t worry,” he said, misreading my apprehension “I’ll be right there with you. We’ve got this.”
He loped off again toward the forest before I could say anything else.
I hurried after him. First, find the mage , I told myself. Then I can worry about stopping him .
The magic inside of me hummed. Would I be powerful enough to kill him? Why was it that he had to be bound? Hazy memories that scarcely felt like mine tingled at the edge of my conscience.
“Olivia, come on.”
I glanced up but couldn’t find Kael. It took me a moment to realize he was already in the shadows of the trees. Apparently, my thoughts had been weighing on my steps as well as my mind. I ducked under some low-lying branches and joined Kael in the forest.
A snarl came from Kael, a ripping, throaty noise that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. His stance shifted, legs apart and a hand on one of the pistols. It didn’t take me long to figure out why he had suddenly gone on alert.
Tobias broke away from the shadows with an easy grin on his face.
It was absurd, but I looked for wings. The man had to have some to get here as fast as he did.
Beside me, Kael sneered. “Giving yourself over to dark magic already, Tobias? It isn’t enough to betray your own kind, now you’re letting the mage use you?”
“What can I say? It certainly beats driving.”
Magic. That was how he had gotten here so quick.
Tobias took a step forward, the movement hardly disturbing a leaf below his boots. “As for betrayal, that is simply a matter of perception. Look at you, taking up with a mage of your own.”
The wolf shifter’s gaze swept to me, and his smile deepened.
“Stay away from her,” Kael growled.
The other shifter laughed. “See what I mean? Loyalty is just a word people throw around when it’s convenient. You loathe magic-wielders, fae, and witches more than anyone I’ve ever known, yet you have no problem using such a woman to help you get what you want.”
I refused to glance at Kael, though I desperately wanted to see if I could spot the denial in his face. Kael hated magic-wielders? Was that the reason he was always so surly around me? Was he really just using me, or was Tobias trying to create a rift between us?
“No amount of sly talk is going to stop us from ending you, Tobias. ”
Tobias had his hands in his pockets, and a small smile at the corner of his lips. “Perhaps not, but these guys might provide a bit of a challenge for you both.”
Either Kael’s sense of smell wasn’t working or he hadn’t had the chance to tell me, but three more men and one woman drifted from the trees. Kael mumbled something about “pack traitors.”
“Olivia,” Tobias said, drawing my attention back to him.
I set my jaw “What?”
“There is no need for us to harm you.” He held out his hand. “Give me the key, and this can all be over.”
A slow, wide smile parted my lips. “Go to hell.”
A couple of the shifters behind Tobias growled, the woman snarling the loudest.
“Don’t kill the girl. She’s needed alive,” Tobias said without a backward glance at those coming to stand with him. “The cat is mine.”
The forest exploded in yells, stomping feet, and gunfire.
Four wolf shifters ran straight toward me. I had just enough time to pull out my knife and toss my bag to the ground before they were nearly on me. The closest one was no more than five feet. As a gun shot rang out, I braced myself.
The man fell to the ground, a disturbing meld of a holler and a yelp coming from his mouth. He grabbed his ruined and bloodied knee as the other three ran past. In my peripheral, I could see Kael raising the pistol again, but there was a loud growl and then a massive wolf tackled into him. Snarls came and, as the trio of shifters charged at me, I knew a jaguar had joined the fight.