Percy unrolled it and Alister pointed out the location.
“If you take three with you, you’ll be able to break the wards. Find Pethious.”
“I will,” Percy fiercely promised.
“Thank you, I hope to see you soon.” Alister turned with his hand outstretched to shake Holden’s hand.
Holden shook his head. “If you think I’m letting you out of my sight, think again.”
Ian came striding out of the front door, wolfing down a sandwich. When he got close, he held out a plate. “Eat.”
Alister didn’t argue, he ate. Once the plate was clean, he felt a whole lot better.
“Ready?”
Holden nodded and Alister waved a hand and changed the wizard into a raven. As he morphed, he heard the sharp shrill of the hawk.
Alister soared upward and darted across the sky toward Washington.
Jonas
A sound brought him out of a deep sleep. With his chest heaving, he gasped, sucking in air deeply. Had he stopped breathing?
The panic increased for a moment until he realized his lungs, at least, were working.
Slowing his breathing helped. The fading sunlight flickered through the window and splattered dancing figures on the ceiling and he wondered if Alister had planned that.
He smiled and turned his head to take a sip from the straw that gave him an endless supply of water. Alister’s doing. He was careful to only wet his tongue. The last thing he wanted was to soil himself if he couldn’t move to get to the bathroom to relieve himself.
The floorboard near the door creaked and his pulse shot up like a rocket. Carefully and slowly because he couldn’t move fast, he turned his head.
His eyes met those of a man standing just inside the room near the door. Robes billowed to the floor in an array of purple and blues. Rings adorned every finger on each hand along with a stack of silver and gold wristbands. Fuzzy, gold-colored hair hung to his shoulders and the bangles around his wrists jingled when he lifted a hand to brush it back.
Cold, black eyes studied him like he was a bug.
“Who are you?” His voice was faint, but he knew by the cock of the guy’s head, he’d heard him well enough.
“Nobody you need to concern yourself with.” The man wandered around the room.
Jonas followed the guy’s movement around the room. The wrinkle of his nose when he spotted the pot of spaghetti on the stove. What he wouldn’t give to have one bite of that. His stomach growled with hunger.
The warlock smirked with amusement and it wasn’t a nice look at all. Yeah, Jonas had figured out the guy had to be a warlock by the way he was dressed, and he looked to be the evil kind. The color of his eyes lacking the blue of the mages let him know at the very least, he wasn’t a mage. Yet, there was a banked rage in the colorless depths of his cold eyes.
“So, you’re the one all the fuss has been about.”
Holding the other’s gaze, Jonas squinted.
“Alister will be,” he paused, sucked in a breath, “right back.”
A sinister chuckle filled the room. “Oh, I doubt that. He’s otherwise engaged.”
Engaged? Fuck. What had this asshole done to Alister? His eyes darted to the door and he wondered how the guy had gotten past Alister’s protection wards.
Reaching the end of his bed, the warlock lifted the pillow by his feet and clenched it between his hands.
“I figure you’re a problem for me.”
“I am?” he whispered.
“Don’t play stupid,” the man snapped, and came around the edge of the bed.
Jonas curled his hands. He had one last ditch effort to save himself if the guy came any closer with the pillow.
“You’re in my way.”
“I’ll move,” he rasped.
“I’m afraid that wouldn’t do any good. He’ll find you. It always comes back to you. For five long fucking years, he’s always come back to you. If you’re no longer here, then I’ll be there to pick up the pieces.”
He’d thought the mages would end him. Hell, he’d even thought that he’d die defending his pack, but he never for a moment thought he’d die by a warlock’s hand.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make this quick.”
Lifting the pillow, his face was covered and he turned his head to the side, drawing in a breath.
The warlock hissed with irritation and cupped the pillow harder, moving it sideways to cover his mouth and nose.
Jonas brought up his hand and dug his fingers around the man’s windpipe and squeezed. Coughing, the man gagged and jerked back. Getting caught in his robes must have taken him to his ass on the floor. The pillow fell aside and he sucked in several gulps of air.
“You fuck!”
Again, the pillow was slammed over his face and he struggled, turning his head back and forth. The man slammed his body down on top of him to keep him still.
His head grew fuzzy. Son of a bitch. He didn’t want to die. He needed to see Alister first. He brought his arm up again, but the man released the pillow and caught his arm.
Jonas turned his head to the side and sucked in gulps of air.
With a frustrated sound, the warlock sprung from the bed.
“Fine, have it your way!”
Gasping, he tracked the crazy fucker across the room. The man grabbed the cast iron skillet from the stove and advanced.
Alister
“My wards are broken!” he shouted and ripped through the sky with more power than he’d thought possible.
Leaving Holden and Ian in the dust, he shot like a cannonball toward his cabin.
He morphed into a full run, leaving a wake of dust and leaves whirling through the air.
Slamming open the door to the cabin, he spotted Jonas gasping for breath on the bed and Ralston Seer advancing with a cast iron frying pan.
Ralston stopped so abruptly, he almost fell.
“Alister!” the warlock said, and the shock in his tone told its own story.
“What? You spied on me at Holden’s place?”
“I didn’t.”
“Be silent.” He lifted his hand and took Ralston’s voice, then slowly moved the air to grasp it around Ralston’s neck. The air did his bidding and lifted the warlock by the throat to pin him against the cabin wall.
The world stopped to slow motion.
When Ian and Holden stepped to the entrance of the room, Alister tossed a hand up and placed a wall to keep them out. Ian pounded on the invisible substance.
“Alister, let us in. We can help!”
Holden placed both his palms on the mass that kept them from the room.
He turned, dismissing them, and moved toward Jonas.
He cupped Jonas’ face and gazed deeply into his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
Jonas’ lips curved into the smile he loved so much.
“You’re here now,” Jonas whispered.
Returning the smile, he dipped his head down and brushed his lips against the alpha’s and then whispered, “I’ll be right back.”
Standing, he turned to Ralston, who was turning purple from the lack of air.
The feeling of power came from somewhere deep inside. A place he’d never accessed before, but now he drew from without thought. With the flick of his hand, he sent Ralston through the wall of the cabin and out into the woods beyond.