by Leia Stone
‘Got in a fight. Someone jumped my roommate. Had to help him out.’
I’m one day away from breaking my felon hubby out of jail and he’s getting into fights! ‘Well, I wish you weren’t fighting, but that’s good that you protected Walsh,’ I sent back.
He bristled between our bond and I could feel pain in my shoulder and under my left eye for a moment before he sucked it all back into himself. ‘No, love. My roommate isn’t Walsh. They would never let us room together. It’s Luka … a vampire.’
I froze, clutching the horse between my legs tightly. ‘You went to solitary for a vampire?’
Sawyer sighed inside of my head and I kicked myself for starting a fucking fight when we had such little time to talk.
‘He’s not like the others. He’s saved my ass more times than I can count over the last year. I need you to trust me. He’s family.’
Family! Geeze. A vampire and Sawyer becoming besties? That was … weird. I blew air through my teeth. ‘Okay, I trust you. Is there anything else you can tell me that would help me get you out of there? Like how far is Walsh’s cell from yours? What floor are you on? What’s your schedule?’
‘Walsh is on the same floor as me, eighty, the top one. He’s in cell fifty-seven. I’m in cell sixty. We eat lunch together and work out together every day.’
Relief ran through me at that information. That was something I could work with. ‘They let you work out? When? Where?’ An idea hatched in my mind as I tried to remember what the map of the eightieth floor looked like. Seam said all the cell block floors were laid out the same.
‘For one hour a day. No weights, just running, basketball, and other non-lethal things. Four p.m. sharp, before dinner at five. It’s a training room on the same floor. We don’t leave the top floor. Ever.’
Unless you get thrown in solitary, I wanted to say, but thought better of it.
‘How many people work out together?’ It would be riskier to break into a room with a bigger group, but probably easier than getting both Walsh and Sawyer out of two separate cells.
I could physically feel him getting further away, like a radio signal going out.
‘There are ten guys in my four p.m. workout cohort and ten armed guards.’
Damn. That was a lot of guards for ten men in cuffs that rendered their magic useless.
‘Okay. I’ll try to aim to get you guys out then, so that—’
‘Babe,’ Sawyer interrupted me, and I could feel his agony tighten in my chest through our bond. ‘If anything happened to you while trying to get me out … I could never live with myself. I’m on the top floor. Even if we do get out, how will we get down and across the river and—’
His concerns were valid. I think a year in that place had made him lose hope, but I don’t think he understood that I wasn’t going to stop until he was with me, consequences be damned. How could I look my son in the eye when he was older and tell him I let his father be beheaded?
I couldn’t.
‘Fragile like a bomb, Sawyer, remember?’ I reminded him of his own words and what they had meant to me. Everyone underestimated me, Rab, Arrow, even Sawyer. In fact, I think the only person who didn’t underestimate me was Astra. I was going to show everyone just what I was capable of. I was going to finally go off, like a bomb.
‘Also, I have a flying dragon,’ I added.
His shock ripped through our imprint and filled me up so quickly that I gasped. It felt so good to feel him like that, but with it came a darkness, pain, depression, anger, desperation, love, devotion. So many things he’d been keeping from me.
‘A dra—’
His words cut off mid-sentence and then all of his energy was sucked away from me, leaving me feeling like I had a gaping hole in my chest. I clutched the base of my throat, gasping at the sudden loss of him. Tears slipped from the corner of my eyes and I swallowed down the sobs that wanted to rip free.
“You okay?” Sage yelled over the sounds of thundering hooves.
I wiped my eyes and nodded, tightening my grip on the reins and pushing my conversation with Sawyer from my mind as best I could. “Let’s ride fast and hard until the Light Fey border. Once we get over, they will stop following us.” I looked behind me at the blurs in the distance. Hopefully, Trip didn’t have any other animals that could ride faster than a horse. We had a decent lead, so if he was following we should still outrun them. I’d heard rumors of the dark fey binding animals to them like a shifter would have a wolf. Marmal had confirmed this and more.
Sage pushed her mare harder, then I did the same. My eyes flicked to the sky and spotted the white blur that was Pearl and Marmal. They were tracking us above. We just needed to get to Light Fey City, steal a car, and then make it to the harbor without being spotted.
Easier said than done.
We rode quickly for nearly an hour, my ass slamming into the hard leather saddle of the horse with each trot. As the border of Light Fey City came up in the distance, we finally slowed.
“Whoa, whoa,” I called to my mare and pulled back on her reins. She slowed, her nostrils flaring as she sucked in more air from the rigorous sprint.
“Thanks, girl. You did good.” I patted her neck as she pulled to a full stop. Sage and I dismounted swiftly and pulled the packs off the horses. After giving them some of our water, I felt the internal tug of moral obligation.
“What do we do with them?” I asked Sage. They were Paladin horses, horses we probably couldn’t spare.
Sage looked up at the sky to see Marmal circling with Pearl.
“Just let them loose? Maybe Rab can send someone to try to intercept them. Horses are good about finding their way home.”
Yeah, but how good? We’d crossed a lot of ground. Maybe if they ran along the border wall and straight into the Wild Lands, through the Ithaki treehouses, they could make it back quicker…
I nodded to Sage, stroking my horse once more. “Go back home, baby,” I whispered to her, and aimed her along the stone wall that bordered the two lands. If she ran the length of it, she would hit the Wild Lands. I just hoped she could sense my meaning, if not my words. With a light pat, I swatted her rump and she took off, the other mare right behind her.
‘Rab, I’m heading into Light Fey City. Might not talk for a while until I get Sawyer back. I’ve set the horses free. I’m hoping they will run the length of the border and end up in Wild Lands at Dark Fey border.’
He didn’t respond right away and my heart pounded frantically in my chest as my mind spun with all of the reasons why. I was just about to call on Arrow, or Willow, when Rab spoke.
‘Okay. I’ll send a scout to retrieve them.’
Sage tugged my arm. “We are out in the open. We need to get cover.”
I jogged after her, nearly tripping over a bush as Rab’s delayed answer spun in my mind. ‘What’s wrong?’ I finally asked.
He paused again. ‘Nothing I can’t handle.’
‘Rab. It’s my pack. What’s. Wrong?’ I growled and Sage spun to stare at me as I shot her an apologetic look and tapped my forehead. She rolled her eyes, well aware that I was speaking in my head. I didn’t like the feeling that I was being kept out of the loop on my own pack.
Rab sighed. ‘The Independent Society of Douchebag Wolves, or whatever the hell they call themselves, left the bunker and are trying to find our land. In doing so, they might have tipped off the vampires.’
Those idiots! I knew the second I met that dude that he’d be a problem for us. Probably ran out of food and realized he’d made a mistake. As much as I wanted to wash my hands of it and say it wasn’t my problem, they were Sawyer’s wolves; until my husband was out of prison, they were my problem.
‘Where are they now?’ I asked.
‘Roaming Ithaki land looking for us in broad daylight like a bunch of buffoons.’
I threw my arms up in frustration as Sage and I ducked behind a large oak tree right at the border of Light Fey City.
‘Wait until nightfall and t
hen send out a small team to bring them in,’ I told Rab. ‘Then double the patrols. If vampires come sniffing around…’ I paused. Do … what? Run? Fight? I wanted to be there with them to make these decisions. ‘Try to have the witches shield the place better, but fight to protect what is ours,’ I finally said. I hoped it wouldn’t come to any of that.
‘You got it, Alpha. I don’t think they will come all the way here. Rumor is Ithaki are on the outs with the vamps for lack of holding up their end of the deal or something.’
That was a relief. Maybe we could use that to our advantage. I turned to tell Sage what had happened, when a blur streaked behind her in the trees.
“Run!” I shouted at the same time that someone reached around and grabbed me from behind. A strong hand wrapped around my throat and another around my stomach as I was yanked backward and pinned up against someone. Sage moved to help me, when another person leapt out from behind a tree, jerking her backward by the strap of her pack.
My gaze flicked upward into the eyes of Sage’s captor and I froze.
Trip was covered in soot from the barn fire. Black ash covered his face and clothing, except for the wrinkled creases on his forehead. He pointed Sage’s handgun right at my best friend, as a batshit crazy look came over his face.
Fuck.
My cuffs were on, so I wasn’t going to be of much help until I could get them off. Especially if the person holding me was a troll-fey Ithaki, which I guessed they were.
“You. Little. Bitches,” Trip seethed, holding the edge of the gun up to Sage’s chin. “You burned down my business. You took my fucking dragon. I’m going to shoot her and make you watch before turning you in to the vampires for my very well-earned reward,” he growled.
I gulped, trying to assess many things at once. Would he pull the trigger on Sage by the time I could crack the guy holding me in the face? Maybe if I just lunged forward, he would loosen his grip on Sage and direct his attention to me, which would allow her to get away…?
As I was thinking of all these scenarios, Trip and Sage were suddenly covered in a large shadow. It fell over them like…
I grinned, and a millisecond later Pearl swooped from the sky and dug her claws into Trip’s back. An ear-splitting yelp ripped from his throat as Sage pulled her head to the side and Trip dropped the gun. He was yanked up into the air by Pearl as the hand around my throat tightened. Sage dove for the gun and I bucked backward with all my strength to dislodge the bastard behind me.
“Not so fast,” he growled, doubling down on his grip until black spots danced at the edges of my vision. Why did men always go for the throat? I tried to suck in air, to no avail. I used elbows, heels, nothing worked. He was a giant and I was stuck. My wolf rattled my insides as I started to panic. After everything I’d been through, was I really going to get choked out by a troll? I blinked, no longer having eyes on Sage. Where was my bestie when I needed h—?
The loud bang of a gun ripped through the space and the pressure on my neck released. I fell to the ground with a thud, gasping and sputtering for air. My throat felt like there was a hard ball lodged in the center as I struggled to calm myself. When I’d finally gotten enough oxygen to my brain, I looked to the side and saw Sage holding the gun at her side. She’d shot the troll-fey right in the ribcage, which probably had ripped through his heart so that the bullet wouldn’t go into me.
“Couldn’t get a clean shot of his head,” she said, reaching out a hand to lift me up.
With a sigh of relief, I took her offered hand and stood. “Thank you.” I rubbed at my throat and looked up at the sky.
Pearl had Trip in her claws while Marmal rode on her back. He was flailing and bucking his arms and legs, trying to dislodge himself. Then suddenly, she just let him go. Trip’s scream ripped through the sky and became louder the closer he got. His body dropped like a stone to the ground, and I winced when the hard smack echoed throughout the trees.
“I have a feeling Pearl is going to be helpful,” Sage told me. I nodded.
I hated that I couldn’t speak into Sage’s mind like my other pack members. Marmal too.
An idea formed in my mind and I mulled it over. “Sage can you make non wolves … pack members?”
Sage’s eyes bugged a little, but she nodded. “There are rumors, but … why?” Then her gaze flicked to the sky as Pearl and Marmal flew in slow, wide circles, and landed before us. Pearl stomped the ground with one talon, which was covered in Trip’s blood.
Marmal’s hair was windswept as she held onto two horns that protruded from Pearl’s head.
“Well, she can fly!” I shouted to Marmal as Sage and I stepped closer to them.
Marmal grinned and the small tusks in her cheeks dipped inward. “She can.”
“You can speak to her?” I confirmed for the second time, and Marmal simply nodded. Troll magic. Mysterious.
“Tell her thank you. From both of us.” I motioned to Sage.
Sage nodded and then looked behind me. “People will have heard all that. We should scram.”
She was right. A gunshot and Trip’s fall … Light Fey City would be on us in no time. Dark Fey too no doubt.
“Okay, we will steal a car and—”
Marmal shook her head. “Pearl says she can carry up to twenty grown men. You two will feel like feathers.”
Ride a dragon! I mean, that was my escape plan after busting Sawyer and Walsh out of prison, but…
“What if we’re spotted? I was able to see her clearly the whole time,” I argued with my friend.
Marmal nodded. “We wanted you to be able to follow us. She can cloak herself. Old magic. We’ll be invisible.”
Invisible!
My eyes widened.
‘Is that so crazy?’ my wolf asked.
Touché.
I mean … she could go invisible and walk through walls. Maybe that’s where it came from … this old magic.
I looked at Pearl in a new light. Were the dragon and my wolf similar in some way? At least magically?
“Sounds good to me.” Sage leapt across the space and Marmal helped her onto the beautiful white dragon.
“Thanks, girl.” I reached out to Pearl and stroked her white scales. They felt like a cross between a lizard and a dolphin. Shiny and firm, but soft in a way. It was hard to describe. Her eyes were slitted and the color of the ocean, blue and black and white all mixed into one shiny jewel. Reaching back with her face, she nuzzled my leg and inhaled, her nostrils flaring.
“She says you smell like home,” Marmal translated, sounding a bit confused.
I frowned, unsure what that meant. “Where’s home?”
Marmal pulled me up and I snuggled in behind Sage, grabbing Pearl’s body beneath my legs to steady myself.
Marmal’s eyes widened. “She said you would call it the Dark Woods?”
I felt Sage stiffen against me. Pearl was … from the Dark Woods? I thought of the magical cave inside of the mountain and the way the trees moved. If any place in all of Magic City were home to a dragon, it would be there.
Holy crap.
My mind reeled at that revelation, but before I could ponder on it more, Pearl snapped her wings outward.
“Ready?” Marmal asked.
Sage and I had barely said yes when Pearl kicked off the ground and then we were flying. Her giant wings pumped the air as we soared higher and higher. The wind rushed past me, tossing my hair around my face.
“Wooooo!” Sage cried out, but I shushed her with a light elbow to the ribs.
“Fey could be tracking us,” I murmured behind her.
“Buzzkill,” she grumbled at me.
I looked out at the giant expanse before me and gasped. Wow. It was so beautiful up here. You could see the little brick walls demarcating the territories like spokes on a wheel. It was sad, actually, that everyone was so segregated. Because I could see how all of Magic City, as a whole, was so incredibly beautiful. The lands ranged from rich, thick, green forests to the open plains of Troll
Village, which were burnt orange and yellow.
Pearl flew over Light Fey City with its black asphalt roads and glass buildings topped with solar panels, and a powerful magic came over us. I could smell the scent of burnt wires as she pulled up some type of shield. It was like I was looking through a plastic bag. Clear, but hazy.
“Okay, she says we are invisible! She’s got the cloak up,” Marmal screamed behind her at Sage and I.
Okay, that was going to be super freaking useful in getting Sawyer out of prison. But I knew the key to having this really go off without a hitch was to be able to communicate with both Sage and Marmal mentally.
“Girls!” I shouted, and they both spun around to face me.
I swallowed hard, and tried to convey the seriousness I felt stirring inside of me. “I want to make you both pack. Paladin pack. My pack. I’ll claim you, and that way we can talk into each other’s minds…”
Both of their mouths popped open at the same time. “But I’m a troll.” Marmal sounded as if she was in complete disbelief.
I nodded. “And you would be accepted as family. Cherished. Loved. Protected.” I knew that if I approved it, Rab and the others would as well.
Her eyes grew misty and she nodded. Then I looked at Sage, prepared to put up a fight, prepared to tell her she wasn’t really leaving the city wolves behind, she was just joining a blended family.
“I’ve been pack with you for a while now, Demi. Let’s make it official.” Sage extended her wrist, knowing what was required, knowing what I’d done to claim Astra.
I inclined my head, tears filling my eyes as I thought of how much I’d been through with this girl.
Reaching out, I removed my left wrist cuff and felt my teeth lengthen, then I dipped my head down to her forearm and nipped her, until I tasted blood.
‘Mine. Pack.’ My wolf surged forward as my alpha power blanketed Sage. I felt our bond deepen as a surge of consciousness joined mine and I sensed Sage so strongly, her worry for me and Walsh and Sawyer, her protectiveness, loyalty. Then she faded into the background with the rest of the pack.
‘Testing, testing,’ I tried.