She stared down the barrel of his gun, and he nudged it to the left slightly before he let a shot go. It hit the ground next to her, sending dust flying. That got her moving.
He shot at her again, hitting the ground to her right. She ran straight for us, and I ducked behind my tree.
“Good thing you’re guarding this wall, Wade, with a shot like that. Can’t even hit a cat when it’s right fucking in front of you.” Stefan roared the words, enough that I could hear them clearly even at our distance. Or maybe I was hearing them through Oka still. I cringed when I heard the thump of Wade getting hit.
“Get inside,” Stefan commanded. “All of you.”
I poked my head out as Oka came to a screeching halt next to me. The men jogged through the door, and Wade was gone. I wondered what would happen to him. A guy like that wouldn’t last long in Stefan’s army. He’d do better with us.
I knew full well his aim hadn’t been off. He’d hit the ground exactly where he meant. And if I knew it, surely Stefan knew it too.
I found myself wanting to save him. To help him escape Stefan. And with that simple desire, I knew some of the old Pamela was still in me. I gripped onto her hard as I could as I watched the last man walk through the open doorway.
The door slammed closed behind him with a boom.
Or at least I thought it was the last man. After I watched the door seal itself, another man jogged up, his rifle banging against his back as he went.
“Hey,” he hollered and pounded on the door. “Hey, let me in.”
But no response came for the man. “Shit,” he said, turned, and ran into the woods to our right.
“Well, that can’t be good,” Mac said as the four of us watched Stefan’s man run as fast as he could away from the wall.
“What do you think they’re doing?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but I think we should get away too,” he said. Something about the way the man ran told me Mac was right. I backed off the crest of the valley as a shimmer rolled from the top of the wall. It was mesmerizing. Like the air had turned to magic itself, sparkling and dancing, all the colors of the rainbow embedded in it.
“Fairy dust,” I breathed. “That’s what it looks like.”
The fairy dust climbed from the razor wire at the top, slowly, down the entire length of the wall, and once it hit the ground, it took off at alarming speed, spreading across a wide swath of land.
Mac grabbed my arm and tugged me back. “Pamela. Come on.” The urgency in his eyes told me it was time to go. The magic was coming right for us, and he was right. We did not want to stick around and see what it had been sent to do.
22
The magic coming at us from the wall that Stefan hid behind was moving faster than we could run. There would be no saving us.
But we had an ace up our sleeve.
Or in this case, an ogre.
Mac shifted in an instant and tried to get me onto his back, but I had other plans.
Roe. He was the key to getting inside. He was branded just like Stefan’s man had been that I’d killed.
I spun away from Mac and bolted down the hill, cloak flaring out behind me.
“Pam!” Alex was there beside me, Mac behind, Oka out in front.
“Strip the ropes!” I pointed at Roe, whose eyes blinked big.
There was just a moment of hesitation in Alex and then he bolted ahead of me.
Alex took the ropes and I opened myself to my magic. I didn’t think about it, I just wove the black and pink threads as fast as I could.
“Not so fast!” Roe yelped, and then I stripped him of his bond to me, all of them, the power connecting us tearing fast and hard.
“Like ripping off a bandage,” I said and stepped back as he wobbled off the tree, rubbing his arms where he’d been bound. “Now, stop the magic that’s coming.”
He glared at me. Mac and Alex got behind him, driving him forward, and I stood back as well. He took a reluctant step.
The sparkling, dancing fairy lights crested the hill and whooshed toward us.
He waited, hesitating.
I reached for my magic and held it just out of reach. Just there on the edge, ready to fire at the sparkling lights.
Roe stood there, barely hidden among the trees, hands out in front of him as the power curled toward him, rolling like waves on the ocean. Maybe this was his last hoorah. His final “fuck you” to me and the world.
I nearly took hold of him again, thinking I’d try to do it myself through his magic, when the sparkling lights crashed over him and dissipated. The shimmer disappeared in all directions with a pop. As if it were never there.
Silence hung heavy in the air. But I didn’t wait for Roe to get any ideas.
I wove my magic through him once more, binding him to me before he could turn on us. Taking his power a second time was easy, like grabbing hold of the ropes that had bound him, the shadow of them still there for the taking.
He growled low at me. The sound of footsteps and then voices climbed over the hill.
“I hope you’re on good terms with him,” I said.
Roe flexed his arms. “Good enough to turn you over to him.”
Mac, back on two legs, took a step and I held him back. “No. Roe could do it. He could turn me over. But then I’d destroy his magic as I died, or any of you were killed. Just like that. Poof.”
I wasn’t sure I could do any such thing, but by the way Roe turned and looked at me, he thought it was possible.
“What do you want me to do then, demon?” Roe asked. Just demon now?
“Whatever you have to in order to make sure we aren’t seen. And try to get in,” I said, and then there was nothing else to say. The sound of Stefan approaching grew too loud.
Alex, Mac, Oka and I slid back into the trees, blending in with the forest. I had to trust that Roe was more afraid of me than he was of Stefan.
I couldn’t help it, but I crossed my fingers.
Stefan’s voice boomed out across the woods with some kind of loudspeaker. “Who’s there? Only one of our own can disperse the wall’s defenses.”
Roe stumbled out of the woods, favoring his injured leg, one hand in the air. “I could use some help here,” he said. “A ride in would be nice.”
Stefan appeared at the top of the rise, a good twelve men with him, all armed to the teeth. The megaphone in his hand was old school and far louder than it should’ve been.
“What of the cat?” Stefan demanded, and I cringed. Damn it, he did remember her then. Which meant he knew she could shift into a tiger.
There was no time to panic. I tightened my hold on Roe and got in his head through the bond. Tell him you found her crying over my dead body.
He hesitated, and I squeezed him a little harder. A small squeak escaped him, and he cleared his throat. “Found it crying over some blond chick. Couldn’t see much of what was left of her. My zombies had a heyday with her. Couldn’t get a hold of the cat though; she stayed just out of my reach.”
“Wade didn’t seem to have a problem getting close to her,” Stefan countered.
“And yet, the fool didn’t kill her either, did he?” Roe snapped.
Stefan said nothing for a few beats, and I wasn’t sure this would work. If he wouldn’t let Roe in, we were dead in the water. But to my surprise, he lowered the megaphone. “Give the big bastard a ride in.” Then he turned and walked away down the hill, his men following.
Roe stood there. “Jumping jackrabbits humping in the spring, he’s dumb.”
I wanted to agree with Roe because I hated Stefan, but I wasn’t sure Stefan was that dumb. Confident, yes.
We waited a few minutes before the sound of a truck reached my ears. “Roe, step back, bring them closer to us.”
He sighed. “They have weapons.”
“So do I,” I said.
Roe took a few more steps back as I’d asked him to. The truck crested the hill and coasted through the trees to get to Roe.
Here, we wer
e out of sight of Stefan, and he was arrogant enough to walk away, and not concern himself with the likes of an ogre. That confidence was about to work in our favor.
I hoped.
“We jump the truck when it stops,” I said. Mac and Alex nodded, and Oka primed herself at my feet her body coiled like a spring. “We take it, sneak in and . . .”
“Take the whole place?” Roe snorted, his back to us. “You are the dumb one now.”
“You don’t move a muscle until I say,” I said.
The truck stopped in front of Roe and he did nothing. The passenger’s side window rolled down. “What are you waiting for? A red carpet? Get in,” the man sitting inside said.
There was no shout, just a moment of hesitation before we all sprang into action at once. Alex raced toward the driver’s side, as Mac ran toward the open window. He landed a swift punch, knocking the man out, just as Alex opened the back door. Mac dragged the unconscious man out through the window.
“Oka, the back!” I said, pointing at the covered back of the truck.
She was there faster than I could have been.
“Empty,” she called back and leapt down.
The two remaining men fumbled with their weapons.
“They aren’t fighters,” I said. “Don’t kill them.”
The one guy’s eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out. The other dropped his knife and held up his hands. “Please don’t kill me,” he whimpered.
“Out of the truck,” I motioned with one hand.
He slid out and Alex dragged out the guy who’d passed out. “He stinks,” he grumbled.
We used Roe’s rope to tie the three of them to the nearest strong tree. The one guy still awake was whimpering.
Mac put a big hand around his throat and squeezed, shocking me. The man struggled and then slumped, and Mac lowered his hand. Was that my magic tainting him? Horror cut through me like it never had before.
It was one thing for me to struggle with the darkness, but for it to affect Mac too . . .
He winked at me. “That was a choke hold. He’s out for the count, not dead.”
I nodded, relieved.
Mac and Alex were in the truck and my foot was on the frame to climb up when the solid click of a gun’s hammer being pulled back stopped me dead.
“Don’t move,” a voice said. My money was on it belonging to the man who didn’t make it inside before Stefan unleashed his magic.
“You’ve got a lot of loyalty for a man who got locked out of the compound,” I pointed out as I turned around.
“Just doing my job,” he said, pointing the gun right at me. Light green eyes, he was young, and his hold on his gun was far from steady.
Mac was out of the truck on the far side in a flash. He started toward the gunman and he adjusted his grip on the weapon. Mac was at least twice his size, and Alex, who came up on my other side, wasn’t far behind him.
“You sure you want to do this?” Mac asked.
“Yup,” the young man said, his chin quivering a little, “I’ll take you in and be a hero. Stefan will give me anything I want.” He said it like he was trying to convince himself, not like he thought it was the actual truth.
“Huh,” I said. “The Stefan I know isn’t overly generous.” I kept his attention on me as I stepped to the left and out from behind Mac so the man could see me. “Seems to me you’ll be ignored completely if you bring us in. And we’ll be killed.”
“What do I care what he does with you?” he asked, nervously shifting his grip on the gun once more.
“You don’t. But don’t be an idiot. You’re not going home a hero if you take us in. I’m afraid we won’t go easily. And are you willing to risk it? You think you can take us down, three against one?” My challenge hung in the air as Oka crept silently up behind him in her house cat form. She was taking a risk. Startling him could make him pull the trigger, but I was ready for that. And through the bonds to them, I knew they were too.
All three of them.
In an instant, she leapt up on his back, digging her tiny yet remarkably sharp claws into his skin. He didn’t fire at us though, instead he dropped his gun entirely, and reached around behind him, trying to get his hands on her. “I swear to God, cat. I’m going to wring your little neck.”
She hissed, and moved up, dragging her claws across his exposed neck. He spun and screamed, hands reaching for her. She didn’t hit anything important, but I was willing to bet it hurt like a son of a bitch.
Puffball paws hiding tiny little razors.
Mac took the opportunity as the guy spun and leapt forward, tackling. He hit the ground and I swear I saw his head bounce against the dirt. His body went limp.
“He’s out.” Mac stood, brushing his clothes off. “Thanks, cat.”
He bent and grabbed the guy’s arm and dragged him to his friends where he tied him up.
“Don’t mention it, bear,” Oka said. “But I’ll be sure to call in a favor sometime.”
Alex bent and picked up the man’s gun. “Anyone else?” he asked the forest, but silence answered him. “Guess not.”
Mac nodded. “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”
Roe had watched it all go down, not moving an inch as instructed. I waved him forward. But he was slow to respond, his feet dragging.
“Don’t push me, ogre,” I said. “Get your ass in there now or I’ll drop you on the fucking spot.” He grumbled but climbed into the backseat on the far side. Alex got in the front, and I sat next to him with Oka on my lap. Mac sat next to Roe, keeping a close eye on him.
Alex turned the truck around and gunned it up the slight incline. “Here we go, into the lion’s den.”
Mac’s thoughts wove through my mind. No plan?
Get as much food as we can and get out. My answer was far too simple, but I had no idea what we were getting into. And I could almost feel the caravan waning behind us, hunger driving them to sleep longer, move less, die slowly.
We had to get the food. There was no other choice but to go through the wall and pray to whatever gods might listen that we could accomplish what we’d set out to do.
The windows on the truck were heavily tinted, which would help hide us a little longer.
The wall loomed over us as we drove closer, and I couldn’t help but put a hand on Oka’s back to steady myself.
At the threshold of the opening, Alex slowed. “Pam, you sure this is a good idea? Last chance to turn back.”
“No, I’m not sure. But we need to go forward. We have to get to that food.”
As we crossed through the hidden doorway, I could only hope things would play out in our favor. Because with a backstabbing ogre in our truck, a murderous human ahead of us, and a sorceress in the shadows, I wasn’t liking our odds.
Not one fucking bit.
23
Alex
I couldn’t believe we were doing this. Why the fuck were we doing this? Well, that was a dumb question. I knew exactly why we were doing it. We needed food, and these guys had it. Supposedly. But it seemed like a dumb-ass idea to just go parading in, in broad daylight where they could all see us.
But Pam was in charge, and she seemed to believe it could be done. And I trusted her. I did. Really.
Sweet Jesus, this was a bad idea.
I squeezed the steering wheel hard as we drove through the hidden door. The wall was so thick, it made an actual tunnel and everything went dark for the space of a couple heartbeats. Then the lights blinked on and we were out. Or in, as was the case.
Stefan waited for Roe on the other side of the wall, hands on his hips. I brought the truck to a stop. Pammy rather unceremoniously kicked Roe out, but it surprised me when Oka went with him. Mac pulled the door shut before Stefan could get a good look at anyone inside. To our benefit, he didn’t seem to suspect anything amiss, so why would he look in?
“Oka went with Roe?” I glanced at Pam and found her chewing her bottom lip.
“She had to. We have to
keep the story up. She can take care of herself. She won’t let those men kill her.” It sounded like more of a prayer than a statement to me, and I hoped it worked. I liked that little cat. She was good for Pam. She seemed able to calm her when no one else could, not even Mac.
Fear radiated off Pammy in waves, as did the bear’s concern for her. He must’ve smelled the fear on her too.
A man banged on the hood as I watched Roe and Oka walk away with Stefan. “Hey, go park it.”
I put the truck in gear and started driving when someone else banged on the hood again. “Over there, you idiot.” He pointed right so I turned the wheel the other direction and hoped where I was supposed to be would become clear. I sure as shit didn’t know where I was going.
I rounded a corner and followed what appeared to be a path on the ground to the right. Almost like a road. If you could call a couple of shallow ruts in the dust a road.
Around that corner, a row of trucks appeared, so I parked on the end and turned the truck off. “What now?”
“We hide, find Oka, get some food, and get the hell out of here,” Pam said. “Maybe not in that order.”
I arched a brow at her. “Rylee would be happy with your lack of planning. Like you took this play right out of her book.” My words were about as dry as I could manage.
Pam shot a glare at me. “You got a better idea?”
“Knock it off, both of you,” Mac said. “Getting in at night would have been a bitch with all those guards up there. This way we have a vehicle, and a quiet way in. We’ll hide until closer to dark, then snatch the food, grab Oka, and go.”
Pam nodded. “Exactly like that.”
Mac threw his door open and slipped out, putting himself between the front of the truck and the tail of the truck I’d parked behind. Pammy did the same. I was the last man out, leaving the keys in the ignition for a fast escape. ’Cause I had a feeling we were going to need it. This was nuts. Right into the middle of the hornets’ nest, and she wanted us to parade around undetected, steal from them, and exit stage left? No way was that going to happen.
Caravan Witch (Questing Witch Book 2) Page 22