Riley?
Hang on.
A girl stood from the center of those bushes. Blonde, familiar. Witch. She held a crossbow, the tip aimed directly at Mary Ann. Riley jolted to his feet, taking Mary Ann with him even while shoving her out of the way.
He was too late. The action had been anticipated.
The witch moved with him, fluidly shifting her aim. The arrow whizzed faster than a blink. Glass shattered, and that arrow slammed into Mary Anns back.
She screamed, a high-pitched sound of pain and shock, her eyes flaring wide, her body jolting. She was so close to him, the tip sliced at Rileys chest. He jerked her to the floor just as another arrow slicked through the now-open window, this one sticking in the far wall.
Whathappened? She was panting, her words barely audible. Blood poured down her chest and back, soaking her with little crimson rivers. Her aura was blue once again, but fading, the other colors having vanished. Her energy was draining.
The witches found us. He never should have discounted their ability to track like the humans. And he never should have kissed Mary Ann. Deep down, he had known the dangers, the risks, but hed allowed his need of her to persuade him.
This was on him.
He couldnt shift and hunt the witch-bitches because he couldnt leave Mary Ann like this. And hell! She should have been protected from mortal injury. She should have started healing already.
Hed warded her for exactly this kind of thing weeks ago. A stabbing, gunshot, arrow, it didnt matter. She. Should. Heal. But the witch had seen her back, the ward, and had aimed accordingly, hitting her in the one spot guaranteed to prevent her from healing supernaturally: the center of the ward, disrupting the words and negating the inked spell completely.
Just then, Mary Ann was as vulnerable as any other human. Unless
Feed off me, he said, even as he calculated the best escape route. Hed already walked through the place and memorized the exits, but he didnt know if witches now surrounded the place. If they did, the moment he carried Mary Ann away, theyd start shooting again.
No, she croaked.
Yes. You have to. You need to. If she fed off him, she would be strengthened. He would be weakened, yes, but she could take the witches out in a way he could not. All at once, rather than one at a time. Besides, it was fitting. Her ability to drain was why the enemy had chosen to notch her up with holes. Feed off me and kill them.
No, she said again, the depths of her stubbornness more apparent than ever.
If you dont, theyll kill you.
No.
Done arguing, Riley stripped the rest of the way and shifted into his wolf form, his bones readjusting, fur sprouting from his pores. He was so used to doing this, it felt more like stretching after a nap than actually becoming something new.
He clamped his teeth on Mary Anns arm, as gently as he could, which wasnt much, and forced her to climb onto his back.
Another arrow soared overhead, just missing her.
Hold on tight, he commanded, speaking into her mind as he bounded from the living room.
Okay, she said, her teeth chattering.
He was a stupid idiot fool. She needed what little warmth her clothes would offer, but he couldnt pull a shirt over her injury and he couldnt afford to carry the material in his mouth. Currently his teeth were the only weapon he had.
He really could have used Tucker just then. Words hed never thought to entertain. But an illusion or two would have seriously come in handy.
Left with no other choice, Riley raced out the back door, bursting through the hollowed plywood without pause. He zigzagged off the porch, making himself a harder target to lock onto, and good thing. Arrows rained.
How many witches were out there? More than Jennifer and Marie, he knew that much.
Hurt, Mary Ann said.
I know, sweetheart. He pushed the words into her head. Id take your pain into my own body if I could.
An arrow homed in on him and lodged in his front left leg. He snarled at the pain, but didnt slow and didnt dare stumble. Mary Ann would have fallen, and he couldnt allow that. Gravel bit into his paws, making everything worse. A quick search of the area, and he saw eleven auras. All orange, and all faint. They must have bespelled themselves, hoping to hide from him. Well, their spell hadnt worked fully.
He narrowed his focus on the one farthest from the others and closed in. A blur of motion, never slowing, he raced past the witch and chomped her between his jaws, dragging her along. She struggled against him, but still he didnt slow. Kept moving, taking both females farther and farther away. Careful, so careful.
Drain her, he commanded Mary Ann. Now!
She must have obeyed, because the witchs struggles tapered offstopped completely. She became a limp rag in his mouth, and he spit her out. Still he didnt slow.
Any better?
A little.
Hed get her somewhere safe and doctor her himself. Then, the hunt would begin. No more letting the witches and the fae chase while he and Mary Ann ran. That had been his biggest mistake, and one he wouldnt make again.
The hunters were about to become the prey.
EIGHTEEN
TUCKER PERCHED ON THE highest limb of an oak and watched as the wolf absconded with Mary Ann. They left a trail of blood a blind man would spot. The wolf was unsteady and weaving, and Mary Ann limp as a noodle. She wouldnt last much longer.
The wolf read auras, but Tucker knew the sirens call of death. No question, Mary Ann was even then swimming out to greet the lyrical grim reaper, and nothing would stop her.
The witchs aim had been true. Her arrow had sliced through the ward preventing Mary Ann from receiving a mortal wound. The location alone was damaging, but the blood loss would be more so.
Wards workeduntil they were closed. Or burned away. Or any number of other painful things. Some people opted to get a ward to protect their wards, so that something like this could never happen, but not many went that route. What if someone gave you a ward you didnt want? Cause yeah. Being held down and inked with all kinds of badness never happened.
Tucker would have snickered at his sarcasm, considering hed told Mary Ann how ugly it was, but he was too afraid itd sound like a sob. Only pansy-assed babies sobbed. He wasnt a pansy-assed baby.
He was a liar.
He hadnt been completely honest with Mary Ann. Oh, hed run from Vlad after stabbing Aden all rightbut hed run after hed chatted with the guy. Bastard had threatened him with a few wards of his own if he didnt man up and do as he was told.
Man up. Funny, coming from a guy who looked more monster than man while he hid in the shadows, but whatever.
Until yesterday, Tucker hadnt exactly followed the former kings orders. Hed helped Mary Ann rather than hurt her.
He liked her. More than he should, and more than was wise.
Whyd she have to let the wolf stick around?
Tucker would have continued to resist Vlad if shed kicked the wolf to the curb.
Because, when he and Mary Ann were alone, he was fine. A halfway decent individual. Dirty-minded, maybe, but who wasnt? Then Riley had shown up, and boom. Vlad had made another move, and Tucker had lost the battle.
Poor Mary Ann. She was an unwanted casualty.
Tucker waited as the witches whod just annihilated her congregated under his tree. Red Robed Bitches, thats what he called them. They were glaring up at him, pissed that theyd failed and blaming him. Even though he hadnt been the one to freaking fail.
You said wed have the pair cornered if we waited until they were inside the house, the blonde in charge said. Marie, he thought was her name. She was a pretty thing but vicious in her determination.
Having rifled through Mary Anns things, hed found the address shed tried so hard to hide. Had known exactly where she would go, if not when. So, hed cast an illusion when she and the wolf left the café and followed them. Thats when I thought you were competent, he replied. Why didnt you give chase?
And risk a draining?
Again Im struck by the words thought you were competent.
They spat expletives at him.
He shoved from the branch and fellfelland landed on his feet. In the center of the RRBs now, he spun, his arms splayed wide, his vibe all about daring them to try something with him.
He really wanted them to try something with him.
He deserved punishment, but then, so did they. Only difference was, he knew he deserved it. Theyd be the first to tell you how righteous their cause, how they were on the holy path, blah, blah, blah.
They had lost Mary Anns trail after Riley warded her, but they hadnt lost Tuckers. Apparently theyd magically locked onto him, too, but Riley had refused to ward him, so there you go. Because of Rileys refusal, theyd never really lost the girl. Tucker would not take the blame for that.
The fae had been trailing Mary Ann and Tucker, as well. They would have been here, extracting their pound of flesh like the witches, only the witches hadpolitely asked them to leave, sending the other race home to their mamas.
After that, Tucker had thrown the witches an illusionone of Mary Ann and Riley talking, arguing, tossing out names and info Tucker had pulled out of his asshoping to send the little RRBs running in a thousand different directions. Of course, thats when Vlad had called him.
Tuckermy Tucker
Just. Like. That.
Everything had changed.
Tucker
He shuddered as that eerie, commanding voice continued to shove its way into his head, leading him around like a puppet on a string. Wasnt difficult to do, either. The darkest part of Tuckers naturethe part that enjoyed verbally ripping his little brother to pieces, kicking puppies, fist fighting his friends, cheating on his girlfriend, watching the girl pregnant with his baby lose the respect of her familythat part craved the vampires guidance.
The other part of him was curled up in a little ball, weeping like a stupid kid, sad about all the pain hed causedall the destruction he would soon cause. But Tucker hated that side of himself, too, so really, there wasnt any part of himself that he liked.
Tucker, my Tucker, finish this.
The kings voice was stronger than before, louder, moreeverything. Every day he healed a little more, and one day soon, he would be the man, the warrior, hed once been.
Vlad had commanded Tucker to approach the witches, told him what image to show them, told him what to say and how to act. And he had. Hed done all of it. Assumed the image of someone they knewwho he was supposed to be, he still wasnt sureand theyd believed him and done everything hed wanted without question.
even listening? Marie demanded.
No.
Argh! You were always frustrating, but now youre just a bastard.
You cant blame your failure on me, he said. I gift wrapped the pair and handed them to you like it was your birthday. Just saying those words caused guilt to claw at him.
Tuckeryou know what to do. Kill the witches, find the wolf and the drainer, and finish them off.
Kill the witches? Fine, no problem. Consider it done. But You wanted the wolf and Marythe drainers deaths blamed on the witches. He shoved the words out of his mind, into the air, and knew Vlad heard him. Wherever he was. If the witches are dead, how can they be blamed?
Im sure youll think of a way. Now, do what I told you.
No sense in fighting Vlad. Hed come out the loser. Tucker squared his shoulders, his gaze narrowing on the gaggle of females around him. He shook his arms, just barely, but enough. The blades hed stashed under his shirt sleeves slid into his palms. He gripped the hilts.
Why dont you gift wrap them again, Marie said primly. And well go from there.
No, I dont think I will.
Cleary she did not like to be thwarted. She stomped her foot, saying, Why not?
Youre not gonna be around to accept any more presents. Without another word, he struck.
RILEY LEFT MARY ANN behind a Dumpster, shifted to human, didnt care that he was naked, stole a bottle of vodka and a pass key to a motel room from the clerk at the desk, a bag from one of the guests and went back for Mary Ann. He carried her inside the empty room without being seen or dropping her. A shocker and a miracle, considering he was as twitchy as a junkie in need of a fix.
He settled his bundle on the bed as gently as he could, then ransacked the bag for something to wear.
Dont move, he told her when she thrashed against the mattress.
Okay? she asked.
Yes, were going to be okay, he lied.
Only thing he found that would come close to fitting was a pair of shorts that had the word Princess stamped across the ass in glittery pink. Now wasnt the time to care about fashionor the lack thereof. Or the fact that the shorts were too snug and he might never be able to have children. He might need to do another endless dash, and he had to be prepared.
He peered down at his leg. The arrow had been pounded out of him when hed accidentally run into a tree, but he could feel the wood shards embedded in the muscle, cutting at him, making him bleed harder rather than heal. He applied pressure to force the shards out, grimaced, but wasnt going to let the pain stop him. If he didnt staunch the flow, he wouldnt be able to care for Mary Ann.
So he doctored himself as fast as he could, using one of the T-shirts in the bag, and raced back to the bed, where he crouched in front of Mary Ann. Her skin was chalk white, the blue tracery of her veins evident. There were bruises under her eyes, and her lips were chapped. All cosmeticuntil you looked at her chest. There was so much blood caking her skin, she looked like she was wearing a red sweater. Worse, the arrow still protruded from the front and the back.
H-how b-bad? she whispered.
She was on her side, her shoulders slumped, and her head lolling forward. She was fighting sleep, her teeth chattering. Never had he seen her this weak and helpless. And he never wanted to see her like this again.