In many ways, what he was about to do meant his life now rested in the FBI agent's enormous hands. At the very least, Mack could make his life hell with the knowledge he was about to give him.
'Maybe.' He studied Mack a moment longer. Maddie and Seline were right. He couldn't handle Eleanor and Hank alone—at least when Maddie was around to get caught in the middle. 'Have you got a spare cell phone handy?'
Mack frowned, but dug a small phone out of his pocket. 'You know my number.'
Jon nodded. He'd called Mack less than a handful of times in the ten years they'd known each other, but he knew the number by heart. Once it had even saved his life.
Maybe this time it would save Maddie's.
He shoved the phone into his pocket, knowing it would change when he did—though the how and why of it escaped him. It was just a part of the magic that enabled him to shift shape. 'I'll call when I find them,' he said, and stepped away from him.
'Damn it, Barnett—' The rest of Mack's comment was cut off as Jon made the change. With a flick of his wings, he flew skywards, ignoring the rain, the wind and Mack's startled curse as he began his search for Maddie.
There was a madman inside her head, beating a thousand drums. Maddie groaned softly and wished he'd leave her alone. Though it wasn't only her head that felt ready to explode—her whole body ached, as if the madman had thrown her around like some rag-doll.
She opened her eyes. The light, though murky, made her eyes water. She blinked the tears away, and dark gray vinyl met her gaze. She frowned in confusion and blinked again. The stretch of gray vinyl became a seat—the back of a car seat.
She was in a car. Hank's car, she thought, suddenly smelling old sweat and dirt. And they were still moving.
She shifted slightly, struggling to look around without letting Hank know she was awake. She couldn't see the second teenager, but Eleanor and Hank were both in the front seat.
She tried to shift again, but a sharp twist of pain ran down her arms and stopped her. She bit back a yelp and tried to ease her arms forward. They wouldn't move. She pulled again, then realized they were tied—and so tightly that she was beginning to lose feeling in her fingers.
Cursing silently, she glanced up at the back window. Rain beat against it, a torrent that made it impossible to see anything. There was no hope of seeing where she was, or where they were going.
'Damn you, Hank.'
The sudden sound of Eleanor's voice made Maddie jump. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed they hadn't noticed she was awake.
'How was I to know he'd already been inside? I told you, he came around the side, and the windows were shut.' Hank's voice was an odd mixture of contempt and fear.
Eleanor gave an unladylike snort. 'Shut, but not locked, you fool.'
Opening her eyes a little, Maddie saw Hank hunker down in the seat. 'We still got one kid—can't we just go kidnap another?' This time there was definitely an edge of fear to his voice.
'I told you, we need the Maxwell kid for the ceremony—there's not enough time to go through another cleansing.'
'Barnett's probably handed him over to the police by now.'
'No doubt.' Contempt ran through her sharp voice. 'But the police station is the least of our problems.'
Hank grunted. For several long minutes, the growl of the engine was the only noise to be heard above the heavy pounding of rain against the windows.
'Stop here.' Eleanor leaned forward in the seat as the car jerked to a halt. 'Get the kid out of the trunk.'
Maddie shut her eyes again. The car doors opened, then there was a sharp rap of boots against loose gravel. I should run while I have the chance. But what hope would she have against Eleanor, who had the shape and speed of a panther?
The trunk opened, and Maddie risked a quick peek again. The dark branches of an old Christmas-tree type pine hung low over the car, protecting it from the worst of the weather.. They were somewhere in the mountains, obviously, but beyond that there was very little to be seen.
Eleanor and Hank dragged something out of the trunk before slamming it shut. The second kid. The certainty made her stomach turn. She'd been so worried about Evan that the safety of second teenager had slipped her mind entirely. She bit her lip, then slowly levered up on her elbows.
Hank and Eleanor where about twenty feet away, carrying a bundle wrapped in blankets down a steep incline. Now was the time to run. She sat fully upright and studied the area. The dark outline of trees met her gaze. A small dirt road disappeared past the pines on her left, and on her right, past the huge old Christmas tree, the land rose sharply. If there was anything else to be seen, it had disappeared into the rain.
It would be stupid to run when she had no idea where she was—or if there was even help nearby.
Running might not achieve anything but making Eleanor angrier—and Maddie had a feeling that was something she might not live through.
She lay back down on the seat and, after several minutes, heard Eleanor and Hank returning. But only one door opened. The front seat squeaked as Hank climbed in, then the engine started.
'Now remember,' Eleanor's usually mellow voice was sharp and cold, 'dump our hostage and find where they've got the kid. I doubt if Barnett will agree to an exchange, no matter what his feelings for the woman.'
'I've seen the two of them together. He'll come for her.'
'Maybe.' Eleanor's tone made it obvious she didn't agree. 'Just find the kid, Hank. Remember, if you want your life extended again, you need that kid.'
The door slammed shut. Maddie kept her eyes squeezed closed. The wheels spun as Hank took off, and for several second the car did nothing but drift sideways. Hank cursed fluently, and as if suddenly fearful, the car surged forward. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or not. Granted, she was free from Eleanor's sharp gaze, at least for a while, but she still had Hank to contend with.
She frowned slightly and wondered what Eleanor had meant in her last statement. Life extended again?
Did that mean this was not the first time she'd extended their lives through magic? Sure, sixteen kids had disappeared, but would Eleanor need a blood sacrifice every month to extend her life? And Hank's?
She didn't know, but she had a feeling Jon would. She rubbed her thumb against the cold metal ring on her finger. Its presence was oddly comforting, if only because she knew he'd come back for it. She wasn't alone— someone was out there, looking for her.
The car bumped along, the rhythm oddly hypnotic. After what seemed like ages, it slowed and turned.
The rain eased as suddenly as someone turning off a tap. Out the back window she saw a garage door closing behind them.
Her stomach rolled. She closed her eyes and listened to Hank getting out. After a few minutes the back door opened. Hands grabbed her shoulders and hauled her out. She kept her eyes shut and forced herself to relax. Her only chance of escape might lie in convincing Hank she was still out of it.
'Christ, how can a little thing like you be so damn heavy.'
His mutter was almost a curse as he hauled her up and over his shoulder. She watched his feet move across the concrete, then heard a door open. The rain and the cold hit them. Moisture ran down her back and around her throat as he hurried across the wet grass.
Where in the hell were they? She risked shifting slightly and saw the vague shadows of a house and trees. And below them, the dark outlines of other houses.
They were back in Taurin Bay—or at least on the outskirts of it, anyway. Hank's house maybe, or Eleanor's.
The scream of a hawk suddenly cut across the rainswept silence. Hank yelled, letting go of her legs as he dove out of the way. Air swooped past her. Maddie had a brief glimpse of brown-gold wings as she tumbled from Hank's shoulder. She hit the ground hard and grunted in pain, struggling to breathe and briefly seeing stars. Hank cursed and reached for her. She kicked out at him and heard the hawk scream again. As Hank's gaze jerked skyward, she rolled away from him, heading down the hill towards the house, and as far away from him as she could possibly get.
