The winter wind whooshed. The fire sparked, kicking high into the air. The falling snow sizzled, but failed to douse the flames. We needed the fire department. I pulled out my phone and started to dial.
“Put the phone away. We don't want to draw attention.”
“Last I checked, I can't will the fire away.”
“Well, son of a biscuit eater.” Mitch slapped the side of his leg.
His wicked grin had me gritting my teeth. I didn't trust him.
He flicked his wrist, and the fire sputtered. Black smoke coiled through the air as if he had just dumped thousands of gallons of water on the active flames. The dying blaze crackled and hissed.
A wolf howled, but turned into a gut-wrenching whine, and then abruptly stopped.
My heart fell into the pit of my stomach, flipped a few times, and slowly crawled back to its place before beating again. “What was that?”
“Well, I am quite magnificent. Aren't I?” Mitch circled his hand in front of his stomach and bowed as if I was praising him for putting out the fire rather than inquiring about the wolf's cry—the sound so heartbreaking, so familiar.
“Not you, the wolf's plea. Did you hear it?” The cry of a wolf so close to Aylin's house set electricity to my nerves. Aylin? Was she in trouble?
“Oh, that.” Mitch shrugged. “I hope no one else encountered the marksman.”
“Shit! I assumed he went back to whatever hole he crawled out of.” I tried to open my connection to Aylin. To call to her. But nothing worked. Everything seemed off since I walked over her fallen door.
“I doubt it, man. He was out to kill.” Mitch rubbed his chest where the welt remained from the flaming arrow. “The poison was worse than the arrow. I only know one man who produces such a toxic combination.”
“Who?”
“Tommy boy.” The name rolled off his tongue with a hiss of annoyance.
“You don't sound concerned even though he almost killed you.”
“Oh, we all should be. Tommy has been in the business for most of his puny life. The kid can wield anything from technologically advanced magical machines to dark art spells. He has no bounds in what he can or will do.”
“Is he one of Gabriel's?”
“As far as I can tell, no one owns or rules him. Luna was quite fond of him, for a time, but their relationship didn't last long.”
A screech erupted in the distance. The dark woods glowed with a red hue that moved upward in the shape of an octagon. Black buzzards circled above it.
“What the fuck is that?” I asked.
“That, my newish friend, is the invention of Thomas, a.k.a. Tommy, Lander. It's sort of a portable protection circle with two dimensions to it. The first prevents unwanted interference from anyone on the outside. It can also gather and focus all the energy of the person inside the cage so it doesn't escape.”
I ran toward the octagon, fist clenched.
“Aylin!” My harsh voice cracked. Mitch, the fool, was plucking my strings like a violinist. “So, is someone trapped in there? Aylin?” I pointed toward the red hue.
I tried to open our connection again, praying our bond was finally strong enough to communicate, but something dark slammed me backwards. Blocked, really.
“Don't.” Mitch grabbed my shoulder. “Don't even try to interfere. Tommy doesn't have the empathetic ability to care about punishment others receive.”
“Aylin—” I gasped and shook Mitch off my arm. It had to be her in that box and Mitch was helping!
“—is fine.” Mitch interrupted. “Luna won't let anything bad happen to her. We need to track down whoever is after your girl and my niece.”
The flock of birds broke formation and dove like bombers toward us. Their red eyes matched the glowing hue of the octagon.
We dodged the buzzards who squawked and hovered before returning to the cage.
“Sorry, but my priority is Aylin.” I took off running and, moments later, shifted. I needed to find her and make sure she was safe.
I ran through the woods, veering down paths and racing toward my future, my life. I couldn't or wouldn't let her tackle any challenge on her own. Luna will protect her. No, I will protect her. She's mine.
I ignored Mitch's warning growls as he followed closely on my tail.
I jumped over twigs, ignoring the briars, and ran until my steady breath became short gasps. Finally, I halted by a large tree and eyed the red octagon in the clearing before me. I wanted to bark, growl, howl, but no sound escaped. Aylin was trapped in the middle of the red cage while her wolf lay limp next to it. Luna sat in its middle, her eyes glowing silver, but she didn't move or even twitch at my approach. And Tommy boy, I presumed, smiled wickedly as he watched the two girls in the cage.
I quickly shifted back to my human form and took a step forward. I would kill them both, I vowed, as Luna ignored the turmoil. She appeared calm, centered, as if my mate's life wasn't hanging in the balance.
A low rumble deep in my throat escaped.
Aylin's depthless eyes met my confused ones, but did not see me. I called to her with everything I was, trying to help. The whip of a tendril and the powerful force of evil slammed me back. In my mind, I wrapped my hands around the tendril until blood seeped from my fingers, but I didn't stop. I needed to help. To rid her of Gabriel's poison. My jaw clenched.
I snapped the tendril in half and reached for another one. I would protect her.
“No!” Mitch whispered and pulled me back. “Aylin needs to complete the exorcism without interference. Or else the poison will continue to spread.”
I shook Mitch off again, but didn't advance. I would give Aylin the chance to save herself. Her body glowed as purple hues wrapped around each tendril. When one entered her body, she sucked in a breath as if she had been stabbed.
Luna quietly reassured Aylin as she chanted. “Good, that's
