1
Ness
How much longer did I have left? When would the ritual be complete?
Alvin placed candles in five corners around me. He cursed when the lighter wouldn’t produce a flame. I peered at the nearby window and wondered if it would be worth jumping out. I had no idea how far off the ground we were. The glass looked old. It might go right through me.
I’d died before, according to Alvin. Would I come back from a wound like that?
I didn’t really want to find out.
My hound wasn’t here to save me. Alvin had bound me with silver strips, tying my wrists together and keeping my hound from being able to leave my body. I’d already shifted twice today. I doubted I had the energy to shift again, even if I could feel my hound.
Harvey’s death seemed like it’d happened days ago. How much had happened in the past twenty-four hours? How much more could I endure?
Killing Harvey had left me with a touch of death, an icy barrier wrapped around my heart. It was still there, but now it felt more like a shield than an ill omen. I wrapped myself around it and hoped it might stop this ritual from taking effect. The ice remained unmoving, but I hadn’t really expected a response from it.
Arcana started filling the room like a cat sensing a tasty meal. It slithered up my nose and filled my throat until I coughed. It gagged me more than the rag in my mouth right now.
What had the witch given Alvin?
Ryder
One thought consumed my mind.Electricity emanated from the dragon within me while I frantically searched the city for my mate. That frantic sensation should have overwhelmed everything else, but past that I could feel another presence.
Vanessa.
I could feel Ness’s hands on my back, pushing me along. It was as if she were here with me, guiding me. A turn came up, and I felt the subtle pressure on my shoulder, directing me to go left. Maybe I was imagining it. Maybe this wasn’t real.
I didn’t have time to think about it right now. Ness had given herself up to save her pack. Alvin’s former hostage, Janessa, was back with the pack. They were taking care of the female shifter while Ness suffered alone.
The pack had circled around me, asking questions about what they should do next. I’d barely been able to focus. Their words had turned into a mounting storm, assaulting my ears, until Bri quieted them.
Bri, my oldest friend. She’d come all this way from Thunder Pass to warn me about my brother. I hadn’t meant to drag her into this fight, too. She didn’t seem to care. Bri had smiled gently at me. With a subtle nod of her head, she’d told me all I’d needed to know.
Go. Find Ness. I’ve got everything here.
Though, just as I’d spun to leave, Bri called out one last time.
“Morgan will be here soon. When you get back, we have to talk about what you want to do with him.”
Morgan could wait. He didn’t seem as important as before. I’d been worried about my brother and the destruction he might cause when he found me, but that didn’t matter so long as Ness was in danger.
I needed to find my mate. My beast growled in agreement. Her scent reached my nose. I came to a sudden halt and lifted my nose to the air. The scent pulled me towards a decrepit building.
No. Not that one, I decided when I stepped closer. I prowled towards the next building. Ness’s scent grew stronger and stronger. I was close, but not quite there. Soon, I would find her.
I would snap Alvin Combs’s neck and be done with him once and for all.
My beast snarled, but the sound became choked. I turned my attention inward, to the beast, but I was shaken before I could even ask what happened. The bond between Ness and me shattered. I rocked on my heels before dropping to one knee.
Pressure sat on my chest and kept me from filling my lungs. I fumbled for that bond, the one that I’d wanted to break a week ago. There was no light from the mark that had been on my hand. My beast thrashed, preventing me from finding even a thread of the bond.
I pressed my eyes closed and sucked in a breath despite the pressure on my chest. My lungs burned. I ignored the pain and stood. The world wavered at the edges, darkness pressing in from all sides.
Every step became a challenge, but it wasn’t one that I would lose. I refused to give up. Ness’s scent still hung in the air. Ness was within reach. All I had to do was find her. Once I found her, then we could fix this.
I refused to consider what the broken bond might mean. My beast growled low. I could feel my control slipping. The beast’s anger filled me until I was more violence than man.
Find her.
Find her.
Find her.
The beast’s words echoed through the inside of my skull. I lurched forward with one mission on my mind and a single prayer on my lips.
“Don’t let me be too late.”