43
Savannah
The ether closed in like the ocean depths, icy and oppressive. Every inch of my body screamed. Unlike traveling to the Deadlands, coming back was like passing through molasses. The distant whispers of the dead followed us, and I swore I could feel their freezing grip trying to pull us back into the Deadlands. My pulse quickened as my panic rose, but then the weight and the pain and the exhaustion released.
I gasped and stumbled across the limestone floor of the mausoleum, and Jaxson’s arm swooped around my waist, steadying me.
“We made it.” My throat felt like sandpaper, but my strength was slowly returning. The familiar marble catacombs rose around us, lining the walls, and a candle flickered on a pedestal in the center of the room.
Jaxson cupped my cheek, his fingers lingering on my jaw. “You did it.”
His eyes flashed a honey gold, and my heart stuttered as a flurry of emotions flooded me. Overwhelming. All-consuming. I cared about him in ways I’d never experienced before, and it had nothing to do with the mate bond. This man was everything. I pressed my hand over his. “We did it.”
An explosion rang out nearby, and the mausoleum shook.
“What the fuck was that?” Jaxson released me and crossed to the metal doors. They creaked as he opened them, and his body immediately tensed. I stepped up beside him and froze. The magical barrier around the garden must have been breached.
Smoke rose in the distance above Dockside, and an orange glow lit the darkening sky. Ash and burned metal stung my nose, and the echo of screams carried on the breeze.
He’s here, Wolfie said.
No. We weren’t ready. It wasn’t time!
Jaxson already had his phone pressed to his ear. It rang once, and with my wolf senses back, I heard Sam’s voice. “Jax! You’re alive! Where are you?”
“The Garden of the Wolves. What’s happening?” he answered.
An explosion echoed through his phone, and Sam cursed. “The Dark God’s cracked open a rift in Dockside. Something’s happening to the wolves. You’ve got to get out of there.”
Terror iced my veins.
“Where are you?” Jaxson’s voice was calm, but every muscle in his body was taut.
“The Indies. On my way to Laurel’s—” Screams cut her off. “Fuck. All hell’s broken loose. The demons and the Order have erected magical barriers to the north and west. Laurel and the sorcerers are putting one up on the south. You better get here fast.”
Magical barriers? Would that be enough to contain the Dark God?
“Got it. But I thought we had more time,” said Jaxson.
A brief burst of incredulous laughter rang through the phone. “You’ve been gone for three days. Hell, I’d almost given you two up for dead. Glad to be mistaken, but your timing could be better.”
“Yeah, well, thanks for the welcome party,” he said dryly. “We’re on our way.”
“Be careful, Jax. Some of the wolves have gone AWOL. They’re attacking people—” she began, but the line disconnected.
“Fuck!” Jaxson pocketed his phone. “We’ll cut through the park, and when we hit the streets, we’ll make tracks. My truck is parked a few blocks from Eclipse.”
“Will we be able to get through the barriers?”
“I fucking hope so.”
We moved silently through the garden. My muscles felt like jelly, and my magic was still replenishing, but I felt whole again with Wolfie and the shard back.
It’s good to be back, Wolfie said. We’d better not die tonight.
We didn’t come this far to lose.
As we emerged from the woods around the mausoleum, I skidded to a stop and sucked in a breath. “Look at that…”
Jaxson followed my gaze up to the brilliant streaks of light that painted the sky. It was beautiful and eerie. Green and yellow lights flared to the north, while vivid reds flashed to the west like the northern lights on steroids.
“Those must be the magical barriers,” Jaxson said.
The sky to the south was still dark, suggesting the sorcerers hadn’t gotten theirs up yet. Were they waiting for us? I hoped that was the reason, and not that the barrier had already fallen.
We took off into the park, the familiar scents of oak and damp earth easing some of the fear that had taken root in my gut. What were we going to do?
Close the rift and lock the bastard away, Wolfie answered.
Easier said than done.
Tires screeched up ahead, followed by the crunching of metal. We stepped out of the wooded park onto 63rd into an entirely different world.
Chaos.