He lifted his chin, closed his eyes then took several purposeful breaths.
“Ready?”
“Let’s go.”
She took his hand then pulled him with her as she moved within the shield. He was good until the last split-second. He must have tensed-up, since he gave a wolf’s yelp.
She squeezed his hand. “Hey, much better. You almost made it all the way that time.”
He rubbed his opposite arm and shoulder. “Yeah. I tensed at the last second.”
“You’ll get the hang of it.”
He narrowed his gaze, slung his arm around her waist and dragged her suddenly straight into the air. She gave a cry and grabbed hold of him. She mentally parted the security spell around the property.
She could fly herself, so it irked her that he’d pulled her so unceremoniously in such a quick ascent.
Okay, maybe she’d been a little condescending. She also thought she understood just how frustrated he was about the entire situation. Neither of them thought it was wise to be so close.
She chose not to protest and finally relaxed against him. Besides, he was moving fast. They were only a couple of miles away as they shot above the top of the pine forest.
The trees quickly gave way to tract homes and a few leftover strip centers from the pre-alter world. In the distance, the light along Savage Strip lit up the horizon. To her dismay, she heard the running pop of AR-15s.
With one arm still holding her tight, Warren drew his phone to his ear. “Fergus, we’re almost there. Give me the lay-out.”
Kiara normally wouldn’t have been able to hear anything, but her ears caught every word Fergus said as though she was holding the phone and not Warren. Another damn wolf-sign. She swore her connection to Warren grew stronger with each second that passed. His own increasing warlock abilities spoke to the same issue.
She could hear the adrenaline in Fergus’s voice. His voice was clipped. “Fifty feet above the club. Twenty enemy troops. Fifteen in front, blasting away at the outside of the building. The bridge is closed. Just spoke to Roberts. He’s keeping the Border Patrol away since half the patrol already belongs to the cartels. Julio’s standing across the street from Ralph’s club. The bastard is smiling.”
“I see you now in the distance. We’ll stay at the perimeter. Looks like you’ve got about seventy Gordion wolves with you.”
“Damn straight I do.”
Fergus’s wolves levitated in a battle array behind Fergus. They wore the amber trimmed black tanks that would identify his troops in battle.
She watched as Fergus scanned the skies in their direction. “Can’t see a thing, but I know you’re there. Damn, that’s power.”
Kiara felt Warren’s chest swell. Was it pride for her? “Kiara’s not the usual witch.”
“No, she’s not. Hold on a sec. Mary’s checking in. She’s in the dreamglide.” Mary was a gifted fae with a boatload of power herself. The dreamglide was a rare phenomenon that only a handful of fae could create. Fergus could as well, because he’d bonded with Mary and had serious fae abilities now.
Fergus was silent for a moment, then continued, “Okay. Mary’s found Ralph and the wolves in the safe room. Looks like they’re in a lot of pain, though Ralph’s fine.” Mary wasn’t physically near the Strip. Instead, she was back at the Gordion compound in a safe environment. To be in the dreamglide, she was in a near unconscious state, prone and vulnerable.
Kiara had heard the tenderness in Fergus’s voice the moment he spoke Mary’s name. She was his bonded alpha-mate.
Kiara leaned closer to the phone. “I know where the safe room is located, but in order to keep the wolves and Ralph safe, the door would have to opened then closed. Maybe Mary could watch the position of Julio’s men and guide us in undetected.”
“She could definitely do that. Let me contact her.”
Though Kiara could have easily levitated in the air by herself, Warren still held her tight. At first, she thought it was for protective reasons. But the part of her that was assimilating some of Warren’s wolfness realized he was experiencing a profound need to remain closely connected to her as a wolf.
She could feel the purpose of their connection now as well. She accessed her telepathy. Are you sensing a call between us about the battle?
Yes. I know that if I let go of you, even for a second, something bad will happen. Can you get a bead on it? With your witchness, I mean?
I’ll try. Kiara drew a settling breath then opened up her most primal witch-self, the part of her that had taken so long to get used to. Though every witch had a different experience, hers came with an awareness of any witch or warlock in her immediate vicinity. She could read them easily, especially whether they were inclined toward the dark covens.
Mostly, she kept this part of her shut down because her sensitivity in this way tended to give her a headache.