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I see a spark of dragon fire deep in her gaze. “Don’t make me regret allowing you into her life.”
Gently removing the IV drip from Vanessa’s arm, I press her sheet against the wound as it wells with blood. “Where are we taking her?”
Mags looks at me blankly. “I don’t know, you tell me.”
“I’m going to roast her,” Pinky snarls taking a step toward Mags who takes a quick step back.
“What I mean is, we need to take her someplace significant,” Mags explains. “Someplace that has great meaning to her. Preferably someplace surrounded by nature since I’ll need as much help as I can get from the natural order.”
“That leaves out most of the places Vanessa loves.” Pinky replies with agitation. “She loves her mansion, she loves theatres, she loves shopping malls.” She turns to me. “The beach is natural and you got married there.”
I think about it but shake my head. “I know of a place. It’s in Wolf-Haven.”
Mags conjures a portal. “Perfect, we’re going to Wolf-Haven! Keenan, I’ll take your hand and you’ll picture the spot in your head, guiding me straight to where we need to be.” She swings her gaze around the room, then frowns. “I thought you had a few shifter friends you could bring. We’ll need as much magical blood as we can get.”
Pinky rushes for the door. “Don’t leave without me.”
A few minutes later, I step through the portal with Vanessa held tightly in my arms. Mags holds my arm, and we go through together, an entourage of assorted shifters and humans at our backs.
Chapter 37
The Rescuers
KEENAN
The evening is calm and dark, a waning moon shining down on us as we step out onto the cliffside next to my cave getaway.
“Hurry up,” Mags says urgently as she reaches into the portal to pull our friends through. “I need to conjure another portal.”
Angel clings to Laz as she looks around. “Are we standing on the edge of a cliff?” They shuffle closer to the mouth of the cave.
“Right, good idea,” Pinky mutters, looking around at our assembled friends. “Anyone who could die by falling off a cliff, go stand by the cave.”
Laz, Angel, Zach, Cherise, and Calvin move toward the cave.
On the shifter side, there’s Pinky, Rachel, Jessica, Hailey Whitmore, and Ginger Abbott the mouse shifter.
The bandage wrapped around Rachel’s head along with her pale face catches my eye. “You should be in a hospital.” Vanessa wouldn’t want anyone risking their health.
She shrugs. “So should Vanessa, but here we are. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Once the last person comes through, Mags calls up another portal. First, Mags’s mother, Lilith, steps through, nodding at Mags as she takes her place. Next comes her aunt Beatrice who hugs her quickly before moving aside. Last comes Mags’s friends: Lila, Katey, and Callum. As the witches assemble along the cliffside, we’re packed in tighter.
A minute passes after the last witch travels through, but the portal remains open. Mags watches it, her expression hopeful.
“They may not come, daughter,” Lilith says, warning in her voice. “The land of the living is not meant for an Oracle. They will be uncomfortable, their magic muted.”
Mags narrows her eyes at her mother. “They’re coming. We need them for this spell to work. Besides, I told them if they want to keep dating my mom, they’re either doing me this solid, or taking me to ballgames and sending birthday cards.”
The green portal glows brighter and sparks shoot from the center. The humans shuffle further against the mountain face. As we watch, some fascinated, some fearful, a foot appears, then a leg, then another one, until a majestic being steps out onto the cliff, the portal disappearing behind them.
The Oracle looks around with awe and curiosity. “This is Earth?”
Lilith takes Oracle’s arm, pulling them into the circle of humans, shifters and witches. “It is, my love.” She kisses their cheek. “Thank you for coming.”
“Your daughter used blackmail, Lilith,” Oracle says without inflection. “Your love may not be enough to save her if she does it again.”
A wolf’s howl pierces the night, distant, but closing in fast. It’s familiar. Two more howls join the first and I realize Lock, Rush, and Sarina are headed our way. They burst onto the cliffside, startling the humans as they shift from their wolves into naked humans.
