She’s right. We’re running out of time.
A loud crash reverberates through the ceiling, and I clutch her closer. Then all the sound swallows into a vacuum—it’s unnaturally quiet until we hear muffled shouts. Footsteps, thenthe door swings open. Heavy feet descend the stairs, and then the witch is there. Ben.
I shove Mona behind me, ready to fight. Before he even reaches the last step, he turns to us, like he knew exactly where we’d be.
“We don’t have much time. My shield won’t hold her for long, she’s too strong.”
My wolf and I growl, the threat rumbling from my chest. My claws transform, and my knees bend slightly in a fighting stance.
He ignores it. “Judging by her temperature, we don’t have a lot of time. Tracy’s coven will be here within the hour. My ward will keep them in,” he points upstairs. “But we need to leave. Now. My cover is blown, so there’s no going back.”
Without waiting for me to agree, he stalks past us and flings open the cellar door, climbing up the small steps out into the backyard. There’s no way this witch is actually helping us, but we need to get out of this house.
I walk in front of Mona, one hand still gripping her arm so she stays close to me, half expecting an ambush. But the witch is alone, and facing the forest, where I assessed our best chance of escape as well.
“What the hell is this? What do you want?” I growl.
He doesn’t answer, turning to hold his palms toward the house. A miasmic black wall comes down around the perimeter.
I grab Mona, swinging her into my arms just in time as we slip beneath the barrier. It drops, fully encasing the house in a shimmering black cloak.
Mona burns against me, her body an ember pulled straight from the fire. I tighten my grip, and she presses her face to my chest, a low sound escaping her throat. I take a step back, pivoting slightly.
The witch sighs, annoyed. “We have until the coven arrives. An hour, tops. We need to go. Now.”
“Who the fuck are you?” I snarl. I may be out from Deidre’s thumb, but I’d sooner chain myself in silver than trust a witch.
When I don’t immediately move, the witch’s eyes roll skyward, like he’s asking for patience. Then he lowers the shield he’s been using to hide his true self.
His scent slams into me.
A shifter. Not a wolf. And something else. It washes over me, a type of brotherly affection I’ve felt twice before in my life. Mona gasps in my arms, fingertips digging into my shoulders as she takes him in. Her omega keens, the sound making my alpha hold her closer.
“Who are you?” I ask again, losing my patience.
“They call me The Ghost,” he says candidly. Bright golden amber eyes peer into mine. Waiting, assessing. His cover is blown, he said.
The fucking Ghost. Kendrick’s assassin.
He smells like the ocean. More nuanced than that, like the briny, salty crest of the waves, and ancient stone rock. A little witchy, a little gamey. Sharp, almost abrasive, and electric.
Turning from my scrutiny, he says, “I’m just here to help. On Kendrick’s orders, that’s it. But we need to leave. Now.”
This time, I follow. We run into the woods behind the quiet neighborhood. It’s less than an acre before we’re in someone else’s backyard, then through another copse of trees. A school bus beeps in the distance, the sound of children echoing along the streets, cars turning over for their morning commutes. The world is waking. We don’t slow, and Ghost keeps pace, periodically pausing to listen for trouble.
It’s almost an hour before we near the denser forest. Deidre won’t be able to catch up to us, she’ll have no way to track us. She doesn’t have my blood, not anymore, and what’s dried on her hand is now useless. But I don’t relax, I keep running. I havesome idea of where we are, but we’re still several hours from the border, and then two more to Silent Peak, and that’s by car.
The whimpering omega in my arms is what finally makes me slow down. The magic is burning off now, faster. Her heat is coming on, stronger.
“We need a plan,” I grit, coming to a stop.
Her scent is growing sweeter, skin hotter, yes, but she’s also writhing in pain. My alpha wants to protect her from it, and each cry claws at me.
“We just need to get her somewhere safe. I think—” he pauses and squints at the small form in my arms.
Finally, likely for the first time, he looks at Mona. For a fleeting moment, his eyes soften. Then he abruptly turns, his expression stony. “Stay here. Keep her safe. I’ll find somewhere we can take her until…”
“We need to get her to Grayson.Hecan take care of her—”
