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We swept up a gentle hill and around a slow curve to the right.
“Here,” I said abruptly. “Stop here.”
He obeyed so fast the truck slewed around sideways and ended up facing the wrong way on the shoulder of the road. I grabbed my backpack and scrambled out, and then paused briefly to get my bearings from the watch. After checking there were no oncoming cars, I raced into the scrub and trees on the other side of the road. Aiden was a step behind me, his tension filling the air, a thick heat that had my nerves jumping and tingling.
The ground began to rise, becoming increasingly rocky. My left foot rolled over a loose stone, and I would have fallen had Aiden not grabbed me.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” I ran on, doing my best to ignore the twinge in my ankle. We reached the top of the hill, but all I could see was more scrub, trees, and rocks, sweeping downward. But we were close now. So close.
But so was death.
I swore and plunged down the hill. Aiden remained at my side, grabbing my elbow several times to steady me as I slipped.
“I can smell water.” He paused, and then added, voice flat and yet somehow dangerous, “And raw meat.”
“Whoever it is, they’re just up ahead.”
I forced my feet on, despite the instinctive urge to slow, to not confront what waited ahead.
But I couldn’t let Aiden face it alone. Not if my suspicion was right and there was magic involved.
The trees retreated with startling abruptness, revealing a clearing that was dominated by a half-empty dam.
On the edge of the high bank on the far side was a red form. It took me a moment to realize it was a dog.
A wolf.
One that had been totally and utterly skinned.
Chapter Four
Bile rose and this time, there was absolutely no stopping it. I stumbled back to the trees, where I was completely and violently ill.
Aiden followed me over and handed me a handkerchief once I’d finished. “You’d better stay—”
“No.” I grimly wiped my mouth then tucked the handkerchief into my pocket. I’d no doubt need it again, even if I had nothing left in my stomach to bring back up. “There’s magic involved in this somewhere. You won’t see it, but I will.”
Which didn’t mean I’d be able to do anything about it—especially if my hunch was wrong and the magic used here was connected to the dark witch.
He hesitated, his gaze sweeping me in concern, and he then stepped to one side and motioned me to lead the way.
I cautiously approached the body. It was a raw and red mess of muscle, but there was surprisingly little blood considering what had been— A leg twitched. Horror crashed through me again and my eyes went wide.
He was alive.
Despite losing his pelt from nose to tail. Despite the agony and shock being stripped would have caused. Despite the brightly plumed dart that was sticking out of his right flank, which I suspected might be made of silver. The precious metal was not only poisonous to wolves, but it also kept them locked in whatever form they were in.
Aiden swore rapidly and put an urgent call out for the paramedics.
I swallowed bile yet again and studied the ground around the red form. There was no hint of major magic here—no pentagram, no circle, nothing to indicate any sort of spell had been used in this gruesome deed.
And yet the fading caress of magic remained.
I forced myself to step closer, but kept my gaze down rather than on the dying wolf. The ground was stony, so held no footprints, and there was no evidence of any sort of struggle. This wolf had apparently just quietly lain here while he was skinned.
Unless, of course, the magic was the reason behind his lack of action. But to find out one way or another, I’d have to go even closer than I already was, and I couldn’t do that just yet. And it wasn’t just a natural aversion to getting any nearer, but the simple fact that I needed to find the source of the fading magic first. To do anything else would be foolhardy, given we had no idea if this foul deed was also some sort of trap.
