Page 133

She dug her fingernails into my arm, stopping me. “You’re on trial, remember? If Gorem’s guards see you here, it will only look worse for you.”

“My scent is unfamiliar to them. I can get as close as twenty feet before they pick up the scent of an intruder. That’s close enough for me to incapacitate them.”

“It’s too risky! You don’t even know how many there are. Please, Alaric. Let me be the distraction.”

My eyes narrowed, and my jaw hardened. “No. Tavik will take care of it.” I refused to let her use herself as bait. What if she was caught?

“If she lets Sasha out, she will not be caught,” Tavik said. “Sasha is fast. Faster than most.”

“She’s still healing. It will be too much for her.”

Cerise gave me a flat look, clearly irritated by my immediate dismissal of her idea. “I’d wager that even if they don’t immediately recognize your scent, those guards would still figure out it was you. Right?”

My nostrils flared, and I huffed out a breath. She wasn’t wrong. It didn’t help that Tavik was a Long-haired Darkwalker. There were only two wolves of that particular breed on the entire Isle, and Tavik was the only one with black fur.

Gorem and his soldiers would instantly know it was me.

“No one on the Isle knows I’m a Wolven Mage.” Cerise’s voice became more hushed. “They won’t know my wolf, or how fast she is.”

“What will you do when they chase after you?” I challenged. “You don’t know the Isle. And besides, aren’t you supposed to perform a spell to help us find what we need? How will you do that if you’re luring away the guards?”

“How far will they chase me? Will they leave their posts?”

I frowned, considering this. “No. If you cause trouble close to the manor, they will chase you as far as the main road before resuming their watch. At least, that’s what I would instruct them to do.”

“Then, I’ll lure them away, and you position yourself in the shadows so that when one of them returns, you can knock him out. That’s how I’ll sneak in.”

I rubbed my chin as I considered her plan. She watched me, eyes gleaming, and I couldn’t help but smile. “You’ve got the makings of a decent strategist, witchling.”

She grinned. “I’m offended that you sound so surprised.”

My chest softened as I lifted my hand to her cheek and ran my thumb along her jawline. She impressed me more every day.

With a nod, I gestured to the soldier guarding the east corner of the manor. “Make sure you keep that one busy. That back window is where I’ll go in.”

Cerise followed my gaze. “I can do that.” She stepped forward, then paused. “You should probably take this.” Without warning, she untied her robe and handed it to me. I grabbed the silk fabric, my insides turning molten at the sight of her beautiful pale body. But I only had a moment to process it before she shifted into her wolf form.

Like before, the transition was shaky. Cerise’s body shuddered and jerked violently, but it took less than a minute for Sasha to emerge. She blinked once at me, golden eyes gleaming in the darkness, before she leapt forward.

Unease crept into my mind as I watched her race toward the manor. Gods, what if she was caught? What if she got hurt?

“They will both be fine,” Tavik assured me.

I swallowed, my hand braced on the tree next to me, fingers crushing the loose bark. I wished I had Tavik’s peace of mind; it was difficult not to worry.

A shout rang out, followed by several others as the guards no doubt spotted Sasha. Then, a blur of white streaked past me, and my jaw dropped at her lightning speed. Damn, she was fast. It was even more astounding given the fact that two days ago, she hadn’t been able to fully walk on her own.

The guards were sprinting after her. The one on the east corner shifted to his wolf form, a huge creature with russet fur. My anxiety spiked, but as I watched him move, I relaxed. He was bulky, and his extra weight slowed him down. Sasha was lithe and lean, and she would easily outrun him.

I had the opening I needed. With the east side exposed, I raced toward the manor, legs pumping furiously in case the guards decided to circle back. Wind whipped at my face, and I waited for a cry of alarm to ring out behind me.

But nothing happened.

I reached the brick exterior of the house and pressed myself against the wall. I knew if I waited here, the returning guard would be able to smell me immediately.

I had to mask my scent.

Turning, I fiddled with the large sliding window, but it wouldn’t budge. I gritted my teeth and tugged hard at the frame. With a snap, it broke, and I was able to slide open the window. From within, I caught a whiff of a lavender scented candle.