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31
Bronywyn
The dead are silent behind us as Rainey parks the van about a half-mile away from my house. Since there is only one driveway, that’s where we’ll be sending the dead walkers. I have no illusion that they will survive much past the entrance, but my hope is that the disruption to the wards they’ve placed over mine will be enough for us to slip past unnoticed.
Tarnley can get us in but only if they don’t feel his presence before he does.
Once we’re there, I can hopefully take everyone through the safe house and into a completely new country unnoticed. And after I sever the bond, the council won’t know where we went.
It’s the perfect planifthe dead walkers manage to make it far enough inside to send the wards off the rails andifthe connection to the safe house in Ireland hasn’t been severed. But, even with those ifs, it still is our best bet.
“You ready?” Rainey asks Tarnley. “You are doing all the heavy lifting this time.”
Tarnley looks almost offended that she questioned him, and if I weren’t so damn stressed, I probably would have laughed.
“I can manage carrying the two of you if these bastards can get us in.”
“They’ll get us in,” I tell him, voice hollow. See, part of the issue with being tethered to the dead is that when they die—you feel it. Which means I’m about to be in a whole hell of a lot of pain. Turning to the dead, I carefully meet the blank gaze of each supernatural before me. “You will march in. You will not stop until you reach the front door. When you do, fight those who attack, but do not leave your post.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Do. Not. Leave. The. Grounds,” I repeat, wanting to make sure the order is clear. The last thing I need is for any stragglers to find a loophole in my order and make their way into town before I manage to get to safety and terminate the link.
“Yes, Master.”
“Okay,” I turn toward Tarnley then glance at Rainey. “Let’s do this.”
We climb out of the front seat and walk around the back to pull open the double doors and release the dead walkers. They stumble out then turn and face the driveway. Gravel crunches as they walk, moving closer and closer to the front of the house.
It’s a scene from an eerie horror movie, a perfect comparison to what our lives have recently become.
“Text Delaney and have them meet us at the entrance for the safe house.”
Rainey doesn’t respond, just pulls out her phone and fires off a text.
Tarnley turns to me and holds out his arms. As he gathers me up, I wrap one arm around his neck and wait as Rainey climbs onto his back. Thanks to his enhanced strength, he holds us easily. The moment I hear the first scream, I tell him to, “Run.”
We blur forward, watching trees passing in a whir, and Tarnley drops us a few yards from the door before slamming into it with the force of a battering ram. Wood splinters as he falls inside. Rainey and I waste no time, though. We rush through the damage and race down the hall toward the entrance to my safe house.
I scream as the first of my dead-walkers is struck down, pain blooming in my chest as though I’m the one who took the blow.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Rainey demands as she catches me right before I can hit the ground.
“They’re killing them.”
“Who?”
“The—”
“Drop the link, Bronywyn,” Tarnley orders, voice tight.
“Not yet.”
“Link?”
“She must be feeling their pain,” Tarnley growls. “You said no immediate danger.”
“If I had told you, would you have let me go through with it?”
