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Besides, let’s be honest. I’dneverhad a way with words. Not like Shea or Connor.
Magic sizzled in the air as Alexander sent a spell lashing toward me, but instinct had me keep an eye on him as I dodged just enough for the spell to hit the street behind me. Sure enough, a second spell followed quickly on the heels of that one. Much stronger and, I assumed, deadlier. This one arrowed straight toward me with dizzying speed, and I barely managed to leap out of its way. No sooner did I land than I threw myself to the side yet again, just in time to avoid a third spell striking my former spot.
Jesus! How much juice can he possibly have?
And then I remembered that he was the San Francisco Beacon. Meaning he could draw energy from his tethers with Aunt Fiona and, more importantly, their entire Pack. Physical distance wasn’t a barrier when it came to tapping into them like his own personal battery. One of the few things I remembered about magic.
My legs trembled as I panted and kept my gaze locked upon him. I’d been lucky so far, especially considering how many spells Alexander had slung my way. Only soreness and fatigue currently bothered me. The odds of continuing to escape serious injury didn’t seem too damned high.
Those odds went up considerably when several engines roared in the near distance. I spared a quick glance down the street and relaxed slightly when I saw a limousine followed by several SUVs. Saved by the shadow-loving cavalry! And nobody in the wrecked limo had become collateral damage. Well, assuming they’d survived the crash.
I wanted to punch myself for tempting fate when Alexander’s less sensitive ears heard the approaching vehicles and realized he wouldn’t be able to kill me after all. His grim gaze met my much smugger one for the briefest moment. I expected him to use magic to camouflage himself so he could escape before the cavalry actually arrived. Instead, that asshole fired up one final blast of Radiant energy and shot it not at me—but straight toward the limousine full of helpless victims.
* * *
Ava
One thing Ihadn’tcounted on—but probably should have—was that Finn sidelined the limo himself before we even arrived. Something that became clear the moment we pulled onto the same block where a lone wolf snarled at a man standing between him and the stretch limo smashed against a parked truck. Relief had me grip Connor’s hand tightly when I recognized the wolf as Finn. I could only assume that at least some of the Pack guardians were still inside the limo. Hope that we might manage to arrest Alexander without anyone else getting hurt flooded my veins.
A hope that proved premature when Alexander began lobbing powerful blasts of Radiant energy at the wolf. I gasped when Finn successfully dodged each blast, but his movements grew a little slower each time. Likely thanks to the limo crash or Alexander hitting him with one of those blasts before we arrived. Probably both.
“Faster!” I couldn’t help yelling at Shea, who was happy to oblige.
I scowled, summoned energy through my Pack tethers, and shaped a Radiant Seal to thrust between Finn and Alexander’s next attack. But no sooner did I safely surround my bonded wolf with a protective barrier than his traitorous uncle whirled and flung the destructive force at the limousine instead. Far too late for me to shift the shield.
We watched in horror as a second limousine went up in flames before our eyes. Alexander had chosen his target well, hitting the fuel tank directly. Fire speared upward and outward as a loud explosion split the air. This limo was engulfed even more quickly than the first, leaving none of its occupants time to escape. I couldn’t hold back a cry of despair. How many more people would I fail to save tonight?
I could only hope that survivors had managed to crawl out on the opposite side immediately after the crash…beforeAlexander firebombed it.
Speaking of our traitor, he took advantage of our distraction and used magic to vanish.
Shea slammed on the brakes a safe distance from the inferno raging too close to Finn for my comfort. Connor leaped out of the SUV before Shea even put it in park, and I was milliseconds behind. We ran toward the dazed wolf watching the limo burn. He shook his head as if in disbelief before focusing on our arrival. And then he shifted into the familiar human shape of Finn.
Connor slapped his brother on the back and surveyed the nearby wreckage. In that moment, I only had eyes for Finn. I hadn’t expected the storm of sheer relief that swept across me. As if part of me hadn’t really thought we’d get him back in one piece. The other part was surprised to feel such strong emotion for the man who’d so harshly wounded my pride. Then again, pride was an extremely cold bedfellow.
One thing that couldneverbe said about my bonded wolves.
“You’re okay!” I couldn’t help exclaiming.
Tired brown eyes met mine with a mixture of relief and despair. “Okay enough. But the sleeping people in that limo Alexander just blew up sure as hell aren’t.”
Shea reached our trio and frowned over at the smoldering ashes. “Sleepingpeople?”
Connor’s brow shot up. “How did anyone sleep through that crash?”
Finn’s gaze was still locked on me, and we both stated the obvious, “Magic.”
I followed that up with, “Is that why you didn’t wait for us to get here before you went all wolfie? Alexander spelled everyone in the vehicle to sleep?”
“Everyone except the driver, who was working for him,” came the grim reply. “Alexander threatened to kill everyone else if I shifted to wolf form, leaving me between a rock and a hard place since he was luring us into a trap. He undoubtedly had reinforcements waiting there.”
Connor patted Finn’s back again. “You did what you had to, brother.”
Shea and I nodded in agreement, but that didn’t really comfort Finn.
“Maybe, but in the end it didn’t fucking matter. They’re all dead anyway.”
I bit my lip and reached out to take Finn’s hand. He glanced down in surprise before relaxing slightly and squeezing. My expression grew fierce. “You’renotto blame for that. Alexander would have killed them one way or another. Just like he’s already caused or at least sanctioned the deaths of so many tonight. Including my sister and your cousin. And now it’s up tousto stop him!”
