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Michael came around the vehicle and grabbed my hands. “It’ll be all right, Monique. I will do anything to protect you.”
Despite the circumstances, warmth filled me. I squeezed his hand. “I know you will.”
“So, do you know any transport spells?”
“I, ah...”Did I?
“Never mind. I do.” Michael released my hands and pulled a crystal out of his pocket. He placed it on the hood of the truck. “This is a homing crystal,” he said. “Come here and rub your hand over it, and then say your name.”
I did as he asked, noting how warm the pink rock was beneath my palm.
“If we get into trouble, you just speak your name and the wordhome, use your magic, and you’ll be brought back to this spot, okay?”
I nodded, shivering. I hoped I wouldn’t need it. “That’s a great fallback position.” It would save my life, I was sure. If I was willing to abandon my men.
Michael grabbed my arms in his hands and I stared up into his dark eyes. “I agree with Kyle and Xander. You are worth dying for, and I wish I could convince you to take our baby and run to safety.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line as I clenched my jaw.
Michael snorted. “Yeah, exactly. But for the record, I hope you do run if things get too dicey.”
I patted the homing crystal once more for good measure and then said, “Let’s go.”
If things really did get to the point where I had to save my baby girl, I’d go. But not a moment before.
Michael and I began navigating our way through the woods, the air becoming thicker with smoke every minute. I coughed, then tried to clear my throat. “The town’s completely on fire, isn’t it?”
Michael nodded, walking around a large tree and moving quickly toward the billowing smoke. “My father has a flair for the dramatic, as you know. And he’s a vindictive bastard.”
I knew that far too well.
As we weaved through the brushy foliage, getting closer to the town itself, the heat of the fires became almost overwhelming. Would there be anything left of the town, after this? “I hope everyone’s okay,” I whispered.
Michael whispered back, “No-one will be okay until my father is gone.”
I wasn’t sure if he meant gone from pack lands, or dead, but I didn’t ask Michael to clarify. He would have enough horror to face either way, knowing his own parent had done this to a bunch of innocent people.
He suddenly stopped and raised his head, as if scenting the air. Like a wolf. Then he nodded. “Let’s move faster. I think I know where they are.”
I didn’t ask how he knew. Instead, I just followed in Michael’s footsteps. My heart was pounding and there was a tremor of unease running through my whole body. What the hell were we going to find when we got there?
Xander injured? Or Kyle? Or worse? Would they both be injured, or dead?
Tremors shook me as we rushed through the smoke. I felt like I was caught in a blizzard, not almost burning up next to a fire.
“Monique, are you okay?” Michael turned around to check on me just as I caught my first close-up view of the town.
“Oh my God.” Almost every roof was on fire. Men were swarming everywhere, battling the flames and the heat, covered in black soot.
Houses were crumpling, crashing down into piles of embers and ash. People were screaming. Wolves ran up and down the streets.
This was not natural fire. This was magic-driven. Insane, evil magic, wielded by a madman.
Anger unfurled inside of me. All these people. Their homes. Their lives.
“Where is he?” I asked Michael, my shaking subsiding as the heat of the fires thawed me and my anger grew.
“Do you think we should stay and help?” Michael asked, gesturing to the burning homes.
