Rylee Adamson: Shadowed Threads Part 7

CHAPTER 13.

THE ROAD AHEAD of us was clear, even though the further north we got the more the skies darkened with snow-filled clouds.

I had my foot jammed on the gas pedal, pus.h.i.+ng the little car as hard as I could. While I drove, I clung to Bergetas threads, feeling what she felt. Even though she was happy, joyous even, I couldnat completely push Farisa warnings away. Was he going to try and kill her, was that what head been doing, threatening her? f.u.c.k, I just didnat know. All I knew was that OaShea needed me first, and I had to go after him before anyone else.

After Farisa visit, I hadnat been able to sleep. No point in sticking around anyway. Who the h.e.l.l knew where the Beast was behind us? That, combined with my irrational fear that Faris had been telling me the truth, had stolen any chance Iad had at resting.

I eased my foot off the gas pedal as I had a literal moment of wanting to bash my head against the steering wheel. Blaming my stupidity on my sleep-deprived brain.

aWhy the f.u.c.k didnat I think of this earlier?a Letting go of Bergetas threads, I Tracked the Beast. His proximity made me suck a sharp gulp of air and hit the gas with my foot.

Less than two miles, directly behind us. Mother of G.o.d, we were up s.h.i.+t creek with holes in the boat and no f.u.c.king paddles. Between my fight with that stupid dragon, Blaz, and the few hours sleep, the Beast had gained an amazing amount of ground on us.

aAlex has to pee.a I turned to glare at the werewolf. aYou have to hold it. We canat stop.a aPeeing!a aNo, no peeing in the car!a His bottom lip stuck out and he fiddled with the window crank. aHave to pee bad.a Two miles. The Beast was two miles behind us. I Tracked OaSheaa"and felt nothing. f.u.c.k, what else could go wrong? No, I didnat want to know.

Alex was scrambling at the door handle, actually getting the door open, leaving me no choice.

I cranked the wheel over and slammed on the brakes. aPee and come back, hurry it up.a Alex fell out of the car, bounding through the deep snow drifts. Not peeing at all, just playing.

aAlex, f.u.c.king well pee or get back in the car.a I Tracked the Beast, feeling the distance between us tighten like a noose around my neck. Less than a mile and a half, closer to a single mile in the time it was taking for Alex to take a leaka"f.u.c.k, we were in trouble.

The werewolf finally c.o.c.ked a leg on a tree then bounded back to the car, tumbling in. I reached across and yanked the door shut.

Trying not to panic, I pulled back onto the road and again, put the gas pedal all the way to the floor. More and more I was regretting my asmarta decision when it came to my choice of cars. Right about now, a Porsche would be mighty handy. As it was, we were having difficulty getting the speedometer up over forty miles an hour.

I Tracked the Beast, Berget and tried to Track OaShea all at one time. The Beast came through loud and clear as he continued to gain on us. Berget was fine, same as before, and still, there was nothing from OaShea.

ad.a.m.n you, Liam. Where the f.u.c.k are you?a aFinding Boss?a aTrying, Iam trying,a I whispered, sweat trickling down my spine even with the steady stream of cool air slipping through the caras vents.

I was going to have to do a group Track, looking for a werewolf instead of OaShea in particular. I thought about the characteristics, good and bad. Loyal, blood thirsty, pack bound and wild.

Of course, the first thing that came up was Alex sitting right next to me. I pushed his Threads back and reached out further, away from him.

There, to the northeast, in the same direction Iad last felt OaShea came the hum of a werewolf, strong and clear.

Bingo.

I hung onto those three threads, did my best to ignore the Beastas, did my best to not worry about Bergetas, and headed straight for OaShea. A headache began to throb just behind my eyes, no doubt from hanging onto so many threads at the same time. s.h.i.+t, just add it to the list The next half hour pa.s.sed in a white-knuckled drive that had nothing to do with the weather or the road. Each minute that pa.s.sed, the Beast cut the distance between us down, until, in my rear view mirror, I caught glimpses of his black body just as wead round a corner. We had run out of time.

af.u.c.k, f.u.c.k!a Alex barked, excitement spilling off him. aYay! f.u.c.k! f.u.c.king rabbits?a aNo, no rabbits. Bad kitty.a The werewolf frowned. aWill?a aNot Will, bigger kitty.a The engine took that moment to splutter, to f.u.c.king splutter, when I knew it wasnat out of fuel. I pumped the gas pedal, aCome on, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you canat do this to me.a Harder, I jammed my foot up and down, begging the car to keep going. Coughing and hacking like a fifty-year smoker, the car shuddered, speed falling as it gave up the last of its life.

Oh, we were so screwed.

I jerked the wheel to the right, pulling the car over to the shoulder, made sure I had all my weapons and jumped out of the car. Alex leapt out beside me, almost pus.h.i.+ng me into traffic.

From behind us, I could feel the Beast, feel him closing the gap faster now, as if he knew we were on foot.

aLetas go.a I bolted off down the side of the highway running as fast as I could, Alex loping along easily beside me. How the h.e.l.l were we going to get out of this mess?

aBig truck!a Alex howled, pointing and dancing as a big rig with a flat deck piled high with strapped down containers came around the bend, going in our direction. The Beast was a hundred feet behind it, maybe less.

aGet on the big truck,a I yelled, and Alex wasted no time, bolting after the rig, leaping up onto the flat deck. I ran full out, arms pumping hard and fast, and I leapt toward the truck, outstretched hands just catching the edge of the flat deck. The wood splintered, old and rotten, under my hands. My legs were pulled along the pavement, dangling out behind me as the wood continued to break away.

aAlex, help!a The werewolf inched toward me, eyes glimmering with fear as he stared out behind me, whimpering. aBig, bad kitty.a aHelp me up!a I couldnat get my feet under me, and in about three seconds I was going to lose my grip. Which wasnat really my biggest problem as I could feel the Beast less than a few feet behind me, within swiping distance.

Alex reached down, his claws digging into my forearms, pinching me hard even through the leather jacket. I wrapped my hand around his forearms as he yanked me up onto the flat deck. We tumbled backward and the Beast let out a roar, the sound of it so close that I could smell his breath, the tangy scent of blood and old meat. Obviously, he hadnat been stopping to eat a probably just waiting on me.

I rolled to the side, b.u.mping into one of the containers and looked back. The Beast was not being left behind. s.h.i.+t, this was about to get ugly. aAlex, try to stay clear of him.a The werewolf whimpered again. aNo want kitty to come on big truck.a aMe neither, buddy.a Not that we had a choice in whether or not he joined us. I looked at what was strapped down on the truck. Five foot by five foot, the square wooden crates were stacked two high and were held on by thick canvas straps, three straps to each double stack of totes. There was no telling what was inside the wooden crates, they could be empty, or there could be f.u.c.king bombs inside. I was hoping for bombs.

I yanked my sword, and sliced through the canvas tie downs. aAlex, push it!a I pointed at the tote and he didnat question me, just shoved the tote off the end of the truck.

With an ease that did not bode well for me, the Beast dodged the falling tote, which exploded in shower of brilliant red ceramic tiles. Maybe the move had gained us a few seconds, a few feet, but the Beast made it up in a matter of heartbeats. So much for that idea.

We backed away from the edge of the flat deck.

aAlex no like kitties.a Yeah, I wasnat real fond of them either right at that moment.

The Beastas muscles bunched and he launched himself toward the rig, landing on the flat deck.

aAlex, hide!a I ducked in between the cargo, knowing the s.p.a.ce was small enough that the Beast couldnat get in after me. He leapt up on top of the containers, his eyes staring down at me. Huge, silver orbs, full of a sorrow that made my heart ache in response, even with the fear he inspired. He was being compelled to do this, to kill someone.

His eyes narrowed and a snarl of frustration slipped out of him, then he was clawing at the straps that held the big containers on. I slashed my sword toward the big cat, cutting through the flesh of its flank, the skin peeling open and then closing back up as I expected it would. He roared and clawed again at the heavy straps holding the cargo containers down. The containers wobbled, sliding toward one another, dangerously close to pinning me between them. I side-stepped and put myself between the next set of containers. I only had two more groupings before I was up against the cab of the truck, so this trick wasnat going to last long. s.h.i.+t, what the h.e.l.l was I going to do?

My mind raced. I knew I couldnat kill the Beast, like the other Guardians Iad met I didnat have the ability to kill them. I didnat really know if anyone did.

But could I maim him? Slow him down?

The Beastas paw swiping at the straps flicked in and out of view with each blow, giving me the only idea that I had. Timing it, I swung hard on his next swipe, my sword slicing through the bone and flesh connecting his paw to his leg. It came off cleanly, the Beast roaring with pain, a gush of blood flowing out for a brief moment before the wound closed over.

I held my breath. Would it grow back, or woulda"

The containers I hid between suddenly jerked and slammed me between them. I screamed and then could do nothing, my chest compressed between the two sets of cargo, arms pinned.

Beside me, I saw the other containers the Beast had been working at slide all to one side of the flat bed, and the truck rocked as we took a corner. Oh, f.u.c.k, this was about to get ugly.

I had to get out from between these containers. Like now.

Pus.h.i.+ng myself sideways, grimacing with the pressure on my body, feeling as if my skin was going to peel from my body, I gained a few inches toward the next set of cargo. The Beast was still here, but I didnat know what he was up to. The truck lurched again in the other direction and the containers holding me loosened up. I scrambled to get out from between them, diving to the next set of containers as the ones Iad just been between slammed together.

With no warning, the Jake brakes on the truck came on, screaming as the driver lost control of the big rig. The rig flipped as we hit a corner, and for a split second, gravity no longer held me as I floated in the air between the two containers.

A clawed hand shot out, yanking me from the death trap, and Alex jerked us both off the truck as it tumbled down the embankment. The twisted shrieks of metal competed with the roar of the beast as we sailed through the air, hitting a snow bank that seemed more gravel and dirt than snow.

There was no graceful roll. We hit the snow bank hard and our bodies flipped over it, sliding down a good ten feet before we stopped. I pushed myself to my knees and did a quick check of my weapons.

aAlex, weave got to move.a I yanked him up, running before I even really got myself balanced, feeling the bruising in my chest and legs already tightening up my muscles. I Tracked the Beast, but he stayed where he was, not moving. He was alive, but a maybe that was the trick? Maybe you had to de-limb, or detain the Guardians in order to hurt or stop them?

f.u.c.k, that would be messy. But at least it was something. Maybe.

We ran, Alex and I, deep into the forest, using the paths the local wildlife had created. The feel of the werewolf that wasnat Alex hummed in my head, closer now than ever before. Maybe OaShea had started back toward us. Not that he knew we were coming, but maybe his roving pattern had changed? But what was I going to do when I found him? Now that I was this close, I had to figure out a plan. I still had the Beast behind me, and I had no way of holding OaShea if he was unreasonable. No way of binding him.

No time, there was just no time to even plan. I would have to deal with OaShea when we found him and hope for the best. We hopped a frozen creek, scrambled up the other side of the embankment, and emerged out onto a wide path, wide enough for a car at least, though it was covered in a thin layer of frozen snow.

A shadow of movement at the far end of the trail stopped me, stilling my mind and body.

aOaShea?a Alex lifted his nose to the breeze. aWolf.a aGood enough for me.a I jogged down the trail as fast as my stiffening body would allow, the trees around us hanging low with the frozen snow. Our breath misted out in bursts of steam in the cold air. Alex tried to bite his.

We reached the spot where Iad seen the movement, where Iad seen OaShea.

A low growl rumbled off to our right. s.h.i.+t, Iad really, really hoped that OaShea would remember a little about me. Just enough that head know we were here to help him.

aLiam, itas me, Rylee. Iam going to take you home.a I kept my voice even and as soothing as I could.

The growl eased off and a black nose emerged from the heavy underbrush followed by a grey muzzle, grey head and huge golden eyes. The werewolf stared up at me, his wolf body dwarfing Alexas by at least a hundred and fifty pounds.

Staring into his eyes, I knew only one thing.

This was not OaShea.

I yanked my sword out and slid into a crouch, holding the blade steady. aWho are you? And donat you for one f.u.c.king second try to tell me you donat understand.a The werewolf tipped its head to one side and then withdrew into the bush, disappearing as if he never had been there. I glanced at Alex, not wanting to take my eyes from the werewolf in front of me. Alexas eyes were wide and he pointed with one claw at the bush. aOld man wolf. Not Boss.a His explanation was a little belated, since Iad already figured out it wasnat OaShea.

There was a rustle in the bush, the sounds of a personas steps cracking branches underfoot as a tall, grey-haired man emerged from where the wolf had peered only moments before. aYou must be his mate, yes?a At first I thought he meant Alex. aNo, Iam not Alexas mate.a aRylee is Alexas Boss,a Alex said, his tongue lolling out as he grinned up at the grey-haired man.

aAnd she shall teach the submissive to stand.a He murmured, smiling at me. aNo, I meant the black wolf who hunts the witches. He is your mate. He waits for you.a Chills swept through me, my body twitching with the desire to run after OaShea. I couldnat deny it, we were bound, he and I, had been for years.

aYes, I am.a aI am Peter. Your mate waits for you in the north, near the wolf stone. The witches are almost on him, you must hurry.a I slid my sword back into its sheath, Tracked the Beast and found with a sigh of relief that he hadnat yet stirred from where wead left him. He must have been pinned under the rig. Yay for big-a.s.s trucks.

aYeah, thatas the plan. How far is this wolf stone?a aTwenty-five miles northeast. Stay on this path, it will take you most of the way there.a His golden eyes traced over my body. aAnd when you are ready to know the truth behind him, come back to me. I will share with you the legend of what he is becoming.a With those words, he melted back into the bush, without a sound.

I spun and ran down the path, grateful at least that we wouldnat be slogging through the forest. The legend of what OaShea was becoming? Wasnat he just a werewolf?

What was I missing?

I shook it off, no point in freaking out about something that I wasnat sure would even matter in a few hours. Twenty-five miles, the Beast on my a.s.s, OaShea dealing with witches. All bad, so very, very bad. And we were running straight toward it with open eyes.

CHAPTER 14.

SWEAT STUNG MY eyes, the run taking more out of me than I thought it would have. The combination of lined pants, slippery footing, and packing all my weapons made the distance seem twice as far, regardless of all the training I did. The day was waning, and I knew that we were getting close to sunset. Close to Bergetas supposed death sentence. Still, though, her threads were sweet and happy. Vibrant and without fear, not even that small glimmer of uncertainty Iad felt earlier. She was fine. Faris was a f.u.c.king liar.

I sent a thread out to Track a werewolf, again pus.h.i.+ng the feel of Alex aside. There were three ways I was being pulled. To the north and then there were two werewolves to the east.

OaShea was being hunted by witches though. I Tracked for a group of witches and hit a bingo. They surrounded one of the werewolves to the east of me. The path didnat take us that way, so I jogged into the bush, pus.h.i.+ng my way through the dense foliage. Alex helped, breaking branches with his paws and mouth with a vigor that told me he had no idea this was a salvage.

aYou having fun, buddy?a I panted, hopping over a downed log.

Alex leapt it beside me, curling his paws tight to his body, as if he were an Olympic jumping horse.

aAlex funny!a He bolted ahead, tucking his tail under his b.u.t.t and scooting around in a mad dash. Yeah, he didnat have a clue.

aAlex, this is serious.a I could feel the witches, and they were less than a quarter mile away. The werewolf I was Tracking, the one that had to be OaShea, was full of rage and bloodl.u.s.t. And maybe even a little bit of fear. s.h.i.+t.

aAlex, OaShea is in trouble. Witches, like Milly, are going to kill him. We have to stop them. Got it?a Alexas eyes went wide, and he shook his head. aNo kill Boss.a After that, he stayed close to me, peering into the woods, c.o.c.king his head from time to time. Once focused, he was actually pretty good back up. The deal was just trying to get him to focus.

aRylee, Alex hears.a He grabbed at my leg, slowing me down.

aWhat?a aBad witches. Talking bad to Boss.a I let out a slow breath, running my hands over my weapons, the comfort of having them easing some of my anxiety. I had to a.s.sume these witches we were going to be facing would know about my Immunity. So we had to take care of them fast. I could still so easily feel the crunch of cannon b.a.l.l.s slamming into my body from the last time Iad been attacked by a group of witches. Rather unpleasant all around and not something I was keen to repeat.

I pulled my crossbow from my back and slid a bolt into the channel. More and more, this was turning out to be the best addition to my repertoire in a long time. We crept the last two hundred feet until we reached a clearing that sat on the edge of a frozen creek, a huge stone jammed into the middle of the ground. It did look like the nose of a wolf tipped to howl at the moon, the base of the neck buried into the ground. Around the stone stood four witches, and two more lay still on the ground, the snow around them bright crimson instead of white.

A ma.s.sive black wolf stood with his back to the stone, hackles standing up, pale golden eyes narrowed, and a deep snarl erupting from his mouth in a continuous stream as spit dripped off his canines. s.h.i.+t, he was intimidating, and Iad been dealing with the Beast for the last few days.

I Tracked OaShea and felt the faintest of flickers now that we were this close to him. His eyes drifted to mine, and I gave him the slightest of nods. I lifted the crossbow, aimed at the closest witchas head and pulled the trigger. The witch dropped without a sound, giving me a chance to reload and shoot a second witch in the base of the neck. That one, a woman, gave a gurgled screech and went down to her knees with a thump. The remaining witches, two men, spun toward me. I lowered the crossbow and pulled my swords free.

aYou have a choice, you can either leave now and I wonat gut you like the f.u.c.kers you are, or you can stay and Iall feed whatas left of you to my boys.a Alex hopped around beside me, claws scrabbling on the frozen ground. aWitchy f.u.c.kers.a They said nothing, just raised their hands. The snow from the trees and the ground lifted into a swirling vortex, effectively blinding me.

aTricky, very tricky,a I grumbled.

I went to my belly, flattening myself out as lightning danced amongst the vortex. Alex mimicked me, army crawling forward. aFollow Alex.a We s.h.i.+mmied along the ground and Alex led me to the first witch. From my belly, I slashed upward, my blade sliding into his groin, slicing his leg three quarters of the way off. He fell backwards, and the swirling vortex faded as he screamed for help from his friend in what sounded like French. I crawled the few feet up and over him, driving my sword through his heart, silencing his screams.

The swirling snow fell still, and the last witch standing stared around him. His eyes were not wide with fear as Iad thought. They were full of rage. He screamed a death spell at us, and I rolled over Alex to take the brunt of it, feeling the black aura dissipate over my skin. I stood up, gave the witch a smile.

aYou done?a aWhat are you?a His accent was heavy, laden with deep French undertones.

aDoes it matter? Youare trying to kill my wolf. Which puts you in a p.i.s.s-poor position when it comes to us getting along.a I stepped toward him and he stepped back.

aI may leave, but I will come backa"a OaShea hit him from behind, teeth snapping closed over the screaming witchas neck. There was the sharp snap of bones breaking, and silence reigned. OaShea dropped the witch, then glared up at me. Very slowly, he backed away. I Tracked him, felt nothing that was OaShea.

What if Milly had been telling me the truth? What if OaShea was completely gone?

aLiam.a I went to my knees and reached out to him. aLiam, please.a He snarled at me, and then the snarl left his lips as his nose lifted to the breeze. From my knees, he stood over me, dwarfing me with his bulk, his black fur rippling in the wind.

With no response to me, he spun and loped away, back into the forest.

I bowed my head, fought the loss that kept me on my knees.

The cold seeped into me, even through my lined pants, but I didnat move. I knew the Beast was on the move again; we maybe had half an hour before he was on us. Maybe.