Page 49 of Wicked Fate

Briar cut left onto the main road that led past town and toward the vampire mansion. I followed, tires spitting dust and tiny rocks, creating a cloud behind us.

For a second, everything went still. All we could hear was everyone’s breathing, heartbeats, and the rumble of the engine.

The oak trees thinned as the terrain changed, the shadows growing smaller as the sun continued to rise.

If the drive was any indication of what’s to come, I want everyone to know that I’m not above shrieking before being blasted to pieces.Gage popped into our heads.

Man, not funny,Xander shot back.Don’t go freaking out before we even get there. We need to keep our heads on straight.

I understood that Gage joked as a coping mechanism, but right now, I didn’t think any of us were in the mood.

Too soon,Ryker replied.Not all of us deal with stress the same way as you.

All I care about is getting that spell off Ryker,Kendric added.I don’t want them to be able to track us. I hate that we’ve informed them of everything to this point as is.

I didn’t need the alpha link to know Raven’s betrayal was making Kendric extra bitter. In fairness, we’d all been sucked in by her act, especially after that night when we’d retrieved Briar and Ryker had nearly died in the back seat of a car. She’d had all these words of wisdom about love and what was important, like she’d wanted to guide me to do what was best for me, when all she’d really wanted was to get me to trust her.We need to focus on the goal and not let our mistakes get in our way. Take our actions one at a time.

I agree.Ryker smiled tightly as we passed by the small downtown of Shadow Brook.

A few lights were on. A lot of people were getting ready to start the day.

A lump formed in my throat. We were nearing the mansion, and we wouldn’t have the dark to cover us. Getting out had taken longer than expected.

Everyone, gather your thoughts, and get ready for what lies ahead,Ryker commanded.

I couldn’t help but notice that Briar remained silent, so I linked to just her.Is everything okay?

No, not really. But I’ll be fine, I promise. I’m coming to grips with the fact that there are going to be more chances of death as we continue this fight. The explosion brought the risks to the forefront of my mind.

If only I could reassure her and vow that it would never happen, but I couldn’t. We were at war, and death would be the cost. We could beg Fate to not take any more lives, but even I understood that would be foolish.

Freedom came with a cost. History has proven that time and time again.

The town disappeared in the rearview mirror, and tension began building in my body once again. We’d be in vampire territory soon.

“Can you utilize your magic so Ember isn’t the only one who can see the shadows?” Reid asked Cassi.

“That’s not possible. I’m not even able to see them. I can just sense their magic.”

“Cassi’s magic use needs to be limited until there’s no other option.” Ryker looked over his shoulder. “The vampires have guards in place to detect magic. I know it works because they detected the cloaking spell over me.”

“Wait.” I just realized a huge issue with our plan. “Cassi mentioned that other witches may have a workaround in place to allow access for other witches, but as soon as she uses her magic, they’ll know we’re on the premises.” The fact that I hadn’t considered that until now made me want to scream.

“Then we’ll need to move quickly.” Sun fidgeted in her seat. “Because our plan stays the same. We’ve got to get that witch to remove the spell from Ryker.”

Kendric, tell Briar where to park and enter to get us to the prison faster,Ryker linked.We need to move in and out quickly because they probably know we’re coming, and they’ll sense Cassi’s magic.

Got it,he replied.

Soon, the familiar woods that marked the queen’s territory appeared. My stomach roiled. This was going to be messy. I could only hope that our small group could get in and out without detection.

We drove past the road we’d normally take to the mansion and headed toward the other end of the land.

My heartbeat quickened. This would probably turn out abysmally.

Soon, Briar pulled onto a grassy shoulder and parked. I followed suit, pulling up behind her.

We all climbed from the cars, and I glanced upward to see the fading signs of sunrise. Morning had started pushing through, and the air felt wrong—thick and sharp—like it knew what was coming.

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