Page 6 of Wicked Fate

“There’s something near,” the vampire muttered as leaves crunched a little closer than before. “Do you smell that?”

Shit.

With barely a twitch, I dropped lower, letting the mulch press into my belly. If they caught me, I’d be dead. They could run faster than I could, so my best option was to try to hide to the best of my ability and attack them by surprise.

My lungs screamed for air, but I didn’t dare inhale. Not yet.

Another vampire grunted. “Yeah. I caught it too. It’s... odd.”

My pulse thundered in my ears. Maybe, miraculously, it wasn’t me they smelled.Please tell me you five stopped.The last thing I needed was for the vampires to be smelling them.

“It’s something floral but unfamiliar,” the first one said again. “It smells wrong. Like it doesn’t belong.”

My skin prickled with heat and cold all at once. I suspected I knew the scent they were referring to. My fur rose as if the comment alone had brought on the sensation of being watched.

Bella, the final of Queen Ambrosia’s most trusted three guards, interjected, “That scent—it's the same one from when the barrier formed.”

A beat of silence.

My lungs screamed, and my body felt heavy.

What’s going on?Briar linked.

Just stay put. Don’t come any closer. They smell something, but it’s not me. I’ll let you know if that changes.

“Yeah,” the first vampire said slowly. “That’s it. That strange vibration in the air. The scent comes with it, same as when it happened in the Shae pack territory.”

“We need to leave.” Martin’s voice sounded urgent. “If the magic’s building again—if it’s coming back—”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all,” Raven hissed. “Now let’s go.”

Still no movement. None of the guards were listening to Raven.

“We can’t risk attacking again until we gather more information.” Lucinda’s tone had turned ice-cold. “Everyone, get in the vehicles and move out.”

Now, rushed footsteps retreated.

Car doors shut, and vehicles started. Still, it could be a trap. One I refused to be caught in.

Is everything okay?Briar linked.Ryker is about to head toward you.

Most, if not all, have left. I’m making sure none stayed behind before heading back. Tell him if he comes now, he could cause me to be attacked because they’d find me on the way to head him off.Even though I was playing dirty, knowing that was the best way to ensure he didn’t come, it wasn’t a lie. The tingling sensation of being watched increased, but its source was behind me, not in front of me.

I slowly turned my head, making sure I made no sound, and waited, not confident that I was truly alone.

My chest finally rose, shallow, sharp. Air scraped into my lungs, filling them, while my legs protested the tension and my injured muscles pulled tight like a bowstring too long drawn.

The vampire scents faded, and there were no sounds of footsteps or vehicles to indicate they were still near.

The strange, haunting floral scent that didn’t seem of this world drifted to me. It was the same scent I’d smelled the night that Simon had escaped.

That prickling, charged awareness of being watched deepened and sank its teeth into my spine.

For some reason, I didn’t feel threatened. The presence pulled at me like something strangely familiar.

We’re going to head your way, Ember.Briar connected, her worry and fear adding to my own and making me feel as if I were being strangled.This is taking way too long.

The warm magic inside me flickered like a warning. Somehow, I understood that the essence didn’t want them to interfere, but my wolf edged forward. I took a deep breath and agreed with her. If Briar or Ryker were in my place, I’d be going out of my mind. I couldn’t ask them to back off again.The vampires are gone, but something else is here. Tell Ryker I smell the same scent and have the same feeling of being watched like that night in the park, but this time it’s stronger.

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