Page 20 of When Storms Collide

“I think I have an idea where,” Kenna replied, her nose crinkling.

She was using her heightened sense of hearing and smell to investigate the surrounding area. I wondered if she could hear some of the conversations from inside the buildings we passed. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in The Shadow. I could only imagine.

“By all means, dear raven, lead the way,” Puck winked at her, motioning for her to walk ahead of him.

She rolled her eyes at him, giving him a playful shove before turning left towards the higher walls that enclosed The Shadow in its entirety. We were close to the edges of The Shadow now, and to exit, we would need to backtrack significantly. A sensation of unease settled deep within my gut at the thought. We weren’t near any of the staircases that led up or down to either side of Prins.

“And where are we going, exactly?” Saanvi asked, her brow raised at Kenna’s back.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” she replied, a coy smile playing across her lips.

Tess shot me a glance, and I shrugged. There was an awfully flirty tone to the words exchanged between Saanvi and Kenna lately, but I had always thought they were merely friends. The vibes had changed recently, and I was starting to think that was no longer the case. It made my jealousy of her when we had first met all the more laughable.

“You and your secrets,” Saanvi murmured in response, a smile lifting the corner of her mouth as her eyes glanced at her boots against the cobblestones.

I sensed another tickle on the back of my neck, as if we were being watched. I cast a glance behind us to see if we were being followed, but the narrow street behind was empty.

I turned forwards once more, shaking the thought from my head. I was anxious to find Alastir and ask our questions, then get the hell out of The Shadow. I prayed the shop worker hadn’t sent us on a wild goose chase. The only solace I had was that Puck had scared him shitless despite his initial failed attempts, and I doubted he would lie to us after that.

“Do you feel that?” Puck asked, stopping before a shop window and turning his head, eyes downcast.

“Feel what?” Tess asked, moving to his side.

“I feel like… like someone is watching us.”

My eyes darted up and down the street. “Yes.”

Ihadn’timagined it.

“I’ve felt weird since the moment we descended into The Shadow,” Tess agreed.

I nodded. The sensation was growing in intensity, as if it were a crescendo. It started off small and slow, but the strength and intensity was building within me, and my magic surged to my fingertips. I bit my lip and tried my hardest to push it back down, but a crack of thunder sounded overhead and I squeezed my eyes shut.

Shit.

“Maybe nobody heard it?” Kenna offered with a halfhearted shrug.

“Yeah, right. The Goddamn sun is out. Not a threat of clouds in the sky. Seven devils,” Puck swore, running a hand through his mess of curls.

“I’m sorry. I can’t control it…” I trailed off, shaking my head. I tried my hardest to concentrate, pushing my magic back to my core.

“I don’t like this,” Puck replied, his eyes on me. “We need to get out of here. Now. Someone knows we’re here.”

That same sensation had grown and was pronounced in my core, as if anincrediblypowerful magic wielder was nearby. As if my own magic could sense it.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Tess replied, turning back towards the way we had come.

As we spun to follow on her heels, the sensation tickling the back of my neck hit a climax. Seven men moved into the mouth of the street, one by one stalking into view. The man at the front of the pack was one that I recognized, and a breath escaped my chest as I took a step back away from them.

Kane Price.

Not only was he a member of Donika’s army, but he was Fletcher’s brother. Fletcher… who I had killed in the battle at the Prins safe house with my unbound magic. After he had slain Tyr.

I swallowed hard, taking another step backwards. We were outnumbered. Rage flickered in Kane’s gaze as he slinked forward, his steps slow and methodical. A club was held in one hand, a broadsword in the other. His men were equally well-armed, and all I had were my throwing knives and Stormslayer strapped against my thigh.

“Is this the part where we run?” Saanvi asked, her hand on her whip as she uncurled it against her side. She already had her sword gripped in her other hand.

“I would say so,” Puck replied, motioning with his head for us to take off in the opposite direction. “Let’s go.”

---