Page 24 of Tragic Ink
The sirens grew louder, drowning out the sound of my own cry and Rhys yelling my name. For a moment, everything faded, and all I saw was Ethan shuffling toward me in the half-melted snow. Soundsfaded.
When I was a foot away, I called up every ounce of magic inside me and sped up. When I collided with Ethan, instead of slamming into me or bouncing off, he melted into a thin layer of magic and ink, and by the time I blinked again, he was nothing more than an image on myarm.
Safe.
He wassafe.
Already, I could feel him gathering his energy and healing himself to become the whole creature I’d spelled when I’d createdhim.
I sank to my knees, gasping for breath and thanking whatever forces had helped me salvage at least one life from thisnight.
Behind me, somethinggrowled.
My stomach tightened as reality came crashing down around me. Thehellhound.
I twisted in time to see it lurch for me, its bloody jowls open and sharpened teeth aimed for my face. Iscreamed.
Over the hound’s head, I watched as Rhys sprinted for me. In mid-stride, he flicked his wrist, a quick back and forth that was nearly too fast to follow. Silver glinted through the air. A second later, the knife he’d held a moment ago buried itself in the back of the hound’s head. The creature let out a yelp that ended abruptly, and then it fell less than a foot from where I sat, unmoving against theleaves.
Rhys rushed over, yanking me to my feet. I leaned on him, letting him hold me tightly against his chest, stunned by how fast Rhys had moved. How ruthless and true his aim had been and how little he seemed affected by it all. Had he always been able to do that? How had I missed it? What else was he hiding? I started to ask, but the siren reached a crescendo and tires rolled overgravel.
Rhys stiffened and then grabbed my shoulders, peering down at me. “Are youhurt?”
I shook my head. “No, but Betsy andFred—”
“There’s nothing we can do now. Gwen, listen to me. Your footprints are all over that kitchen. It won’t look good.” My stomach tightened as understanding dawned. Had this been a setup? If so, I’d walked right into it. From the look on his face, Rhys knew it too. His mouth tightened at the edges. “Can yourun?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Do not go to Aelwyn’s. Run a mile west past the falls. There’s a rock peak there. Do you knowit?”
“At the base of Mt. Alexa. Yes,I—”
“Wait for me there. Hide yourself and do not make a sound. Use your familiar to guard yourself. Do not come out for anyone else,” he said quietly. “Do youunderstand?”
“Yes.”
He pressed a cold kiss to my forehead, then my lips, but the pressure was gone before I could react. He shoved me toward the trees as a car door opened and closed outfront.
“Go,” heinsisted.
I didn’t question his order. Instead, I turned and ran, letting the forest swallow me up, leaving the murdering magic I’d created behind me onceagain.
