Page 30 of Rejected Nanny Mate
The magic surge was right behind us, the rippling air seeming to bend around the trunks of the trees, the ground trembling beneath us. The closer it got, the faster and harder the pressure beat against me. It was hard to run, hard to breathe, and I could feel it affecting Gwen, too. Her pace began to slow, and she kept tripping over her own feet.
We hit the boundary of my territory, but even when we crossed, it didn't stop. Damn, so much for that idea. I looped us back around onto my land, knowing that I was stronger on my own territory. I was going to need all the strength that I could get, because it looked like fleeing might not have been enough. I could be looking down the barrel of a full-on fight.
But how did I even fight something I wasn't even sure was tangible?
And what did I do with Gwen? She couldn't fight. Not like this.
Ahead, a few miles away, I could see the lake that was nestled in the heart of my territory. An idea sprang to mind, and I raced towards it. It was a long shot, but we were running out of options, and if anything, it would buy us a little time.
When the lake came into view, I put on an extra burst of speed and ran until the ground fell away beneath my paws, and the water enveloped me. Behind me, I could sense Gwen and the surge following, and I swam as deep into the lake as I could go. The magic was a bit muffled, the pressure not nearly as overwhelming, and for a moment, I thought that I had found at least a temporary solution. Maybe water could keep us safe.
But when I turned back to find Gwen, she was a ways away, still in the shallows and swimming fast. That was whenI knew the feeling of relief wasn't caused by the water. It was because the surge was targeting Gwen, and not me.
That thought made my blood run cold.
My body was tired and sore, but adrenaline was keeping me going. I pushed myself to swim after Gwen, desperate to protect her. The magic had already caught up to her, and her panic had given her a burst of adrenaline, which kept her going, but I sensed that her strength wasn't as endless as my own.
And the thought of her dying...
I didn't let the thought go any further. Gwen was alive, and she was going to stay that way. I'd make sure of it.
The water was starting to become shallow again, the bottom rising quickly. It was time to surface and get back onto dry land. Once all four feet were on the ground again, I lowered my head and sprinted as fast as I could, passing the surge and coming up next to Gwen.
I wanted to tell her to keep going, that she was almost there. But the words were impossible to form. Instead, I had to rely on nonverbal cues, such as body language.
When her eyes met mine, they were cloudy and dazed. Her gait was beginning to falter, her sides heaving, tongue lolling. My heart broke. I knew the only thing that would help her would be a command, but there was no time.
So, I did the only thing I could think of.
I lunged, catching her scruff between my teeth and pulling her sideways, using the momentum to throw her behind us and to the side, clear of the surge, which had come within ten feet. She hit the ground and rolled, her momentum carrying her, and for a horrible moment, I wasn't sure if she would get back up.
But she did. She pushed to her feet and continued to run, the surge hot on her heels.
We raced side by side, the two of us, and the farther we ran, the more obvious it became that the magic wasn't losing its interest in her.
It was becoming fixated, and it wasn't going to give up until it caught her.
Or worse.
I was determined to make sure that neither of those things happened.
Up ahead, the river snaked across my territory. The lake had been a failure, but in the back of my mind, I recalled something I'd read about magic—that it could be stopped by running water. The lake had been still. Maybe that was why it hadn't worked.
If this didn't work, though, I had no more ideas.
I pushed myself, putting a little distance between us. When the river came into sight, I put everything I had into giving a final push. My legs burned, the muscles aching, and the sharp pain in my lungs felt like a knife.
I was so close.
My feet left the ground, and I flew through the air, landing safely on the other side. Gwen was slower, and the surge was gaining on her. Her legs were failing her, and the panic in her eyes was real.
She was not going to make it.
Jump!I thought desperately, barking at her across the river and praying she understood what I wanted. If she were only in my pack, I could have reached her through the packbonds, but no matter how protective and possessive she made me feel, Gwen was still Samson's wolf.
I barked more, frantic, running across the riverbank. When she reached the edge, Gwen braced herself, the muscles in her haunches gathering—
But then she stopped. She shook her head and slowed, her chest heaving, her breaths coming in painful, wheezing gasps. Gwen was too tired, and she was giving up.
