Page 88 of Witch Unbound
I scrambled across the floor toward my furry buddy and gathered him to my naked chest.
“Wren…Buddy, please.”
He remained limp but he was warm and…was that the steady beat of his heart against my chest?
A raw sob broke from my lips. “He’s alive.” My voice cracked.
“We need to get out of here,” Ursula said. “Before more warlocks come.”
“Get me out,” Razor Smile demanded.
I’d almost forgotten about him. The lab guy who knew how to operate the controls was gone.
“Maybe I can—” Rune stepped toward the console as the mirror that had admitted the warlocks rippled.
“No!” I grabbed his arm. “Ursula.”
She pressed her hand to my shoulder.
“Jamie?”
But the specter didn’t materialize. There was no time to wait.
Please work.
This time when I made the jump, the world shattered.
Chapter Twenty-One
We landed by the knoll and my gaze immediately fell on the huge, troll-like creature lying face up on the ground with a blade sticking out of its face.
Rune rushed about searching for Lauris and Bramble, his naked form silvery-pale in the moonlight.
Ursula joined him in the search, but I didn’t trust my legs to work. My arms were locked around Wren, who was breathing easier now.
“Over here!” Ursula called out.
Rune ran past me. “Bramble!”
Bramble appeared around the side of the knoll, supported by Ursula. Her head was bloody, and her eyes were dark pools of rage. “They took Lauris.” Her attention went from Rune to me. “You’re both naked.”
“Who took Lauris?” Rune asked.
She winced in pain. “A warlock and his minions, and I think there was a revenant.” Her hand went to her head to prod the wound gingerly. “I got one in the face. They were too powerful, though. Lauris fought, but… We have to get him back.”
The mirror had shimmered as we were about to leave. Had that been the warlock and his minions with Lauris in tow?
“We need to jump back to the fortress.” I tried to stand, but my knees buckled.
Rune rushed forward to grab me and swung me into his arms along with Wren. “You’re in no condition to go back.”
“You want to leave him here?” Bramble looked at us accusingly. “We can’t do that.”
“The place could be crawling with warlocks and darklings by now,” Ursula said. “There’s only a small window of time when the tower is empty. We can’t go back. It’s too dangerous. We need to leave and come back with reinforcements. We need to tell HQ and your coven what the Order is up to.”
Bramble’s jaw set. “Fine, you go. I’m not leaving without him.”
There was a heat in her eyes, the kind I knew would be in mine if one of my guys were taken, but if she went after Lauris she was as good as dead. I couldn’t let that happen.
