Page 79 of The Tracker's Revenge
I didn’t know yet, so I closed my eyes. With his scent of rain and pine suffusing the fabric, I was immediately steeped in his presence. Quickly, I shut everything else away, focusing on Jake and only Jake.
I felt nothing.
Shit!Thishadto work. I couldn’t go into a trance that would leave me useless to help him. My eyes sprang open and met Rosalina’s. I shook my head, feeling desperate.
“Try one more time,” she said gently. “If it doesn’t work, it’s fine. You can still find him, and Eric will go help him. Right?”
Eric nodded without hesitation.
I pressed Jake’s T-shirt to my face and inhaled deeply, squeezing my eyes shut, letting myself spiral, searching for that shimmering darkness that always welcomed me when I went into a trance.
Jake. Jake. Jake.
He was the only thought inside my head. His silver eyes, his strong shoulders and large hands, his scent, the feel of his hair between my fingers.
Where are you?
Rain and pine. Pine and rain.
And... something else, something thatwasn’tJake.
I focused on the new scent and shuddered as I recognized it, immediately aware of where I’d sensed it before. I sprang to my feet, discarding the T-shirt on top of the duffle bag.
“I know where he is. Let’s go get him.”
“Witchlights!” Rosalina exclaimed.
“Holy fuck,” Eric said at the same time.
I had no time for their amazement and ran out of the room, passing between them. I was in my Camaro, cranking the engine just seconds later.
“Hurry!” I screamed as Rosalina and Eric seemed to take forever to catch up with me. Though, they were only a few paces behind.
Eric squeezed himself in the back seat right away and used his phone to open the garage door.
Rosalina, on the other hand, veered to the back of the garage. “Give me a second,” she called out, driving my impatience over the edge.
However, she was in the passenger seat just a few beats later, carrying her trench coat and a rifle, which, apparently, she’d also stashed here. It seemed Eric’s house was quickly becoming our headquarters.
“I may need this,” she said.
I stepped on the gas, tires squealing, the scent of burnt rubber heavy in the air. Taking a sharp turn, I veered north, begging the witchlights nothing would get in the way, so we could get there in time to help Jake.
“Where is he?” Eric asked.
“There’s a cave,” I said. “Jake took Blake there. I’m certain that’s where they are.”
Neither Rosalina nor Eric questioned my certainty. MaybeIshould have wondered if I was leading us on a wild goose chase that would cost Jake his life, but I couldn’t doubt myself. Jakehadto be there. Hewouldbe there.
All the human gods must’ve been on my side as I drove my Camaro like The Road Runner on steroids. I broke more traffic laws during that twenty-minute drive than in my entire life but made it there unscathed.
By the time we approached the stretch of wooded highway, it was already dark. In the distance, I spotted two of the SUVs that had been at the funeral home, including Stephen’s Escalade. They had pulled onto the shoulder, close to the slope that led to the forest. It seemed Stephen had dismissed some of his cronies, which probably meant he’d kept the hybrids with him.
I slowed down, approaching cautiously, unsure of whether anyone would be keeping guard inside one of the vehicles. I parked a few yards away from them, on the opposite side of the road. As soon as I threw the door open, I shifted, my dress tearing to bits and falling away.
All the scents and sounds tripled in intensity, flooding my senses. The smell of dogwood trees in bloom was the strongest and rode above all others. It was what had led me here.
Suddenly, there was a mechanical whir as a window lowered in one of the SUVs. A shot rang out, missing my head by a mere breath.
