Page 22 of Wrongfully Magicked
The guys scatter, none of them questioning Darby as they disappear…only to return less than a minute later with bags slung over their shoulders. I feel lost and more than a little anxious at the thought of them leaving me.
I bite my lip, shifting from foot to foot, wondering if I should try to make a run for it. It would be futile but better than giving up without a fight. Just when I take a step to leave, the rest of the guys gather around me, blocking my escape.
Porter looks at Darby with an inscrutable expression on his face. “We’re taking her with us?”
Darby nods once, crowding closer, and I notice both Soren and Cassius relax. Before I can ask how we’re going to get out of here alive—and maybe ask for pants so my ass isn’t hanging out in the breeze—the guys move closer, each reaching out to grab the other’s shoulders. Darby wraps his arms around my waist, and I squeak when I find my back plastered against his chest.
I don’t have a chance to protest, the air stolen from my lungs as the shadows around the room explode outwards and I find myself free-falling in darkness.
CHAPTER SEVEN
ANITA
Afreaking shadow walker.
Who the hell are these people?
Awe and trepidation surge through me, but before I can even process what any of that means, the world forms around me in a rush of sights and sounds. My legs buckle, and Darby’s arm around my waist is the only thing keeping me upright when gravity takes hold.
Very few species have the ability to walk through shadows, and none of them have a good reputation. One who is powerful enough to take others with them through shadows? So not good.
Thoughts become irrelevant a second later when I bend forward and lose the contents of my stomach. I’m aware of the others staggering away, but they are instantly on guard, their weapons raised and magic at their fingertips.
By the time I stop heaving, my stomach aches, and I groan then glare at Porter. “A little warning next time would be nice.”
“Sure.” He shrugs, scanning our surroundings. “I’ll put that on top of my priority list and get right on that.”
Asshole.
From the way he chuckles, I’m not sure if I spoke out loud or if he’s just enjoying my misery.
A hand grabs my arm and helps steady me as I straighten.
Darby.
He oozes comfort and warmth on a winter night, and I sink into him.
Uncomfortable perving on my best friend’s brother, I force my legs to hold my weight and pull away. The last person who helped me ended up paying for it with her life, and I won’t do that to him too.
“Motion sickness.” Darby’s voice is low and soothing, despite me pulling away. “You get used to it after a while. The effects will wear off soon. It’s best to walk it off.”
I’d swear he was being kind, but that’s ridiculous. He knows the truth now, no doubt hating that he’s forced to breathe the same air as the girl who got his sister killed, and that thought hurts something deep inside me.
“Status,” Porter demands, stealthily moving away from our location when no immediate attacks follow.
Not that he relaxes. He’s in perpetual motion, his head constantly swiveling as he scans our surroundings. If I thought he was tense before our departure, it’s nothing compared to the rigid set of his shoulders now.
“The Kerringtons were coming to collect their daughter. I sent a report to the director that we were heading back out on assignment, then closed my connection to the system.” Darby remains close to me as we hustle through the dark side of town.
Dawn is just a hint on the horizon, but I recognize the run-down area, and I shiver with unease. We’re on the outskirts of the borderlands—the last stop before laws are just suggestions and magic is wild and hungry enough to consume the unwary.
Porter’s stride hitches at Darby’s news, and I’m sure he’s cursing up a storm at getting involved in the mess that is my life. Surprisingly, the expected protest to dump my ass doesn’t come. I glance at Cassius and Soren, wincing at the knowledge that they would put their lives at risk for me.
I can’t let them do it. “Thank you for getting me out, but the more time we spend together, the more my family will get suspicious. I’ll head back into town, get spotted on the cameras, then disappear. That way, you won’t be implicated in my escape.”
“No.” Soren doesn’t even look at me as he strides down the back-alley.
I can only gape after him, not realizing that I paused until Darby places a hand against my lower back to keep me moving.
