Page 92 of Woven Souls

“I shouldn’t have destroyed mine,” Kwil muses, more to himself than to anyone in particular, staring at his brothers. “It would have been nice for Jonah to wear it as a disguise.”

Both Viktor and Theo regard one another, their expressions grim. I can’t imagine what they’re thinking now. With a sigh, Theo reaches into his pocket and turns to the rest of us. He lifts the van’s keys so that everyone can see and then walks over, finds a rock and places them underneath it.

No one is leaving anyone behind. That much is certain. But if, for whatever reason, one group gets back before the other and needs to move the van, we will know where the keys are.

My heart lodges itself in my throat as Theo returns.

Our eyes meet. I don’t think, I just move. I throw myself at him and wrap my arms around his neck. Theo’s body shakes as he chuckles softly before his arms encompass me. I can feel his lips brush the top of my hair. With a hard swallow, I take a step back and then throw my arms around Viktor, who seems more surprised than he should, given the change in our dynamic. But when his arms wrap around me, he squeezes me so hard I’m sure he’s trying to weld us together. I plant a kiss on his chest, right over his heart. When he finally lets me go, I turn towards Jonah.

He doesn’t wait for me to get there.

I’m wrapped up in the warmest of hugs. His tail swings around and wraps around me, too. He buries his face in my neck, his lips brushing against my skin.

“Stay safe, beautiful,” he whispers.

My eyes water when he lets me go. Kwil steps forward and takes my hand, weaving his fingers through mine.

“Be careful, okay?” I tell them all.

Theo nods as Jonah waves his hand dismissively and says, “We’ll be in and out in no time.”

I hope that’s true.

Theo looks over at Jonah and Viktor. With a sharp nudge of his head, he orders them to move. I squeeze Kwil’s hand tight as I watch the three of them melt into the woods, sticking close to one another. I watch until I can’t see them anymore. Even when I know they’re gone, I can’t seem to move my feet. They have two miles to walk before they get to the entrance of Everlast. The three of them should be safe for the next hour or so, as long as they avoid the sentries.

The very sentries who Kwil and I will be trying to distract.

Kwil tugs on my hand.

“Come on. We can’t stay here too long, or your curse will have demons on us in no time, and we want to be closer before dealing with them,” he whispers in my ear. “They’ll be okay.”

My heart races as panic kicks in. But what if they’re not okay? How will we know? I almost call out for them to come back. They’d still hear me, I’m sure of it. Especially Viktor. But as I open my mouth to do so, an idea pops into my head.

“Hold on.” I let go of Kwil’s hand and let my power flare out. I search the woods around us.

“What are you—”

“Give me a second,” I murmur as I concentrate.

It takes me a moment, but I find what I’m looking for. The two spirits sense me the moment my power rolls over them. One minute they’re three miles south, the next they’re right in front of me. Kwil gasps as I make the older couple, who are clearly Fae, visible to him.

“Who are you?” the older man asks, frowning.

“Whatare you?” The older woman stares at Kwil with morbid fascination. When he scowls at her, the woman has the graciousness to look embarrassed.

“Good morning. My name is Willow, and this is my friend, Kwil,” I say with a smile. “And you are?”

The two glance at each other before looking back at me.

“My name is Eli, and this is my wife Brillie,” the man says. “Why did you call us here?”

“Hi, Eli and Brillie. I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.” I give them a smile. “I was wondering if you could help me with something?”

Brillie regards me suspiciously. “What do you want with us?”

I choose my words carefully. Some spirits have enough energy to cause a scene. These spirits are Fae, and if they take offense to what we’re doing, they could ruin any attempt for Theo, Viktor, and Jonah to quietly sneak into Everlast.

Kwil must be thinking along the same lines because he mutters, “Willow…”

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