I was already shaking my head. “No, something quiet and stealthy. We need to get by that giant without him ever waking up if we can.”
She lifted her hands, palms up. “Everything I’ve learned is destructive and rather loud. And I don’t think I could pin him” —she pointed to the sleeping giant— “down, he’s too big.”
I glanced out again toward the castle. Where we stood, we were still hidden by the trees. But the minute we stepped toward the castle, we would be in the wide open, exposed to everything across the open field.
There was no way to make this easier. The front gate was the entrance through the veil; there was no other entrance from here. We had no choice, we had to go in that way or we would have no shot at getting home. Fuck, this was not going to be easy.
“I think we’re going to have to just make a run for it.”
Liam snorted. “What happened to having a plan?”
“This is a plan, not a great one, but do you see any other way? Cause if you do, let’s hear it.”
The three of them were silent. That’s what I thought. No, it wasn’t a great plan. Shit, I knew that. But what other choice did we have?
I fingered the handle of my sword. It looked to be about a mile between us and the castle. I knew that I could run it in under ten minutes, and both Liam and Alex could outstrip my time with ease.
Pamela though, was not as fast as us.
“I’ll pack her,” Liam said, surprising me. No, really surprising me. Not because he knew what I was thinking, but because of his willingness to let Pamela so close to him.
I didn’t question him though, just nodded.
Pamela chewed on her lower lip, and Liam turned his back to her so she could climb on. This was about to get interesting.
The little witch hadn’t even climbed on his back and he was already sweating. Maybe he just needed to prove to himself that he could handle being around a witch. No, he needed to prove it to Rylee so that he could work with Pamela. Even though she was young, she was a part of Rylee’s team. A part of their pack.
Going to one knee, he crooked his finger at Pamela. Her blue eyes were full of distrust, but she drew close and put herself behind him. Her fear lay heavy on the air, sweet and cloying, and he drew it deep into his lungs, the wolf in him waking up.
Bite her. Break her neck. Taste her blood.
She hopped onto his back and he stood, grasping her legs with his hands, tight, but not crushingly so. Every scrap of control he had was going into not throwing the kid from his back and ripping her apart. Breathing slow and even, he focused on Rylee.
She watched them, her tri-colored eyes taking it all in. He gave her a small nod. There was no doubt that she could read him and see just how difficult this was for him. He could see her thoughts before she spoke them, but she could do the same to him.
With a sharp movement, she turned her back on them. In a way, it was a compliment. Rylee trusted him to take care of Pamela. Trusted him to control himself and his wolf.
“Here we go. Alex and I will lead, Liam you and Pamela stick close on our heels. Pamela don’t use any spells unless we’re in serious trouble. Got it?” Rylee pointed at each of them as she spoke.
He could feel Pamela bob her head. “Yes, I’ve got it.”
Rylee took the point position, Alex tight against her legs.
Liam adjusted his weight, tightening his hands on Pamela’s jean-clad legs. “Ready?” He asked over his shoulder.
“Yes.”
Much as he hated to admit Rylee was right, there was no other way. The castle was on open ground, without a single twig or rock to hide behind. They were just going to have to run like hell and hope that they could at least make it past the giant.
Rylee broke from cover at full speed, Alex all but glued to her side. With a few long strides, Liam had caught up to Rylee and Alex. Pamela’s fingers gripped his shoulders. “They’ve seen us already.”
Damn, this was about to get ugly. He lifted his eyes to the battlements.
The creatures roaming the castle howled and cheered, as they pointed at the foursome. Worse, the creatures pelted the sleeping giant with large rocks, bringing him to life.
The giant gave a low rumble and rolled from his side to his belly, shaking the earth. Rylee pushed harder, picked up speed, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough. Alex let out a yelp as the first arrow hit the ground right in front of him, far too close for comfort.
“Pamela,” Rylee called out and Pamela took her hands from Liam’s shoulders.
His spine itched as she called up a spell, and the wolf in him rolled upward, struggling to take control. A snarl escaped his lips and the first tingle of a shift crawled along his spine.
Let me out.