Wounded(48)

As if things couldn’t get worse.

“Hang onto each other!” I yelled, hardly looking at the two kids as I watched the hallways swell with water that would leave us no room for breathing. Alex dug his claws in around my belt as I reached out and grabbed blindly for India, who had done as I said and grabbed Kyle. She took my hand and everything blurred as the water hit us full on, sweeping us down toward the stairwell.

There was no way I could hang onto my sword and the kids, which only left me one option. I dropped my sword and reached toward the railing. The metal bit hard into my hand as the water dragged at all four of us, swirling and sucking at our bodies. If I let go, we’d be swept further into the bowels of the ship. Not an option I was going with. With everything I had, I fought the current, tried to find my footing on the stairs. Hands wrapped around me and yanked me, Alex, India, and Kyle out of the water. We gasped for air as Berget dragged all four of us upward. Booyah for a vampire’s strength.

“Hurry, we have to hurry,” she said as we stumbled up and after her. Her eyes met mine. “The boy, Simon. His ghost told me you were in trouble.”

A lump in my throat, I nodded. He’d said he would help, and he did. He’d helped to save us. Or at least, I was hoping that was the case and his efforts weren’t in vain. Then again, I realized if it hadn’t been him being demon-possessed, the black coven would have come after me. The demon prophecy said it was a Tracker who was possessed.

If between him and me, I would choose to be the one without a demon in my head.

There was no question we were running out of time. I was betting on minutes, at best, before the whole ship dropped to the bottom of the harbor. A place I really wasn’t interested in visiting.

Back in the main room, we paused for a quarter of a heartbeat before Berget led the way up the stairs. The whole boat listed without warning and my feet slid on the metal stairs. I fell back, hitting the water at the bottom of the stairs then something latched onto me, dragging me into the main room. Clenching my teeth, I kept my mouth shut, held my breath as I twisted and fought, but couldn’t get loose.

Not again.

I was done with people trying to drown me. The hands disappeared as suddenly as they’d grabbed me and I popped up. Berget was at the bottom of the stairs. I waved at her, finding my footing. It wasn’t as deep in the middle of the room with the way the boat had tipped. “I’m okay, get them out!”

Berget nodded as I started toward the stairs for a second time.

A splash from across the room snapped my head around. Something was moving in the water. And for some strange reason, I doubted it was anything good.

And both my swords were gone.

Just peachy.





Chapter 13



OPENING HIS EYES was hard, but this time he managed the feat, to see he was no longer in his wolf form. He was in a clean bed, the scent of sage and incense filling the room. Were they still at Louisa’s?

Welcome back. Blaz’s voice rippled through his head, loud and clear.

Liam put a hand to his chest, the puckered scar there proof to how close he’d come to biting the big one. “How long was I out?”

A few hours. Once the shamans patched you up, it was all good.

He had a feeling Blaz wasn’t being entirely honest, but it didn’t matter now. “What about the wolf, the woman werewolf Beauty, how did she get here?”

Apparently you connected strongly with the pack and when they felt you in trouble, they talked Faris into letting them come back to New Mexico. He opened the veil for them and they came to find you.

Liam was not certain that was a good idea. “Beauty still thinks I’m her mate, doesn’t she?”

Blaz snickered. Yeah, that’s going to be fun when Rylee shows up.

“Not funny, lizard.”

Ignoring him, Blaz just kept on laughing. It will be funny. A good laugh is something we could all use right about now.

Carefully, Liam slung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. His head spun a little, but wasn’t too bad. “Where am I? Still at Louisa’s?”

No, they moved you to another of the shaman’s for some reason. Crystal’s, I think. I didn’t argue, since they were all about healing you.

That was strange. Why wouldn’t Louisa have kept him at her place? Something tickled along his spine, a worry he couldn’t shake. Orion had infiltrated nearly every aspect of their allies, could he have gotten to the shamans, too?

Since he was already there, he knew there was something he could, and should, do before they left for London.

“I need to speak to the other guardians. Or at least speak to those we know about. If something is off, then they will know.” Eagle was gone, his blood used to shut the veil. Would the other guardians still be alive? If nothing else, they should be warned of the danger. It would give him a chance to check out the shamans too. Then he would go to London as they’d said they would.