Page 38 of Shadow Spirit

“I do. That bad man told me, and I believe him. I’ll use my magic,” the little girl said, stepping back and raising her hands.

Adriana could feel the room and the manacles vibrate, but Erin was not yet old enough, nor did she have enough strength, to break the spells that bound Adriana. The fact that she could get into the room and even try told Adriana that Eoghan had cast spells specific to Adriana alone. She knew Erin would never leave her just because Adriana told her to.

“Erin, I need you to do something for me. It won’t be easy, and you aren’t going to want to do it.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“You must. You are the last legacy of those who went before you. Do you think you can get away from the fortress and get to the sea below?”

“I don’t want to go without you.”

“I know, sweetie, and I know it isn’t because you are afraid for yourself. I need you to get to the beach. Greg and Colby are coming by sea. Decker and some of the other warriors are coming by land. If you can tell Colby and Greg how to get here from the beach, that will really help.”

“You’re just saying that…”

“No, I’m not. Have you seen the way down to the beach?” Erin nodded. “Is there a path?” Erin nodded again. “Then you have to go. I have only seen the way in by land. If you can show our people the way to approach from the sea, that will give us the advantage. Sometimes to protect those you love most, you have to do something you don’t want to do. This is one of those times. Do you understand? Do you think you can do what I’m asking you?”

Erin seemed to think. “Decker talked to me about patrols and how to make them the most effective…”

Adriana rolled her eyes internally, thinking, of course he did.

“And Decker told me things you could do to make things that were happening to you, less scary. So, when I realized the bad man lied to me, I started watching. He has patrols, but they aren’t heavily manned, they aren’t staggered, and the perimeter is only guarded along the interior walls. Other than the towers, there are no guards on the parapets.”

“You did so good. That’s going to be really helpful, and I don’t know that I could have told them any of that. Go now, before Eoghan finds out you’re here and figures out what a threat you are. Your people would be so proud of you, as am I.”

Erin nodded, stopped long enough to close and lock the door, and then Adriana couldn’t hear or see her any longer. She opened the link back up to Greg.

“Erin is headed your way.”

“Is she hurt?”

“Actually, she’s a tough little cookie. She’ll be able to tell you where I am, and how to breach the stronghold from the sea.”

“Why won’t you be with her?”

“We were right; Eoghan is a warlock. He’s bound me not only with silver, but with magic.”

“Try not to pull against the silver. It will burn you. It won’t kill you, but it’ll be painful. I’ll have some salve with me. Decker is going to come at them from the front. With Erin safe, our objective will be you. Hang on, sweetheart, we’re coming.”

Dampening the link, Adriana did the one thing she’d never thought she’d have to do. She waited for her fated mates to rescue her. She found that oddly comforting.

CHAPTER 18

GREG

Greg had never been as afraid as he was when he became aware of the grim reality of Adriana’s situation. Since the establishment of the mating bond, he could feel so much more of Adriana’s thoughts and emotions. She was far more frightened than she wanted him to know, and he realized it was important to her—in this moment—that he didn’t know just how scared she was.

More than anything she was afraid of O’Shea, not just of his depravity and cruelty, but the fact that he was a warlock and that he had bound her with magic. Greg was just as frightened as she was, but that fear was tempered by anger. He was furious with her; she had deliberately misled all of them in order to confront Eoghan herself. Granted, she’d wanted to protect Erin and set her free, but she should have known better. For one moment, Greg allowed himself a smile. In that moment, he was glad he was the nurturing daddy figure in her life. Decker was going to be all kinds of pissed. He didn’t envy their mate Decker’s fury.

As Colby and the men readied the boats, Greg ran to find Wordsworth. Entering the library, Greg called his name.

“Dr. Summerlin?” the owl-shifter called, scurrying out from behind the stacks. “You must be beside yourself with worry.”

“That doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

“You must think I can do something to help. Whatever it is, I will do everything I can.”

“Thank you. I need you to do some more research. O’Shea is holding Adriana. He’s got her chained to a wall with silver manacles, but he’s also used magic to bind her. We don’t have any spare witches so I need you to see what you can find out about breaking that spell. Decker is going to assault O’Shea and his men in their fortress. We’re coming in from the sea. Our only objective will be to get to Adriana. I need to know how to free her, not just from the manacles but from whatever spell he’s using to hold her there.”

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