Page 14 of These Dangerous Fates

A crash sounds behind us, followed by a growl and someone screaming. Malakai sighs and slides one arm around my back and the other behind my legs. Stabbing pain flares in my torso from Sam’s brutal beating as he effortlessly picks me up. I barely contain my wince as I reflexively wrap shaking arms around his neck and cling to him like a spider monkey when he leans out the window. Nothing but his arms are preventing me from falling to my death.

“Ready, Cade.”

I flinch again as purple bands of magic surround me. Waiting for the bite of pain that always came with Sam’s, I barely notice as Malakai pries my arms away and he leans back inside, leaving me to the fate of Cade’s magic. There is no pain, though, only a soft warmth and gentle buzz of electricity that zips across my skin. Still, I whimper and squeeze my eyes shut tight as I’m lowered to the ground.

I keep my eyes closed until I feel arms around me again—the touch causing my breath to catch—and the magic dissipates. Even with my feet on solid ground, I can’t stop the trembling running through my body. It’s only when I look up into the stunning violet eyes of Cade Campbell that the shaking stops, something calming crawling under my skin and easing my fears. I could happily get lost in those swirling purple irises.

The soft thump of Malakai landing next to me pulls my gaze from Cade’s, and I turn my head to see the vampire stand smoothly from a crouch. He tosses me a black hoodie. “Put this on. That white shirt is too noticeable in the dark.” He slaps his thigh and snaps his fingers. “And your phone. We need to leave it here so you can’t be tracked.”

Leave my phone? Fear trickles through me. I will be completely at their mercy. But truthfully, who would come save me, anyway? Taking a deep breath, I pull my phone out of the pocket of my leggings and hand it to Malakai, watching it quickly disappear as he tosses it into the bushes. I stare at the bushes for a second longer, heart beating an erratic rhythm as I try to wrap my mind around what’s happening. My only lifeline, tossed away like it was nothing.

Malakai motions to the hoodie I’m holding in my numb fingers, and I pull it over my white shirt and push down the fear. Instantly, I get a whiff of spice and cherries that make my heart flutter in my chest, calming the pounding just slightly. The hoodie is huge and falls almost to my knees. The sleeves end well past my hands and I have to quickly roll them up. Malakai’s gaze roams over my body and I’m glad I wore olive green leggings. I’m not about to strip out of my pants for these guys. I must pass his inspection, because he grabs my hand and drags me through the backyard.

“We’re out,” Malakai says, pressing on his earpiece with his free hand.

I glance at Cade and see him keeping pace with my bag thrown over his shoulder. We’re halfway to the back fence when a silver wolf charges past like a streak of moonlight through the darkness. I screech, and if it weren’t for Malakai tugging me along with him, I’d surely have frozen in place.

“Shh,” Malakai hisses, slapping his hand over my mouth. “It’s just Sterling. He’s scouting ahead.”

Of course, if Malakai and Cade are here, Sterling Harrison would be as well. I wrack my brain of everything I can think of regarding the Triad as they drag me through the darkness to an unknown location. Of the three, I know Malakai is the most dangerous. He is known to have murdered people and, of course, gotten away with it because of who he is. And as a vampire, he has special abilities, such as speed, strength, and compulsion. However, he also has a few extra abilities, which is rare for a vampire—empath and dream manipulation, being his strongest two.

Cade is a mage, and I know he works for my dad in some capacity. He is rumored to be one of the strongest mages of his time, with a rare violet magic. Sterling is the one I know the least about. A wolf shifter who doesn’t have a pack. Not a lot of info to use against these three as they abduct me. With my mind focused on everything else, I completely lose track of my surroundings and I stumble over a branch. I curse, free arm pinwheeling as I try to regain my balance.

“Careful,” Malakai mutters, as he steadies me with an arm around my waist. “Cade, make sure we didn’t leave any sort of trail.”

Our pace slows as we approach the massive stone wall surrounding the property. Cade stops and turns to face the way we came, raising his hands and letting a blast of purple light fan forth, erasing all tracks and scents.

“Up and over,” Malakai indicates with a nod toward the gray stone wall.

Before I can remind him of my lack of supernatural abilities, violet magic wraps around me again and lifts me up. I swear I hear Cade’s breath catch and feel the pressure around my middle loosen slightly, but that could just be my imagination. My memory conjures up pictures of green bands burning my skin. Nausea climbs up my throat and I have to physically hold back my whimper, even though these bands don’t hurt. In my fear, I barely notice Sterling jumping, massive paws landing on the top of the wall. He propels himself forward in one smooth motion and lands effortlessly on the ground on the other side.

Malakai follows in a single jump, clearing the top and landing in a crouch next to Sterling, who quickly takes off at a loping run through the forest behind the property. I’m lowered into Malakai’s arms and Cade follows, his magic lifting and lowering him just like it did me. My hand is sweaty in Malakai’s and it’s only partially due to the heat. Nerves are wreaking havoc on me, making me nauseous, jittery, and dizzy.

The night is hot. Even with the sun down, the temperature is scorching. I’m sweating under the hoodie Malakai gave me, and I’m grateful I wrangled my hair into a bun on top of my head. Still, random escaped curls are plastered to my forehead and neck. The crescent moon provides little light, and with my human eyes, I can barely see where we’re going in the darkness. Trees pop up out of nowhere and I stumble and trip frequently, making me rely on Malakai to keep from falling.

The guys set a punishing pace, and it doesn’t take long before we clear the forest. The cliffs ahead of us with the panoramic ocean view is one I know well. My sister and I used to come here when we were kids trying to hide from our parents. I haven’t been here since my sister died ten years ago. My heart stutters in my chest and I feel the telltale sign of tears stinging my lashes, but I blink them away. These guys don’t need the waterworks.

We approach the edge of the cliffs and the sound of waves crashing far below echoes in my memories. If I close my eyes, I can almost picture Gracie here with me, brown curls a tangled mess around her face. The wind blows warmly, only slightly cooling my overheated skin, and whipping my own curls on my head.

“Where is the path, Sterling?” Malakai walks along the edge, peering over.

I stumble to a stop. He can’t be serious. We’re going to climb down the face of the cliffs? Are they trying to kill me?

Sterling whines a little ahead of us, and we make our way to him. The giant wolf takes a step off the edge and I gasp. He doesn’t fall, though. Instead, he takes another and another until he disappears from sight. Leaning over the edge, I see him picking his way carefully along a small path worn into the edge. One wrong step and he’ll tumble to his death.

I’m already shaking when Malakai tugs me to the narrow path and takes a step down. I reluctantly follow, instantly turning to face the wall when he releases my hand to plaster myself against the rough stone in front of me with my fingers grasping for any kind of purchase. My heart thunders in my chest as I inch my way along, following Malakai who is facing away from the wall with a crazed smile on his face. Of course, he has nothing to fear. Unless a rock shard pierces his heart or skull, he’d survive the fall. I, on the hand, would splatter like a cracked egg as I bounced my way down the cliffside. The image is all too realistic and I freeze, unable to move one more inch. If I shake any harder, I’ll slip and fall.

This is it. This is how I die.

A warm pressure settles across my back. I turn my head to see Cade carefully shuffling along the ledge behind me. He gives me a small, encouraging smile. The warm pressure on my back is his magic gently pressing against me to keep me from falling. For the moment, I forget my fear of his magic. I’m just grateful for the extra safety net. I pry my tongue from the roof of my mouth and take a deep breath to relax my muscles. Turning forward again, I keep inching along, the safety of Cade’s magic calming me. Rocks and pebbles slide loose from under our feet, endlessly bounding down the cliffside, and I have to force myself to tune them out or I’ll freeze up again.

The path switchbacks multiple times along the way. My calves and hamstrings are burning by the time it opens up onto a larger ledge. I gracelessly sink to the ground and rest my forehead against the dirt to catch my breath.

“Come on,” Malakai says, as he pulls me to my feet. “We need to stay hidden.”

I glance up and see a cave before me. The dark mouth opening to pitch black nothingness. Sterling lopes ahead, and his silvery pelt is quickly swallowed in the gloom. I balk, but Malakai pushes me forward.

“Once we are far enough in, we can get out the flashlights.” His voice echoes all around us.

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