Page 49 of Deadly Little Games

There was no time to wait for an answer. Gabriel was already reaching for the door, but anyone who got out was as good as dead. I gripped his arm. “No, just roll down the windows.” I looked at Crispin in the rearview mirror. “You’re going to have to hit the gas. Try not to run over any wolves.”

His features tight, he answered me with a single nod. Gabriel still hadn’t rolled down the window. The Fae had noticed us now. The wolf right in front of us launched the woman from itsbody, then it got up and ran. The woman quickly righted herself, grinning at us through the windshield. The motorcycle engines revved.

“Okay go!” I reached around Gabriel and pushed the button to lower the window as the car lurched forward.

“You’re too late, assholes!” I yelled out the window, getting everyone’s attention. “If you want to catch me you better keep up!”

Realizing our intent, the fae on motorcycles sped toward the side of the road, then looped around in the dirt, immediately giving chase the moment we passed.

“So nice of you to ensure they follow us,” Sebastian said tersely beside me over the sound of shouts and roaring engines.

“Better than leaving them to kill the wolves.” I clung to Gabriel’s arm, looking behind us as the car barreled down the dark road.

Seven lights followed us, so at least seven fae, maybe more if some rode two to a bike, which I had spotted a few. I knew Sebastian could hold his own in a fight, and Gabriel probably could too, though he had no weapon. Elena had put her bow in the trunk, and probably could barely aim right now despite her sitting stiffly in her seat, knocked right back into relative soberness.

Gabriel watched the pursuing fae. “They’ll try to run us off the road before we can reach the city.”

“I’ll try to avoid that.” Crispin gripped the steering wheel tight enough to make his knuckles go white. If we could make it to the highway, we might be all right, but the twisting mountain roads were perilous at such high speeds. If anything appeared ahead of us, we were cooked.

“Stop!”

Crispin saw what Elena was shouting about a moment later and slammed on the brakes, skidding toward a massive pine treethat had been freshly felled across the road. I was grateful for my seatbelt as my body was thrown forward. Sebastian’s hand darted in front of me, grabbing the messenger bag with Ringo inside before he could get flung into the windshield.

My blood rushed in my ears, and I could hear nothing over my pounding heart. Then I heard the motorcycle engines, and shouting all around.

Gabriel flung away his seatbelt, leaning in front of me to look at Sebastian. “Can you get her out of here?”

“I cannot travel with anyone else,” Sebastian calmly replied, handing me the bag with Ringo.

The poor little goblin trembled against me, and that was my fault too. I had brought him into this.

Crispin looked back at us. “But Eva can shift. If she’s gone, perhaps the rest of us can escape on foot.”

“Make your choices quickly,” Sebastian said. “I can only hold them off for so long.” He disappeared in a flash of black.

A moment later, one of the approaching fae screamed.

“Holy hells,” Crispin muttered. He looked at me. “You need to realm jump, Eva. You’re the one they want.”

My breath heaved out of me. He was right. They wanted me. They wouldfollowme. I shoved Ringo into Gabriel’s lap, then scooted into Sebastian’s seat, going for the door.

“Eva,” Gabriel growled. I shifted just slightly, evading his grip, then I was out in the night.

A male fairy with vibrant orange hair gelled into spikes reached for me almost instantly. I shifted enough to avoid his grip, then Sebastian was there in a flash of black. I didn’t see a blade, but suddenly the fairy was clutching his neck, blood turned black by the moonlight welling between his fingers.

“Run,” Sebastian hissed into my ear.

He didn’t have to tell me twice. I ran toward the woods, both dreading that they would follow me, and hoping they would. If Icould lead enough of them away, Sebastian could deal with the rest.

I didn’t make it far before someone else grabbed for me, then Gabriel was there, flinging a full grown fae male aside like he weighed nothing. “Go!” Gabriel grunted.

My sneakers struggled to gain traction on damp grass as I threw myself forward, sprinting toward the trees. I focused on shifting, just enough to make me difficult to grab. I wasn’t about to leave the guys completely behind, even if I could figure out how to realm jump with just a thought.

I sensed my pursuers more than I heard them. Someone was close, right at my heels. Then the earth erupted below me and I toppled head over heels. I landed hard against a tree trunk, sucking in a painful breath as I looked at the space where I’d been. A screaming female was wrapped entirely in unearthed tree roots, being crushed by their sinewy lengths.

For a moment I was stunned, remembering the vines from the Bogs, then I remembered that Crispin was technically a wizard. His magic was weaker in this realm, but not gone entirely.

I saw two more figures heading my way, neither tall enough to be one of the guys, and definitely not the right shape for Elena. I sucked in another heavy breath, got to my feet, and kept running.

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