Page 96 of Chosen Destiny

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

I staredat the spot of dirt between two sizable firs, but no matter how many times I blinked, I didn’t see anything threatening.

“Their perimeter spell is intermittent.” Dina shook her head, standing tall. “It’s so subtle that it’s barely noticeable.”

Chelsea rubbed her arms. “I sensed a hint of magic, but I assumed it was because the coven comes out here periodically to practice their craft. How in the moon goddess did you sense it?”

Shrugging, Dina stood, holding the hem of her dress so it wouldn’t hit the spell. “I… I don’t know. It was as if the magic called to me.”

“Thank gods it did.” I moved so I could place a hand on her shoulder. “Or we’d have lost the element of surprise.” Not that we’d get much farther without alerting the guards on the perimeter run or the witches. Our time in stealth mode was running out.

“Whoa.” Jack raised his hands. “Are you telling me the witches created a minefield of perimeter magic?”

Dina bobbed her head. “That’s a good metaphor. They’ve spelled compact areas, hoping intruders will step through one and alert them without knowing it.”

“That’s badass.” Jack flinched. “And I hate that I said that, but damn, that’s sick.”

Man, sometimes it’s best not to say anything,Lucas linked with Miles, Jack, Bodey, and me.

There’s that negativity I’ve been talking about.Jack snorted.

Not wanting to hear them bicker, I cleared my throat. Samuel was lucky that Lucas couldn’t pull him into the connection. My brother hadn’t forged the same unique pack link bond the other advisors had, so he couldn’t be linked in.

“Dina, if you can sense the magic, you should take the lead.” Two days ago, I never would’ve had to make that comment, but she’d been taking a back seat since losing her magic. I wasn’t sure if it was a confidence issue or if she was trying not to step on Chelsea’s toes. Either way, I felt the need to make the request to ensure it happened.

“Of course.” She bowed her head slightly and stepped around the spelled area. “Everyone, follow me. We’re getting too close for me to speak aloud, so if I point in a direction, form a tight line and follow my steps. The closer we get, the less spread out the magic will probably be.”

No one said anything to counter her instruction, so she moved forward. She turned her head from side to side and raised her hands, searching for magic, but she didn’t say anything.

My heart pounded. We wouldn’t know when we inadvertently alerted them to our presence. I stepped closer to Bodey, using the jolt that came each time our arms brushed to steady myself.

Bodey pushed comfort into me, not saying a word. Even mind-linking could distract us, and we couldn’t lose focus on our surroundings.

The trees remained thick, and the sounds of raccoons and deer were comforting. I could almost pretend we were on a run, but the looming threat pulsed like a beacon.

Every fifty yards or so, Dina changed directions, and we all followed suit. The pattern was random, but her shifts became more frequent the closer we got to Kel’s mansion.

Dina stopped, lifting a hand. She glanced over her shoulder at Chelsea, who nodded. Then the two of them turned to us, shaking their heads and spreading their arms out.

Bodey sighed beside me as his dread floated into me.I’m assuming the whole perimeter is spelled.

As if Fate wanted to give us the middle finger, the sound of wolf paws hitting the ground on the other side filtered through.

My breath caught. That had to be Kel’s perimeter guards.

We were here. They’d know any minute, either by us walking through the perimeter or by them picking up our scent if they got close enough. The wind was blowing toward Kel’s mansion, so our scent could hit them at any second.

Remember, we stay close together,Bodey linked and placed an arm around my waist, pulling me to his side.

I closed my eyes and focused on his touch. A lump formed in my throat. I hadn’t allowed myself to think much about this moment, and I almost fell to my knees from the grief that damn near overwhelmed me. One thought kept circling inside my brain: This could be the last time we touched.

Bodey pulled Theo into our link and said,I’m counting on you to take care of my sister. If that’s not your plan, I need to know now.

There’s no one more important to me than her,Theo replied without hesitation.She promised to stay by my side.

My chest expanded. Bodey had listened to me in the car. Asking Theo to protect his sister was a huge step for him. He was giving Theo a chance to prove he was worthy, and I couldn’t have been more proud of him.

I leaned my head on Bodey’s shoulder, feeling the faint sizzle even through his shirt.

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