Page 98 of Chosen Destiny

Miles appeared, his attention on me.

Help Bodey,I linked.I can handle her.

He nodded as the female enemy rolled over. Not wanting to give her time to collect herself, I kicked her in the side, and she crumpled.

My dagger had landed several feet away, and I searched for something closer to use as a silent weapon. The female enemy swiped at my leg and slashed through my jeans, cutting into my skin. I gritted my teeth at the sting, annoyed that I’d let her get the shot in, then bent down, grabbed a rock, and smashed it into her head.

The sickening crunch sent acid inching up my throat. I dropped the rock, not wanting to look at what I’d done. I had to survive, but I wondered if she’d been following Kel willingly or if she’d been forced into this position.

I spun in time to see Bodey slit the throat of one wolf while Miles gutted the other. With all three down, my vision blurred. I hated fighting and death, but we hadn’t chosen this.

Kel had taken this path.

Come on,Bodey linked, placing my dagger back into my hand and taking my other hand in his.We need to catch up.

Your shoulder.I reached out to look at it, noting the blood coating his sleeve.

I’ll heal. We need to focus.He cupped my cheek and kissed my lips.

Miles appeared beside me.Let’s hurry before they get into trouble. Or we do.

He was right. We were separated from everyone else.

Tapping into my wolf, I took off, following the scent of our friends. A breeze picked up as we raced through the woods, the sounds of fighting echoing around us. We soon caught up with our group since they’d been running slower for the witches, and we settled back into a rhythm with them.

We were getting worried,Samuel linked.Jack and Lucas were about to turn around.

We’re fine,I assured him, not wanting to talk long.We dealt with the three wolves chasing us.

Something cold tingled down my spine, and I turned to the right. The edge of a black dress caught my attention before it vanished behind a huge fir.

Someone was watching us.

A witch—I started, but then the ground underneath my feet began to shake. I stumbled, and my teeth rattled. Pain shot up my jaw as I tried to find steady ground.

“The magic is coming from there,” Dina exclaimed and gestured toward the hidden witch.

The ground cracked, and my legs parted on either side of the split.

Chelsea hurried over, lifting her hands. “Make the witch fall to her knees.” A gust of wind shot from Chelsea toward the witch, but something burned my right hand, which was holding the dagger.

The throbbing pain stole my breath as the ground quaked underneath me. The urge to drop the dagger was strong, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself not to give in. I moved to one side as the crack split further.

“There!” Dina shouted to a middle-aged witch on her left. “There’s another one using magic on Callie!”

I stumbled away, desperate to stop the pain. No matter where I moved, the flames followed me despite the darkness surrounding us, but soon, I found a large tree to jump behind. For a moment, I thought the fire was still hitting me, but when I glanced down, that wasn’t the case.

Bodey raced to me. He took my hand and grimaced.Babe, this is a bad burn.

Blisters were forming.I’m fine.I had to be. We hadn’t even reached the house, and I was already injured. Maybe coming here had been a bad idea, but it was too late to rethink the plan. Besides, this was better than doing nothing.

“More witches are coming!” Dina exclaimed from her spot.

I wanted to ask for numbers, but that wouldn’t matter. I linked with the royal advisors and Bodey,Let the witches fight their kind while we sneak toward the house.

It wasn’t like we wolves had a chance against the witches when they were fresh and topped off with their magic. The one person we needed to reach while we were at full health was the queen, and we couldn’t do that while hiding behind trees.

They seem to be arriving from the east,Samuel linked.

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