Page 62 of Wolf Bitten

Lucy frowned, but when another plea for help pierced our ears, she sighed and released her hold. “Fine, let’s go, but if something seems off about this person needing help, you leave. You understand me?”

The fact she thought I’d listen was adorable. Nonetheless, I’d humor her. “Understood.”

When she sniffed, I knew she was checking for signs of a lie. That was the thing. I understood what she wanted, but that didn’t mean I planned to listen. Semantics, but I didn’t give a damn. I didn’t want to keep fighting while someone was in trouble and potentially outing supernaturals.

With a slight nod, the two of us took off. I expected her to pull ahead, but somehow, I kept pace beside her.

Suddenly, Raffe’s voice echoed in my head.I swear to gods, if something happens to Sky, I will lose my damn mind.

The heat of his anger and the frigid cold of his fear clashed in my chest, and I nearly tripped. I didn’t want to upset him, but I couldn’t let someone innocent get hurt either. That went against everything I stood for.

We were close to the tree line when a pained whimper reached me. It sounded exactly like the noise I’d heard the night I found a vampire feeding on a human. Not the screams but the faint sounds of agony.

My blood increased to a high fizz, which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because the vampire would attack me, and a curse because, if it was old and strong, it would be a tough adversary.

We ran into the tree line, and the presence inside me vibrated deep within my chest like never before, almost in tune with my blood.

My vision adjusted quicker than normal to the darkness of the woods. Lucy and I darted around trees in tandem. I’d expected her to run faster and leave me behind.

A quarter mile into the woods, panic dug its sharp claws into my chest. How in the hell had I heard the scream and whimpers from this far away? It shouldn’t have been possible.

Somethingwasoff.

“Lucy,” I panted, though I wasn’t out of breath yet.

Athwack,followed by a loud groan, was my response. I dug my feet into the ground and turned to find Lucy on her back, rubbing her forehead as she rolled to her feet and stood.

“Are you okay?” The only thing she could have run into was one of the two firs that were close together, but they had enough space between them for her to run through the middle of them.

She shook her head. “Yeah. It’s just weird. It’s like I ran intonothing.” She headed in my direction but slower, with her hands in front of her. Four feet away, she stopped in her tracks.

Her eyes widened. “Sky, come back herenow. There’s a magic barrier.”

The woman could still be in trouble, but the way Lucy’s chest heaved made me listen.

Pulse thudding, I hurried toward her, but when I reached the same point, I hit the invisible wall. My body jerked back, and my forehead throbbed. At least, this time, it wasn’t my nose, like in the bunker.

Reality crashed over me. Someone or something had set a trap. I wanted to stomp and scream for being so foolish, but I hadn’t considered a trap because Lucy and I were together.

“No.” Lucy ran her fingers through her hair. “This can’t be happening. Sky, we’ve got to get you out of there.”

Fuck me.This was witch magic, and I knew someone who could help me.

Slade.

With shaky hands, I took out my phone.

“What are you doing?” Lucy hissed and smacked at the barrier like she might break it. Each time, her hand came back redder than the last.

“Calling Slade.” I tried to stay calm. If I let my emotions get the best of me, Lucy could get hurt. “He can get through this.” I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to give that information away so freely, but I wanted Lucy to know we had a way out of this. “He can help us.” I tried to be vague while letting her know all hope wasn’t lost.

“What thehell?”Lucy paled.

I flinched. “Look, I’d rather it be Raffe, but Slade is a coven member and can—”

Growls sounded from behind me.

I realized Lucy hadn’t meant Raffe.

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