Page 35 of Stolen Oath
“It’s the Druid.” She made a face like she would rather be a prisoner than be saved by him.
A shrug was her answer to my raised eyebrow.
CHAPTER18
“Thank you for coming for us.” I told the Druid while we pushed our way through the tunnel the roots had made. “I couldn’t pass through the talismans they placed on the door and walls. For whatever reason they work against my magic.”
“They don’t have talismans protecting anything.” Damian said cryptically without turning to look at us.
“What do you mean?” speeding up my footsteps I hurried to keep up with him. My legs were much shorter so I had to work double time to keep up with the Druid.
Char was dragging her feet and pouting for some reason.
“It’s all witch magic.” Not even the steady nonjudgmental tone of his voice could’ve softened the blow.
“What?” I didn’t mean to shout so loud but I couldn’t care less who heard me.
“I don’t know what is going on here, Alaska, but that much I can guarantee you. Witch magic is set on the parameter of the grounds. Its as thick as a fog as soon as you enter pack lands.” He turned to look at me over his shoulder, the runes pulsing gently on his skin in the darkness. “I’m surprised you didn’t feel it.”
“I was too nervous to feel any…Wait a minute. Is the protection set to make you feel like you want to turn around and leave?”
“Yes, quite a strong compulsion.”
“I felt it.” I cursed under my breath for my stupidity. I should’ve known something was off. “They were waiting on us. The protection, the flowers placed on the fountain, the zombified vamps and shifters…all of it.”
“It would appear so.” He said softly not pausing in his even gait.
“Was the challenging of the alpha also planned?” Char made me jump when she spoke from next to me.
So, focused on what the Druid was telling me I didn’t hear her join us. I was grateful she did because I laced my arm through hers or I would’ve sat down. The gravity of the set up punched me square in the chest. How could we be so blind. We played straight into their hands.
“No, it was not.” Damian didn’t look back that time, his long legs eating up the ground.
“We need to go get Dimitri, too.” I rushed to tell him in case his escape route was taking us away from the mansion. “He is stuck arguing with Angela since she broke the oath when she killed her father.”
“She wouldn’t have killed him on her own, She had help. Didn’t she?” Again his tone held no accusation or judgment.
So, I shrugged although he couldn’t see me. “She did have help. And for the record I don’t regret it.” After thinking about it a second I amended the statement. “I didn’t regret it until she thought she was too tough and locked us in the basement. I would like to give her a piece of my mind now though.”
“I bet you do.” Damian chuckled good-naturedly but there was something off about the moment and it was bothering me enough to ensure the feeling wouldn’t go away.
I gripped Char’s arm tighter. “Hey, how did you figure out where we were?” My friend stiffened next to me but I ignored it. “I don’t remember Char or Dimitri mentioning they called you before we joined the party.”
“I’ve felt your magic once, Alaska. I can sense it anywhere now.” He was walking fast so we were basically jogging to keep up with him.
“Oh, okay.” I huffed, playing dumb but my mind was going avhundred miles an hour. “How convenient. You’re basically a personalized Alaska tracking device, huh?” My giggle was forced, strained and high-pitched.
“You could say that.” His low laugh sounded almost ominous firing up alarms in my head.
“Anyway, I’m really glad you could track us here.” The low light of dawn peaked in the distance and my heart jumped in my chest. “I want nothing more than to get out of here and put all of this behind us.”
Char was searching for something in her tote, her frown telling me she couldn’t find it. We were running out of time now that the exit of the tunnel was getting closer and if she had no potion that she could use it was up to me to keep us safe. Not because I didn’t trust Damian. Quite the opposite actually. After everything that happened to me the last few days I was finding it difficult to believe just my eyes.
I’d doubt I was looking at Char if my intuition told me something was off.
The hyenas and vampires, pure example of it.
“We are almost there.”
