Page 78 of Stalked

Abigail stayed behind to stand guard until whatever lurked outside lost interest and left.

“I’m ready,” I said, stepping toward the ladder that led back up to the graveyard, but Caleb yanked on the back of my sweatshirt, pulling me toward him.

“Not that way.” He pointed to a hallway next to the training room. “Behind that door at the end of the hallway, there’s a bookshelf that has an entryway behind it, leading into a tunnel. That tunnel will lead us to the other side of Church Street and take us over to Harrington’s Antique shop.”

As we ran, Caleb told us we’d have to steal a car once we reached the tunnel’s exit. We wouldn’t last long on foot, and Joel’s portals could last for ten to fifteen minutes after they were opened. It would be too risky to let whatever was out there follow us through the portal and catch us off guard.

Once we reached the end of the tunnel, we spotted a gray SUV across from a bar on the other side of the antique shop. It was right after four in the morning, so someone must have had too much to drink and got another ride home.

Lily placed her hand on top of the car, closed her eyes, and recited a spell. The car unlocked and automatically started up.

A little Winchester magic, thanks to my grandfather.

“I honestly didn’t think that would work. It’s been a while.” She smiled with pride. She’d definitely missed using her magic.

We pulled out onto the road and headed west. We needed to get whatever was following us away from the safe house, so Shannon and Abigail would be safe. It was still very early in the morning, so there weren’t any people on the road yet.

“We don’t even have a plan,” I huffed, feeling increasingly incompetent to fight against our enemies.

Caleb poked his head out of the left passenger window, searching for whatever was following us. “Well, the plan is to kill it, whateveritis, that’s tailing us,” he said.

“We’ve got this, Mercy. Have a little faith, kiddo,” Joel said as Lily pressed her foot hard on the pedal.

“Can you still smell it?” Amber asked Riley.

He sniffed the air. “I’m not sure anymore. What I smell now wasn’t what I smelled at the safe house,” he explained. “It smellsalmostlike a bird this time, maybe? I’m still trying to figure out these new senses of mine.”

Lily sped up again to about ninety miles per hour. Whatever creature was following us was foreign to the newly formed wolf pack, and they were fast.

“I think it’s behind us, guys,” Lily said while looking in the rearview mirror. We heard a high-pitched whistle above us as an enormous bird came crashing into the windshield, smashing the glass with large talons. Lily slammed on the brakes. Glass shattered all around us. She quickly pulled over on the side of the road and turned toward the back seat. “We can’t outrun it. Get ready to fight,” she said.

CHAPTER 23

I LOOKED THROUGHthe shattered windshield as an abnormally large eagle soared upward. Seconds later, the animal circled around the car and started a nosedive toward us. That time, it crashed through the window on Riley’s side and began pecking at his arm. Riley didn’t flinch, but he screamed angrily and punched at the bird, forcing it back outside. Joel moved to the side as Riley and Amber jumped out of the car and ran toward the eagle.

Before they could react, the eagle grabbed hold of my hoodie through the broken window. I screamed for it to stop and hit it several times on the head, but it latched on, unbothered by my blows. Caleb grabbed my right arm from the front seat while Riley snatched the bird’s tail and pulled it off me. The bird flew back up in the air as Riley lost his grip on it.

We heard a loud grumble from behind the car. When I turned to look out the rear window, I spotted Amber on all fours, her canine teeth sparkling in the glow of the streetlights. Riley scrambled after her, taking off his shirt and pants as quickly as he could before he dropped to his knees, joining her. He gritted his teeth as he arched his back like a frightened cat. His spine was visible against his skin. Coarse hair follicles rose tall, and his face pulled forward, forming a long muzzle. The transition into his wolf form was much faster than I’d seen in movies. The good thing was that he didn’t appear to be in pain, but the transformation left me shaken.

Whoa.

With so much going on, I didn’t even realize that Caleb, Joel, and Lily were out of the car. Caleb threw a ball of flames at the massive bird as it came back down. Lily used her powers to accelerate the flame faster in its path, but the eagle dodged the flame, flying back to the car and grabbed me tightly again, digging its claws into my shoulder.

“Son of a bitch!” I screamed. The bird dragged me out the window and onto the road. I could feel shards of glass slice into my legs, and I lifted my hands and released my energy force toward the bird, hoping it would injure it enough to back off. The green energy knocked it to the ground, with its feathers scattering around the street. But it recovered within seconds and began beating its wings, my shoulder firmly in its massive talons.

Joel ran from behind the car toward me. “I think I know what this thing is, guys.”

“Shapeshifter?” I heard Lily respond. Riley swiftly ran toward us and leaped at the eagle’s throat. His teeth glistened as they barely missed the thick cowl of feathers. The eagle was gaining altitude as it yanked me off the ground.

The eagle pulled me higher and higher into the air. I tried to hit it again with magic, but I couldn’t concentrate enough to pull up any energy. Desperate, I grabbed its legs and pulled its talons apart using my heightened strength, causing it to screech and finally release me. I landed hard on the ground next to the car, and Lily and Caleb were immediately by my side.

“So that isn’t just an enraged bird?” I asked, panic rising in my voice.

“That creature will be back!” Joel shouted. “We have to move?, now!”

“Joel, I think you should teleport us somewhere if you have the strength. If it follows us, so be it,” Lily said while trying to catch her breath. “We at least know what to look for if it hitches a ride.”

Amber and Riley joined us, and everyone formed a protective circle around me. I looked at Lily, then at Caleb, who peered up at the fading night sky with his hands open, creating a new ball of fire on his palm. He searched for the bird with such intensity—waiting for it to come back down.

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