Page 33 of Rogue Witch

“You couldn’t stay out of things, could you?” the shifter says in a slow drawl. “Some things never change.”

“What?” I frown. “That wolf bit your shoulder. Where’s the wound?”

Another wolf’s howl reaches us, then another, and another and, quickly, too many to count.

“I’m a quick healer.” He glances over his shoulder, then starts toward me. “Let’s get out of here.”

I start to ask how he plans on going anywhere so gloriously naked when he shifts into wolf form and lands on his forepaws with practiced grace. An instant later, he reaches my side.

I narrow my eyes. “So, you were giving me dirty looks earlier.”

He whoofs.

I figure that’s a strong affirmative. When this is over, Mr. Wolf and I are going to have a talk. For now, I say, “We’ve got to find Jonas.”

He barks and bounds away from the howling. I hurry after him. I manage a brisk walk for about twenty minutes, until we reach the road. We stop and I scan the area. Light snow is falling. No signs of life, no footprints or tire tracks on the road. How long have I been here? I look up. The sun’s blue glow behind the clouds sits at about its zenith. What’s that, like twelve or one in the afternoon? The sun was pretty bright when I arrived. Have I really only been here a couple of hours? I would have bet on closer to twenty-four hours.

I catch sight of movement beyond the trees that line the far side of the road. The wolf sprints across the road. Someone screams. The wolf reaches the woods and races into the trees.

“Dammit,” I mutter, and run after him.

I break through the trees and slow enough to scan the forest. A blur of fur catches my attention up ahead on the left. Beyond the wolf, in a clearing, two dozen people encircle a large oak. My heart jumps into my throat. Four Shadows hover around the group. There’s something odd….

I squint. One rope is slung over a thick branch on the right side of the massive tree. A second rope is slung over another branch on the opposite side of the tree. I once saw an oak this large in Westchester. The tree is between two- and three-hundred years old.

I can’t see what the ropes are for. Too many people block my view. I creep forward.

The wolf shoots from the woods to my left, headed for the group. Some people turn toward him. I spot Ariel. Two guys to her right grip one end of the rope thrown over a branch. The other end of the rope encircles another guy’s neck.

I gasp. A hanging?

I jerk my gaze to the branch on the left, where a rope is tied around a girl’s neck.

Chelsea.

She’s gripping the rope around her neck, which is held taut by a girl and a boy who can’t be any older than her. The knot used to tie the nooses isn’t a slip knot. These are hangman’s knots with the full thirteen wraps of rope that make the noose. Where did they get rope tied in a real hangman’s noose? There would be no breaking free of those nooses.

“Ariel!” I shout. “For God’s sake, stop!”

My heart thunders. I break into a run, leap a fallen log and skid on wet, snowy leaves. I catch myself and dodge a small bush. My wolf growls and more heads turn toward him. Surprisingly, the Shadows pay him no heed. Three guys break from the group, headed toward the wolf. They stumble forward onto all fours.

Shifters.

A chant begins among the students facing the tree. “Now, now, now.”

I shoot into the clearing and the deafening roar of a large crowd drowns out the chanters as I skid to a halt. A dizzying force of magic assails me. My vision blurs as surrounding forest is replaced by a Roman coliseum’s-tiered seating. The apparition wavers like heat waves off a highway. I blink tiny snowflakes from my eyelashes and turn a full circle. The seating surrounds the clearing. How did I miss all those people when I came upon the clearing?

My wolf dodges the first of his canine attackers and the crowd’s roar makes my ears ring. The second wolf jumps in my wolf’s path and lunges for his neck. My wolf snarls and whips his head around in time to bite the wolf’s snout. Blood spurts from the attacking wolf’s jaw. My wolf bites his leg. The shifter drops to his belly, shifts back into human form, and begins dragging himself away from my wolf. My wolf whirls and charges the students. The other two wolves cut left on an intercept course.

“Hang the traitors!” shout the onlookers.

What is this? Who are all these people?

“Back up,” Ariel shouts to the students gripping the ropes.

They obey. My blood goes cold. Shadows slither across the arms of the girl and two Shadows spin around the neck of the guy. Chelsea grabs the rope above her neck and yanks. The two pulling her rope yank harder. Chelsea’s face contorts.

“No!” I shout, but they take another step backward.