Page 110 of Sight of Fate

“Where are your new guests?”

He curses, and I hear him running. There’s the sound of wood splitting, then silence. “They’re gone.”

“Fuck! Try to track them. I’ll call you back.” I hang up and glance at Macklin. “The two witches we rescued from the facility are gone.”

A wolf howls in the distance, and lightning strikes the ground, which is odd given there isn’t a cloud in the sky

“I’m on it.” I take off running and leap from the roof. Charli’s scream follows me down.

Landing, I tilt my head up and see her relieved face, then take off. Racing through town, I run into Leif and several of his wolves, all headed in the same direction. Between town and Ames’ ranch, we find a burnt patch of grass and a white wolf baring its teeth at the mother and daughter I saved this morning.

Scanning the two of them, I notice little arcs of electricity circling the daughter. I subtly signal to Leif, and he dips his muzzle, silently telling his pack to fan out around us.

“You’re surrounded,” I point out, stepping toward Angeline, the mother. She jerks her head in my direction and blanches. “Give up now, and we’ll spare your lives.”

Her mouth firms, and she flicks her wrist. Fire wreaths her hands. “You think a few wolves and a vampire can take us out?” Her voice is clear and confident as she faces us.

A dark shadow appears in the night sky, and I quirk an eyebrow. “Maybe, maybe not. What about a dragon?”

Ames lands, and both mother and daughter react, throwing a volley of fire and electricity at the massive green dragon. A gross miscalculation on their part. Ames is a shadow dragon. He turns from solid to shadow in a blink, and the elements pass right through him. Returning, Ames huffs and swats a nearby burning bush with his tail.

While the two are watching Ames, I move in behind the woman and press the knife from my boot into her neck.

“Turn the electricity back on,” I order Felicity, the daughter.

Angeline shakes her head, but Felicity takes one look at me, and tears roll down her cheeks.

“I won’t lose you too,” she sobs, scrunching up her face as the electricity in her hands swirls.

Lights appear in the distance, one by one, until the entire city is lit again.

“Thank you,” I tell her. “You’re going to ride back to town with Ames, and I’m going to bring your mom, okay?” My voice is persuasive and calm, and she instantly nods.

Ames sends me a menacing glance but extends his large claw.

The little girl slides her gaze to me.

“He doesn’t have a saddle, so he’ll have to carry you,” I explain. “Step into his hand. That’s it. He’s going to close it over you, so you don’t fall out.” I motion to Ames. “Margin Street.” A secure facility that will nullify her magic.

After they take off, the wolves move closer, their blue and gold gazes locked on Angeline. “If you want to see your daughter again, I suggest you start talking.”

She bares her teeth and crosses her arms over her chest.

I lift a nonchalant shoulder and widen my stance. “The cold doesn’t bother me.”

The wolves sigh and settle on the ground.

“What will you do to us?” she asks in a tremulous voice.

“That depends on what you say.”

Chapter Forty-Four

CHARLI

Andros returns around five a.m., but Macklin and I are still up, waiting for him. He tried to get me to sleep, but I couldn’t.

“Her husband, the technowitch, disappeared on a business trip a few months ago. Oak Vale investigated, but nothing turned up. Felicity, the mom, said someone eventually reached out to her and offered to exchange her husband for a list of all the Vales and their locations. But when she demanded proof that her husband was still alive, they kidnapped her and her daughter from Oak Vale.”