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His arms went around me, squeezing fiercely and I nearly sobbed in relief. He was solid and alive, and for a heartbeat that was all I needed. But then he pulled away. Without a word, he encircled my left wrist with a hand, then gestured to Cade, whose eyebrows had elevated nearly to his hairline. I flushed, realizing the intimacy of my actions, and tried to find a sense of shame through all my fear. Cade reached and took hold of my other wrist and through the gloom I saw their Constable tattoos flicker.
The sounds of the forest dampened and grew distant, as though we had plunged into deep water.
Derrick glanced over his shoulder. “They’ve started tracking in wolf form.”
“It was only a matter of time,” Cade said with a slow, steady breath. After a moment, he seemed to make up his mind and nodded to us. “All right, here’s the plan. You two make a run for the lake. Get to the safehouse. I’ll distract them.”
“Not even you can outrun or outfight a pack of angry werewolves,” Derrick said.
Cade brushed this off. “I said I was going to distract them, not fight them. Pay attention.” Then he nodded to the right with his chin. “The lake is that way. Best get moving, King.”
With that, Cade dropped our hands and whatever magical enchantment had been at work popped. The sound of many voices in the distance filtered into my awareness, and there was a penetrating howl somewhere behind us. Cade flashed a grin, then sprinted off in the opposite direction. I blinked after him, equal parts admiring his attitude and terrified for him.
Derrick’s grip slipped from my wrist to my hand. With an apologetic shrug and a worried glance after Cade, he turned and began leading the way deeper into the forest.
Chapter Eighteen
Derrick’s grip on my wrist became a focal point. When my lungs screamed and my heart pounded and my legs were ready to dump me onto the forest floor, his fingers wrapped securely around my wrist kept my feet going. My heart thundered in my ears and every heaving, panicked breath was so loud I could hear little else.
The pack had gone full wolf. They were on the edge of my awareness, leaping between the trees, getting closer. The forest sped by, branches tearing at any bit of clothes and skin as we raced over uneven ground. Lights bobbed in the distance, and it was only after three steps that I realized they were torchstones. Some absurd part of my mind wondered how they were carrying the stones in wolf form but that hardly mattered. They had them and the light they cast was illuminating large sections of the forest, limiting where we could go.
How far were we from the lake?
What were we supposed to do when we got there?
I tried to remember how long it had taken Derrick to open the portal in the forest, but my thoughts kept skidding back to Lord Malcolm in a pool of blood. Dead like we would be if the pack caught us. Even if we stopped and tried to warn them of the predator that killed Malcolm, wolves did not have great self-control on the best of days, as they were presently, they would not listen.
The unfairness of it made a bubble of frustration in my chest.
Focus, Nora!
I couldn’t tell if that was my internal voice or my father’s. His was often the voice that called me to order, reminding me that I was a Grayson and capable of any feat.
But I couldn’t breathe. My lungs felt strangely frozen, as though my rapid breathing had chilled them from the inside, and my chest was tight, straining to give them room to fill, and I couldn’t breathe!
I took a great, gulping breath and there was father’s voice again, gentle against the din of my terror: but you are breathing.
Inhaling again, I felt my lungs swell, felt the air as it passed inside and exhaled.
I really was breathing.
The world became clearer. Bright stars sparkled in the sky and a nearly full moon bathed the forest in soft blue light. It would have been beautiful if I wasn’t about to die.
We dodged a massive oak tree and a wolf leapt out onto the path in front of us, teeth bared and snarling. Staggering, I nearly careened into Derrick, but he dove to the left, yanking me with him. A large muzzle full of gnashing teeth snapped inches from my leg. The wolf slid past me, its claws raking across my shoes as it passed and tried to stop its momentum.
Derrick dragged me behind him, blocking me bodily from the wolf as it rose to its feet. He was panting too, but he at least had control of his faculties. He continued to walk backward, forcing me to do the same, as the wolf growled at us. Glancing back, I could see the break in the trees, the silver glimmer of moonlight on water.
We had found the lake.
Grabbing a fistful of Derrick’s shirt, I peered over his shoulder again, trying to breathe properly, to think. The enormous wolf was crouched, but it still stood nearly the same height as Derrick. Its golden eyes glittered with malice, all sinewy muscle and power behind long, bared teeth. It let out a low, terrible growl that raked up my spine.
Derrick never took his eyes off the wolf. “When I say so, run for the lake.”
I swallowed, every instinct in me wanting to run, but somehow unable to leave him there alone. “But…”
“Just do it.”
The wolf exploded into movement, leaping toward Derrick with so much ferocity and speed it blurred to the naked eye. Derrick shouted for me to run as he pushed forward to meet the creature. His shirt tore out of my grip with stinging force, and I fell back a step, scarcely able to make sense of the fight. The two collided with a blunt, meaty sound, the wolf snarling, Derrick grunting, and I reached for magic on instinct.
