Elaine POV
“We have to turn around and go back to the Blood Moon Pack. We’ll be sitting ducks if the baby’s born out of Pack territory.” The beta guard in the passenger seat had a point, but Opal needed to get to a hospital soon.
“Richie has to know about this,” Opal groaned. “His baby’s coming.”
“Trust me, he knows. That’s another reason we have to go home,” the driver said.
I nibbled on my nails. I was so anxious I could faint. That wouldn’t help Opal, though, so I went back to chanting the protection spell. I was halfway through when the SUV ahead of us swerved off the road.
Our vehicle came to a halt on the road. The car crashed into a tree, but it didn’t hit anything. My fingertips buzzed, and I knew the reason.
“Dark witches are here. We can’t stop. Go!” I ordered.
“What do we do?” the driver asked.
“Keep going. I’ll keep the witches at bay.”
I lowered the window. A branch flew off a tree and landed in front of the car. The driver successfully manoeuvred around it. Opal screamed, and I geared up to throw my first spell. I’d never battled inside a car before!
I spotted Verena in the air! She was among three other witches trying to drive us off the road.
“He’s coming fast,” Opal screeched.
“Hang in there,” I said.
I muttered a spell and thought about a whirlwind manifesting to sweep the witches away. Only one of them was caught in my trap. My feeble spells made them mad. Fire sprung from the road and blocked our path.
This wasn’t good. The SUV came to a halt.
We couldn’t go back because three witches blocked us.
“I’ll get out and distract them. Then you guys find an alternative route to the Blood Moon Pack,” I said.
“Are you insane?” Opal gasped.
I think I might be.
“You can do this. I’ll be with you when I can.” I squeezed her hand. “I love you.”
“You better be there to welcome your nephew, or I swear I’ll hate you forever.”
She couldn’t hate me if I was dead, but I wouldn’t say that,
I jumped out of the car. The witches hadn’t expected that.
“Surrendering so easily? I’m disappointed,” Verena said.
“Coming from the person who was in hiding? Where’s Lynn?”
“She’s a coward. Don’t worry about her.”
I scanned the faces of the witches in front of me.
“I’m sorry, Dove,” I told my wolf.
I pushed Dove to the back of my mind and willed my magic to take total control of me. My skin was on fire, and my hair levitated in the air. I could feel my eyes glow. If the faces the witches made were anything to go by, then I was a freaking badass right now.
“Move!”
The ground vibrated as a burst of energy blasted the witches off the road and into the forest on either side of the road. My feet left the ground. I scanned the environment for my enemies. I felt Avena’s magic in the air. She was close by. I wouldn’t stop until I had her. My magic was hungry for blood.
The SUV carrying Opal speeded away after the witches were dealt with.
My search for Avena was fuelled by rage and hatred. She poisoned me for years. She stole me from my mother and she planned to kill me several times! If that wasn’t bad enough, she refused to stay dead.
“Where are you, Avena? Don’t you want to play? We could chat about old times. Remember when you gave me poison, and I found my fated mate instead?”
The faint whimpering sounds of an injured male witch grabbed my attention.
“Avena isn’t here,” he said.
“Be stupid if you want.”
He shook his head. “She’s gone. She knows she can’t fight you like this. You’re too strong.”
I dropped to the ground. Killing him would have been too easy. A branch went through his thigh, and he lost a lot of blood. I grabbed his forehead and muttered a spell to help him heal. The branch flew out of him, and he screamed. He would be fine, though.
“Tell Avena I’ll be waiting for her. She’s been stalking me. She knows where to find me.”
He nodded and shivered. “Thank you.”
He got up and ran off.
A wolf’s howl cut into the quiet and tense atmosphere.
I breathed a sigh of relief. That sounds like a Shaw wolf.
“Azaire!”
I ran into his thick fur coat and stroked it. “You found me. Where’s Richie?”
Azaire nodded at the main road. I frowned. I couldn’t hear him because I pushed Dove away. It would take a few hours for her to come through again. Azaire motioned for me to get on his back.
I bit my bottom lip. Shifting wasn’t an option, so I guess I had no choice.
“Let’s get out of here.”