“Magic is always surreal when you are first around it,” Amethyst said as she patted Beth on the shoulder. “But do you realize what this means? We now know where the first girl is.”
“Then, we need to get there.” We’d lost a week, which was a big deal with The Hallowed Guild searching for us.
“It’s almost eight p.m.” Aidan picked up his new phone from the table and pulled up a map. “And Clarksburg is ten and a half hours away. We need to rest and head out there first thing in the morning.”
He was right, but I hated waiting another day. “Okay, bright and early.”
“That works for me.” Beth grinned.
“You should stay here where it’s safe.” I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt. Aidan would demand to go, and honestly, I wouldn’t fight him. I needed him with me.
“Nope, I’m in this with you.” Beth winked. “Where you go I go until this whole thing is over.”
“Okay.” Even if I didn’t like it, she was a grown-up and could make her own decisions. “Then, let’s get back and get ready.”
Tomorrow, I would begin the journey fate had planned for me so long ago.
Chapter Six
Aidan
I woke up to a cold, empty bed. I glanced around, looking for Emma, but she wasn’t in the room. Fear coiled inside me. Emma?
Yeah?
Hearing her voice calmed my racing heart. Where are you?
I’m outside. She sighed through our bond. I needed a run.
The clock glowed midnight. You’re out there all alone. I jumped to my feet and climbed through the window. Yes, we should be safe here, but until all of this was over, I felt the need to be with her at all times—so I could keep her safe.
I’m fine, she tried to reassure me. I’ll be back in a few minutes.
No, I want to go with you. The last time we’d been in wolf form, we’d fought Prescott’s pack. A run did sound nice. Where are you?
I just shifted. She laughed. I tried to be sneaky.
See, you can never get away from me. I tried keeping this light because I felt how much she was struggling. She didn’t realize how damn strong she was, and I felt her fear almost constantly. That was one of the things I loved about her—she cared so much. She didn’t want to disappoint anyone.
I saw her pajamas on the ground, so I stripped down and placed mine next to hers. I let my wolf surge forward, and soon, I was on four feet. I caught her scent and raced toward her.
Her blonde wolf waited for me several feet inside the woods. Her gray eyes were dark. I hated that she carried this burden on her shoulders. You know, we could run away. I’d been thinking about it more and more lately. Yes, she might have activated the other girls, but who said she had to fulfill the prophecy? We could leave the United States and live somewhere else. She deserved to be free … to be happy … to have a chance at a life without fear.
Emma
The fact that Aidan was willing to run away with me meant so much. He was all in—as if I’d needed further proof. As nice as that sounds, we can’t do that.
Why not? His dark wolf trotted over to me, and he rubbed his face against my neck.
Because if I can stop the killing and mistreatment, then I need to stay. It’d be so easy to run away, but I would never forgive myself if I did. It would be the simple path and not the one I needed to take.
Can’t blame me for trying. His golden eyes shone brightly in the moonlight. I just want you safe, happy, and taken care of.
It was crazy how quickly our relationship had changed. I understood now why he had disappeared, especially since I was in a similar role. I’d do everything possible to keep him and the rest of my family safe, which included the witches. And I want you to be safe too … so maybe you can stay back while I go look for the girls.
Uh … hell, no. His tone was stern.
I stuck my tongue out at him, which didn’t work quite as well in wolf form. I used the words he’d only just said moments ago. Can’t blame me for trying.
Then, we took off running under the full moon.
Aidan grabbed the bag I’d packed for us off the bed and opened the bedroom door.
“Are you ready to grab something to eat and hit the road?” Aidan pressed his lips to mine.
“The longer we take, the more likely it is that The Hallowed Guild will find the girls.” Which meant we needed to get moving and fast. “So, yep, let’s get on the road.”
We walked down the hall to the living room and found four other bags near the door. I wasn’t sure why there were so many. Did Beth really need four bags’ worth of clothes?
“Emma?” Beth called from the kitchen. “Everybody’s ready to roll, and I packed you some breakfast.”
“Everybody?” I took Aidan’s hand and glanced into the kitchen.
“Hell, yeah.” Samuel entered the living room and lifted what had to be biscuits wrapped in aluminum foil. “How do you expect to get all the girls back and deal with the covens you’ll be staying with?”
I hadn’t planned on getting the local covens to help. The last thing I wanted was to put other covens at risk. “We’ll figure it out as we go.” I didn’t want to pull them away from their lives more than I already had. It didn’t seem right.
“You’ll need my help.” Amethyst pointed at Coral and Samuel. “And it wouldn’t hurt to have some backup. Make the witches feel better about … uh … you guys.”
“You mean wolves.” Aidan’s voice was hard but factual. “I take it you’re expecting the covens to shut us out.”
Beatrice entered the room with a cup of coffee. “I’m expecting you all to head into areas where The Hallowed Guild might be located.”
“Why would you say that?” It didn’t make any sense. Aidan had mentioned there were only a handful of branches throughout the United States. Why would Beatrice presume The Hallowed Guild would be located near each of the marked girls?
Sage joined us in the room and stood next to Beatrice.
Sage ran her hands through her hair. “Because the Guild split off into areas they suspected marked girls might be. The other books that were with the original witch’s diary document the last four girls who were born with the mark. We’ll be doing some research after you go. Hopefully, we can find some helpful information.”
The front door swung open, and loud footsteps pounded toward us. His auburn hair was messy as if he’d woken up moments ago, and his clothes were wrinkled.
Finn focused on Samuel, and his face was set in a deep scowl. “You turned off my alarm so I’d oversleep?”
Sage scolded her son. “You were supposed to tell him he wasn’t going.”
“I thought it’d be easier if he woke up after we’d left.” Samuel grimaced.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Finn’s jaw clenched as he glared at Beatrice. “Is this your doing?”
“Young man, you better watch yourself.” Beatrice jabbed a finger in his direction and then glowered at Samuel. “You were supposed to handle this last night.”