Hidden Fate

35

The Explorer dropped behind us, the woman focusing forward, and we barreled toward a split in the highway.

Which vehicle is it? Thorn leaned over the space between our two captain’s chairs to look out my window.

Just as he did, the interstate split, and the woman turned east, opposite where we were headed.

My body sagged as anxiety melted away. Although we weren’t out of danger, I was relieved that another warrior wasn’t following us. She went east instead of west. It was a false alarm.

More restlessness swirled through our connection.

Do you see something? I asked, anxiety clawing in my chest again. Wow, that peace had been short-lived. Thorn didn’t freak out unless he thought we were under direct threat.

No, he answered as he released my hand and rubbed his legs. That’s the problem. I’d expected us to spot at least one more car by now.

I scanned the interstate again. A white truck and a blue SUV caught my attention. They’d been near us for a while and had split west with us, but nothing seemed suspicious about the vehicles.

He clucked his tongue. Maybe we’re being followed, but they have a tracker on Uther’s vehicle so they’re staying far behind. They might suspect we have our own backup.

That was something I hadn’t considered, and the strategy had Drake written all over it. Luckily, we were leading them into a public section of woods. We need to call Hydra so she knows what we’re up against.

Thorn nodded and filled in Cassidy. Once again, she called Hydra, and Thorn voiced his concerns. When the call ended, we settled into silence.

All too soon, we neared the parking lot in the woods where we’d planned to meet. If dragons came, we’d have the forest to cover us since there was no overnight camping in the area.

Hydra had called ten minutes ago to confirm the parking lot was empty, now that darkness was thick around us. Theron and Brenton had taken the Suburban and Mindy’s car to a nearby parking area hidden by the numerous red maples and cypress trees that were lush and green in the late spring.

Each moment we’d gotten closer, Thorn had grown twitchier, putting me on edge from our shared bond. I tried to practice my yoga breathing, but it was futile. I was too focused on watching every damn car that passed us. Yoga wasn’t just a physical technique. Emotional health was equally important, and I couldn’t find my center.

We turned down a road and switched off our headlights as Vlad and Errol’s car disappeared into the parking lot with Uther on their tail. The Tahoe slowed to a stop twenty feet away from the turn, allowing the trees to hide us, and turned off its engine, likely so that Vlad and Errol wouldn’t hear or see the vehicle.

My stomach bunched until I swore a tourniquet had been tied around it, cutting off the blood flow. They were trying to hide their presence, and what terrified me was that it might have worked if we hadn’t followed them.

“Let’s sneak up on them.” Cassidy turned off our vehicle. “Stay in the woods and hurry. We need to get there before they get out, or they could hear us.” She opened the glove box. We’d stashed three guns inside. She pulled out two and passed them back to us.

Hands shaking, I took the weapon. I didn’t know how to shoot a gun, but I could point and pull the trigger. I knew that much. When we got home, I’d need Thorn or Vlad to teach me how to shoot for real.

Cassidy and I climbed out, with Thorn following me. He murmured, “Don’t shut the door in case they opened theirs at the same time. They can’t see the open-door light, but they could hear the door shut.”

Good idea. And if we needed to rush back to the Suburban, we could jump right in without pause.

We hit the woods to the left of the Tahoe, stepping in deeply enough that the lush branches would hide us for as long as the occupants stayed in human form.

With each step I took, my heart pounded louder in my ears, and the cold metal of the gun had my skin crawling. I kept expecting them to open their doors and try to sneak behind Errol and Vlad, but no one had made a move…yet.

A few owls hooted in the distance, and a flying squirrel jumped from branch to branch right above us. When we reached the side of the Tahoe, we all took a tentative step forward, but we couldn’t make out anything through the tinted windows.

There was no telling how many warriors were in the car.

Thorn’s jaw twitched, and his anxiety peaked. My blood whooshed through me.

The driver’s door opened.

Thorn whispered so low I almost didn’t hear him, “Surprising them is our best option. On the count of three, we run and surround them.”

Another door opened, and Thorn lifted a hand, raising one finger…then two…and three.

I took off, my lungs seizing, desperate to get there before I froze.

Hand shaking, I kept the gun at my side. Holding it felt so unnatural that lifting it before I had to could be disastrous.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Cassidy run around the back of the Tahoe to the other side. I remained focused on the side closest to me.

Thorn stayed beside me, and I knew why. He could feel my emotions. He knew I didn’t feel comfortable doing this…at all.

Wings flapped overhead, and I could make out two distinct sets. I didn’t risk looking up to see who the dragons were, but they were currently my favorite people.

When the driver stepped out of the vehicle, Thorn pointed his gun at him.

“Drop your weapons. Now,” Thorn growled. “How many of you are there?”

“s**t,” the driver rasped. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to go down.”

“Yeah, we know. You wanted to get the jump on us instead.” Thorn’s jaw clenched, and his eyes flicked to the woman in the front passenger seat. “Answer me. How many people are in this vehicle?”

Saphira’s butterscotch dragon landed in front of the Tahoe, and Tyson’s maroon dragon landed behind Thorn and me. With the vehicle too close to the trees, there was no room to land on the other side next to Cassidy.

Footsteps from the parking lot ran toward us, and I heard Uther yell, “Wait! Don’t hurt them.”

He might as well not have said anything. Thorn, Cassidy, Saphira, Tyson, and I were on high alert. If the warriors had been hoping to surprise us, their attempt had been futile, and this was what they’d say.

“How many?” Thorn asked again. “This is the last time I’ll ask you.”