DianaA third attack comes without warning—a blast of dark energy that catches me across the thigh. I scream as the magic burns through flesh, and my leg gives out beneath me. I collapse to one knee, struggling to stay upright."Getting tired already?" the witch taunts. "But we're just getting started."Blood loss is making me dizzy, and the darkness seems to be closing in even more. I can feel my strength ebbing with each passing second. This is how I'm going to die—blind, bleeding, and helpless in the dark.Her footsteps approach slowly, deliberately. She's not even trying to hide her movements anymore. Why should she? I'm no threat to her like this."Any last words, little wolf?" she asks, and I can hear her raising her hand for the killing blow.I'm going to die. The thought pounds through my mind with sickening clarity. After everything I've survived, this is how it ends. I'll never see Dom again, never hold him, never—Focus, Diana.The voice cuts through my terror like a blade.
DianaI crumple to the ground."Lucky for you, this spell trap only stuns the enemy," her voice reaches me with menacing laughter. "But that serves my purpose perfectly."In my stunned state, I hazily remember our earlier conjecture that the dark witches' territory might be booby-trapped. It's the same reason we lured them out instead of storming their stronghold in the first place.It really is exactly like that.I hear her footsteps approaching, slow and deliberate. "I could end this right now," she says, her voice taking on a conversational tone that's somehow more terrifying than outright threats. "But where's the artistry in that? Death is quick, merciful even. What I want is to watch you understand exactly what despair feels like."I desperately try to back away, but I'm too dizzy. I manage to get to my feet, sway dangerously, and take a stumbling step back before nearly collapsing again.By then, she's close enough that I can smell the acrid scent of dark magic clinging to her.
Diana"Stop wasting my time and show yourself!"My heart sinks even lower.And how can she ‘feel’ my presence when we're cloaked? I look desperately at Emerald, but I see the same helpless confusion reflected in her eyes.I glance toward the witch's position, then back at my two companions. My jaw clenches as I come to a decision."Stay here," I whisper, beginning to climb down from our perch.Both Billy and Emerald grab hold of me instantly. "No," Billy hisses, while Emerald shakes her head vigorously."I'll lure her away," I whisper urgently. "If I don't, she'll find all of us. And if she discovers Emerald..." I don't need to finish that sentence.They still don't release me, their grips tightening desperately."I won't engage," I promise them. "I'll run immediately. Have faith in me—I'm an Alpha wolf trained by Dominicus. I can escape.""Then how will you get away if she can locate you anyway?" Emerald asks, her whisper barely audible.The question punches a massive hole in my logi
DianaBut then, suddenly, everything goes quiet.The change is so abrupt it makes my skin crawl. I extend my senses outward again, straining to understand what's happening below us. The witches are still there—I can hear their movements—but they're no longer cursing and making noise. Instead, there's a purposeful quality to their shuffling feet, like they're moving with coordinated intent.Dread pools in my stomach as I reach out to Dominicus again. ‘Dom, the dark witches are doing something. I don't know what, but I have a very bad feeling about this.’‘Got it,’ he responds immediately. ‘We'll hasten our descent.’Fifteen minutes later, we discover exactly what they were doing.Peering through the gaps in the branches, I suck in a cold breath as I see a wave of darkness moving through the fog. It hasn't reached our position yet, but it's advancing steadily, like a tide of pure malevolence.The fog that had just minutes ago lost its luminescent glow of light magic is now being filled
Diana"It's much less dense," Emerald confirms, her voice barely above a whisper. "It must have started while we were asleep." She swallows hard, her eyes darting nervously around the increasingly dim fog. "I knew it was only temporary, but I'd been hoping it would last longer."My jaw clenches as the full weight of our situation settles over me.Emerald whispers, "The early morning breeze must have contributed to dispersing it."There's no time to waste. I immediately reach out through the mate bond to Dominicus.‘Dom’, I call urgently.‘Yes?’ comes his immediate reply.‘The light magic in the fog is fading. Fast.’The silence that follows is heavy. I can feel his displeasure radiating through our connection.‘That's bad’, he says finally, echoing my own thoughts. ‘Very bad.’‘Most of the light witches have recovered over the past hour and we were overwhelming the other side too…’ he tells me resentfully before growling in annoyance. I sense him immediately reaching out through the
ApolloThe water is shockingly cold as we wade through.Suddenly I jump. I don’t know if its my imagination, but I could swear I heard the sound of someone not far behind- a crunching of dead leaves as a foot steps on them. It could just be paranoia and fear making me imagine things but I hasten my steps."Quickly!" I whisper yell, water sloshing around my knees.Connor nods and picks up the pace. The current is stronger than it looked from the bank, and by the time we reach the other side, we're both soaked through.Once we're on solid ground again, Connor starts searching the thick vegetation along the bank, his movements urgent and methodical. His eyes scan the wall of greenery like he's searching for something."It's here somewhere," he mutters, pushing aside ferns and low-hanging branches. "It has to be here.""Connor, what exactly are you looking for?" I ask, trying to keep the impatience out of my voice, eyes looking around in panic. Please don't let anyone find us..."Here!"