toward the door. “Let’s go.” Everything is happening too fast.
“Wait!” Will’s booming voice reverberated down the hall, bringing a measure of calm to Nikki’s chaos. “If a seeker is on the way, we prepare to fight.”
Fight? Like the French Halflings fought? Nikki pivoted to look at him, but her movements were stiff. Will’s words seemed confident, and of anyone he would know what to do. Not to mention there was safety in numbers — especially with Will at her side. But how many would die because of her? She shuddered. How many more? These were her friends. Her family. She tried to clear her thoughts. “Where’s Mace?”
Will nodded down the hallway. “He’s rounding up the other Halflings. We will all protect you, Nikki.”
“Can you promise me no one will die?” Her voice was solid, strong. And hearing it brought more conviction. No one else was going to die because of her.
Those giant silvery-blue eyes dropped to the floor. “You know I can’t.”
Nikki slid an arm around Raven and drew strength from him. She knew what they had to do. “Then I have to go.”
Winter stepped toward her and placed both hands on Nikki’s arms. “I’ll go with you.”
Raven shook his head. “Not yet, Winter. We’ll go first, in hopes of keeping it away from here. Two of us should be able to escape easily. If we don’t get airborne in time to reroute the seeker, though, Will is going to need everyone here to fight. As soon as I can find somewhere safe to tuck in for the night, I’ll get word to Zero and you can catch up to us.”
Winter’s eyes narrowed on him. “You have a plan, right?”
Raven tried to hide his reaction, but Nikki felt him bristle. “Of course. But if you’ve got some ideas, I’m open.”
Winter let out a long breath. “Circle the sky, Raven. Fan Nikki’s scent in as many directions as possible. It’s your only hope to confuse the seeker. Then find someplace very populated to hide — somewhere belowground. Try the tunnels under Paris. The mixture of smells will interrupt her scent, and you should be safe there at least for tonight. Contact us as soon as possible.”
Raven answered her with a nod. He turned to Nikki. “You ready?”
Nikki tightened her arms around Raven’s neck, throwing a last look to the Halflings and Will.
A moment later, they were leaping up into the night.
For the last hour Raven had been circling, just as Winter suggested. Usually, Nikki loved sailing above the earth, seeing the world below with nothing but wind and whispers surrounding her. But this night, she felt like live bait, as if each exhale drew a beast closer and closer. She hoped that was the case. If not, it could mean the seeker was at Viennesse. They’d covered ground over Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and were now entering France.
Her arms ached from the stranglehold she’d kept on Raven. “Can we check on them?”
She felt the muscle in his neck roll against her forearm. “Not tonight. We still have to find a way into the tunnels. I’ve only been there a few times, and it was years ago. Besides, Winter told me to check in tomorrow.”
“Since when do you follow instructions? Especially from a girl.”
“Since your life is on the line. Winter has lived a very long time. I trust her instincts on this one. There’s too much at stake to not get her thoughts.”
“What about Will? He’s lived longer than anyone. He may have known what to do.”
“The only thing Will would have done was try to talk us into staying, wasting what time we had.” Raven narrowed his gaze on Nikki. The look spoke more than words. Discussion’s over. He projected every ounce of intensity he possessed into those midnight blue spheres. Fierce protection and temptation mingled, a realization that cut through every fiber holding her together. She was stripped bare. It was a hideous, wonderful feeling. Especially as he seemed so focused on his mission that, for maybe the first time ever, he didn’t realize what he was doing to her by just being himself.
“We’re here.” Raven nodded. “Take a look.”
The world below was a velvet-dark surface dotted with a million golden lights. Some spiked high into the sky as if reaching out for her, while others remained, alive, on the ground, snaking through the jungle of illumination in long steady lines. It stole her breath.
Raven paused, airborne, his wings stretched out to hover above the crawling lights below. “Never gets