up with Emery’s fast pace. Devon kept by her side, clearly thinking this information exchange was more important than taking rear, a task that had been silently assigned to Dillon. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why would Vlad help me? I mean, he’s basically rolling out the red carpet to get me to the Flush. This is the same guy that tried, on several occasions, to kidnap me and kill the man I love.”
“He told you why.” Emery peered through the trees on his right. A slip of movement caught Charity’s notice, but when she looked that way, only empty trees and still bushes dotted the landscape.
The path rose steadily up an incline. The rocks on the side of the path got bigger, the plant life sparser. They were heading up the mountain.
“He thinks Fate has plans for you, and he wants to bend your journey to fit his own design.” Emery veered to the edge of the path to look behind them.
“We’re being followed,” Devon said, clearly reading Emery’s movements. “Vampires. I smell them.”
Emery nodded. “I figured.” He turned to the front again. “He tried to snatch you and force Fate’s hand, Charity, but that didn’t work, so now he is trying to work his way into your life so he can manipulate you. This approach is infinitely more dangerous for you. And if this vial holds what I think it does, and what I’ve heard is true, then he’ll have one more hook in you.”
“Knowing his secret won’t change my situation,” Charity said.
“Unicorn blood is said to be ten times more addictive than heroin. He’s got the lure of your mother, and now the hook of a highly addictive drug. Not to mention the drop on all your friends. Vampires have no problem killing—it wouldn’t be a stretch to think he’ll blackmail you with their lives.”
“Vampires have always tried to kill us,” Devon growled. “This is no different.”
“Vampires have tried to kill you when you got in their way,” Emery countered. “But if what I’ve heard is true, they’ll kill for this secret. Unless Charity plays along, they’ll all target you. He’s backing you into a corner.”
“Jesus, babe, you have been studying vampire politics,” Penny said with wide eyes.
“I promised I’d keep us at arm’s length from the vampires, Turdswallop,” he said softly, and took her hand. “I keep my promises.”
“Can I see that vial?” Charity held out her hand.
Emery must’ve been curious, and possession was nine-tenths of the law, but he handed it to her at once. Whatever else he was, he was honest and trustworthy.
She wound up and threw the vial down the small incline off the path. “Whatever it is, we don’t want it,” she yelled out, knowing that vampires would be able to hear. “I guess we’ll never know if the rumors are true, or if it was a trap.”
A rustle sounded not far off. Someone had just given their presence away. Not that it mattered. Emery didn’t slow or alter course.
Devon stared at her silently, his face blank. It wasn’t hard to guess what he was thinking.
Charity looked straight ahead, ignoring her aching body. And she’d keep on ignoring it until she trudged her way to the Flush and got a real cure. “I will not save myself at your pack’s expense, Devon. You must know that by now.”
“Sometimes I hope you’ll learn some sense,” he replied.
Emery huffed out a laugh. “That woman right there has rock-solid sense, are you kidding?” He glanced back at Devon. “You oughta try dealing with Reagan and her older dual-mage sidekicks for a week. Talk about no sense. Then mix in Penny’s mother—trust me, brother, you’ve got it good. Hold on for dear life and hope she doesn’t leave you.”
“See?” Charity said, raising her chin.
“The problem is, we have a trek ahead of us, and we don’t have the gas for it,” Devon said.
“We’re switching routes,” Emery said. “It’ll take us away from the cover of the wilds, but it’s easier to travel. We can move faster while still staying to the sidelines. Mostly. Hopefully the elves only have minions patrolling, and those have been cleared.”
“We’re trusting that Vlad has taken care of the danger?” Penny asked, aghast.
“We don’t have much choice,” Emery murmured.
Chapter Twenty-One
The rest of the day and into the night passed in a blur of fatigue for Devon. His limbs felt like they had weights tied to them, and his wolf kept struggling to break free. Charity’s magic was buffeting them both in faster