Change of Heart - Hailey Edwards Page 0,96

dirt, and other debris to the far side of the pit. Their skin burned, and the stench was overwhelming. Their lungs fought to get enough oxygen, and Midas stumbled more than once from dizziness.

An eternity later, they reached a hard shell that, once they dusted off the muck, revealed Hadley curled in a ball on a patch of dirt unmarked by the explosion. She was unconscious, but she was breathing.

“Big spoon to little spoon.” Praying for a smile, Midas finished clearing the path. “Can you hear me?”

The shadow pooled beneath her perked at the sound of his voice and slithered over her in a protective black shroud. Midas noticed Bishop watching and understood that he had known about Hadley. Based on the taste he’d had of Bishop’s blood, Midas wasn’t surprised to learn the fae could see through glamours.

“Ambrose,” Bishop said, and the shadow inclined its head. “Break the circle. We’ll do the rest.”

Midas cranked his head toward Bishop. “Ambrose?”

“That’s his name.”

Bishop gave him that much but nothing else, and Midas respected that he was protecting Hadley.

The shadow dove into her, weaving in and out, until she cried out in pain, and her lashes fluttered.

“Jerk,” she mumbled. “Back off.”

“Hadley.” Midas pressed his hand to the bubble. “Break the circle.”

Her lids raised a fraction, and her gaze locked with his, but she didn’t budge otherwise.

“Break the circle,” Bishop urged. “Come on, kid. You can do it.”

The shadow kept punching through her until tears streamed down her cheeks, but the pain rallied her. She twitched her fingers, dragging grooves in the dirt, until she reached the edge of the bubble. With a grunt of effort, she raked her nails through the line, and the magic collapsed around her.

Midas scooped her up in his arms, but she was already unconscious. The shadow coiled around her shoulders, clinging tight, but Midas held them both as Bishop rigged him a harness from the rope so the others could pull him and Hadley out. With so much manpower, it took a minute. Maybe two. Then he was free of the eye-watering smoke and dragging in heaving breaths of fresh air.

Bouncing on her feet, Remy made grabbing motions. “I’ll take her.”

She didn’t wait for him to agree, just gathered Hadley with help from another Remy, then ran to a grassy patch where paramedics waited with the ambulance.

The beast rose in Midas, its possessive instincts roaring, but he let it go. He had done all he could do. He had to turn her over to the experts, even as he wished for Abbott to tend to her.

The others began hauling Bishop out of the pit, and he flopped onto his back when he reached the top.

Aubrey, who was coiling the rope like he meant to store it, glanced across the clearing. “Who are they?”

Three men stood with three women and watched the paramedics rush to save Hadley’s life.

Midas couldn’t say how long they had been standing there, waiting, but they must have shown up after he and Bishop entered the pit. Otherwise, he had to believe he would have noticed them. Then again, if Aubrey hadn’t mentioned it, he might still have been oblivious.

His brain was stuck in a rut that made thinking impossible.

Hadley. Hadley. Hadley.

“This is exactly what we don’t need,” Bishop panted. “Gods above, this night just won’t quit.”

“Ares.” Midas located her among the other somber faces. “Send up a call.” He stared down the coven. “See if the wargs are still in the area.”

Ares filled her lungs and issued an invitation to anyone who heard, who understood, to come and join in.

“I didn’t realize you spoke the same language.” Bishop scratched his cheek. “Makes sense, given you share common ancestors.”

“The language we speak in our other form is a mishmash of gwyllgi and warg, but some things are universal.”

The others joined in, strengthening Ares’s voice, but no cries rang out in answer.

“They’re gone.” Bishop exhaled. “Guess it was too much to hope they’d stick around to chew the fat.”

“You should go,” Midas told Aubrey. “We can’t protect you from what’s coming.”

The youth straightened his shoulders but nodded. “I’ll tell the captain.”

“They’re just standing there,” Midas said. “Why don’t they act?”

“They might not have figured out the firemen are paras yet, but they will. Bad guys have a sixth sense for that. Or, you know, they’ll kill all the witnesses and call it a day.”

Midas grunted agreement then glanced back at Hadley.

“We need her.” Bishop read his mind. “Her battery is too low, but she can’t