She looped the chain around his arms, and the lightning shrivelled away from it. Cut off from the main source, the web of energy wrapping around his body fizzled and died, leaving only his clenched fists in contact.
"Now pull free."
With a grunt of effort he did. "Thanks," he muttered.
She nodded and unwrapped the chain from his wrists. If she'd had enough with her, she could have created a doorway to crawl through, but neither she or Gwen had expected the soul sucker capable of something like this. Though why, she had no idea. An ancient spirit would have had more than enough time to learn a magic trick or two.
"It won't take much more than an hour to go back to the cabin, get supplies and come back."
His look suggested an hour was fifty-nine minutes too long. "Then go. I'll wait here."
"For what? You can't get past the barrier."
"But I can watch. I can see if she's moved or anything."
And what if the soul sucker came to taste rather than move? What could he do, other than go insane watching? "The zombies or the mara could come down this tunnel at any time."
His gaze went back to the cavern. "The tunnel will force the zombies to come down one at a time. That I can handle."
"And the soul sucker?"
"Leave the pack."
She sighed in frustration. "Wear this, then." She grabbed his hand and dropped the silver chain into his palm.
He frowned. "Why?"
"You saw how the energy reacted, didn't you?" When he nodded, she continued.
"That's because pure silver is immune to magic, and as such, repels it. So wear it and make yourself a little less of a target."
"Does that mean I can't shift shape?"
"Magic is magic, whether it's a wall or the ability to shift into another form."
He wrapped his fingers around the chains. "Go. And be careful going through those zombies."
"I will." She hesitated, wanting to kiss him but not daring to take the step that separated them. Not sure how he'd react to the everyday act of lovers the world over.
He made no move, his attention on the cavern more than on her. She sighed, dropped the pack at his feet and walked away.
The darkness closed in around her again. She dragged her fingers along the walls to keep her bearings and tried not to think about the tons of rock and dirt hanging over head. She was trembling by the time the end of the tunnel came into sight, and she shifted shape with relief, flying through the trap door and out the window. Out into the wide-open skies. Lord, the freedom of it felt so good.
It took far less than an hour to fly back to the cabin, grab the necessary supplies and get back to the tunnel.
But the zombies were gone when she arrived.
And so was Ethan.
Chapter Thirteen
Ethan crossed his arms and leaned against the damp, cold wall. Janie was a bare ten feet away, sleeping like the angel she was, curled up in a ball around her favorite teddy bear.
He was surprised the monster who'd taken her had allowed her to keep it, especially if Kat was right in suggesting this thing's offspring fed on terror. That in itself suggested she'd been taken for a reason beyond being a meal. He hoped so, if only because it meant she might stay alive a little longer.
God, how he wished he could beat down the wall that separated them, sweep her into his arms, and let her know everything was going to be all right. That he was here and he would protect her against the demons.
But the truth was, he couldn't protect her against those demons. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Kat and her grandmother probably had more chance than he ever would.