Dry-mouthed, I tried to sort out my tools.
There was the fairy staff, of course.
It wasn't there at the moment, but eventually it would come to me.
It was accounted by the fae to be a powerful artifact--if only vampires were afraid of sheep.
I couldn't find the pack or Adam.
Samuel had said that the connections would reset.
He hadn't given me a timeline--and I hadn't been anxious to repeat the experience, so I hadn't asked.
Adam said that distance made the connection thinner.
I remembered that Samuel had once run all the way to Texas to escape his father ...
and it had worked.
But Spokane was a lot closer to the Tri-Cities than Texas was to Montana.
So maybe if I stalled Blackwood long enough, I could call the whole pack in to save me-- again.
After dark, and it would soon be after dark, there was Stefan.
I could call to him, and he'd come to me, just as he had when Marsilia had asked me to do it--but I'd have to do it before Blackwood forced me to exchange blood with him again.
I assumed that what had worked to break Blackwood's hold would work in the reverse.
And, as with calling in the pack, I would only be calling him in to die.
If he didn't judge himself to be a match for Blackwood--and he hadn't--I could only accept his opinion.
He knew more about Blackwood than I did.
If I left, I left a boy I liked to die at the hands of a monster.
If I stayed ...
I would be putting myself in the hands of a monster.
The Monster.
Maybe he didn't intend to kill me.
I could make myself believe that easily.
Less easy to dismiss was the already demonstrated desire of his to make me his puppet.
I could always leave.
I shifted and told myself that it was because I didn't want to face Blackwood while I was tied up and helpless.
As coyote I wiggled out of the bonds and gag, then I shifted back, got dressed, and fingered the release tab on the trunk's lock.
So I rode in the trunk of Corban's car all the way to Spokane.
When the car slowed and left the smooth growl of the interstate for the stop and go of city traffic, I straightened my clothes.