but I didn’t have time right then to figure out what was going on. I reached out and took her hand. “Good, then we should run because there’s an army behind me and they’re planning on killing everyone.”
Everyone except me. Me they would take back to their leader where I would face a fate worse than death. But they would definitely kill this lady, and I had enough blood on my hands. So much blood on my hands. Sometimes I’m glad I can’t find my parents because they would be so ashamed of me.
Or they wouldn’t acknowledge me at all because I wasn’t truly their child. I shook off the thought and started to run, praying this Kelsey woman could keep up.
That turned out to not be a problem at all. She easily ran beside me.
“Have you seen a couple of men standing around out here?” If the pace bothered her, it wasn’t in her tone. She wasn’t even breathing hard as we reached the hill. She simply followed me up and then down toward the forest.
“Yes. A whole bunch of them,” I replied. “They’re the ones trying to kill me. We have to hide.”
“Oh, not those,” she said. “I’m talking about a tall dude all in white and a shorter but equally attractive one in a suit. Do you know what a suit is? I’ve never been off plane before so I don’t know what’s normal here.”
We hit the tree line as the first arrow struck the ground beside me, a warning shot. A shadow fell over us as we left the vibrant light of the field we’d been in. It seemed quieter in the forest, but then I heard the sound I’d been praying to avoid—the sound of an arrow burying itself in flesh.
I glanced over and Kelsey dropped to her knees, the arrow sticking out of her shoulder. Bright red blood had already appeared on the jacket she wore, and I knew I was about to get another person killed.
How long would I keep going? How many innocent people would have to die so I could be free? My stomach turned as I realized I had a choice. I could exchange myself for this stranger or I could keep running.
Erna would watch over the young magician I’d been protecting recently. She would take Dean back to the Vampire plane where his mother lived, and he would be all right. He would find a way to fulfill his destiny. He only thought he needed me.
“Fuck, that hurts.” Kelsey was on all fours. She would likely collapse and be utterly helpless in seconds. Humans could be fragile.
“It’s okay. You’re going to be all right. I’m the one they’re after.” I had no idea why she was here or where she’d come from, but I suddenly knew I couldn’t let her die. “You need to hide in the forest. There’s a lake about ten minutes from here. Find it. There’s a trail that will lead you to a village. It looks deserted but it isn’t. There’s a woman there named Erna. She’ll take care of you. Tell her not to come looking for me. She’ll only get herself killed. Tell her to go to the Vampire plane. If I can get away, I’ll seek them out there.”
I stepped in front of her as Turi’s men reached the tree line. He’d sent one of his generals, a man named Kor who had a black hole where his soul should have been. He ran Turi’s elite unit, the ones who came in quick and got the job done. He had more blood on his hands than I did, and that was saying something. He stood a good foot taller than me, a testament to the other side of his nature. He was mostly sidhe, but I believed the rumors that his father had been a demon who’d raped his mother during battle. His eyes always had the slightest tinge of red to them.
He was one of the most brutal males I’d ever met, and he would likely hurt the hell out of me before he handed me over to his commander. I would have to be careful and sly. I would have to wait for my chance. We would have days before he could get me back to his home plane. That would leave me many chances to slip away, and if I managed to slit his throat on the way out, I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity.