“TheMathairsare very disappointed in you, Bridget.” Nia’s breath is hot against my ear as she grabs my upper arm. Her fingers dig into my flesh, promising pain to come. “You were our best student.”
I let them guide me toward the door. Years of training work against me now—they know exactly how I think, how I move, what I might try. Delta Team helped teach all witches assigned to be assassins. They know all my tricks because they taught them to me.
But they don’t know everything about me. Not anymore. They don’t know about the bond. About what Bast and I have become together.
I risk one last glance at his sleeping form. His face is peaceful in the dim light, unaware that I’m being stolen away. The bond between us thrums steady and strong.
If these are my last moments of happiness, at least I had this. At least I knew what it was to be loved.I’m sorry, I think toward his sleeping form.I’m so sorry.
They march me through the cabin, past the couch where we first kissed, past the kitchen where we plotted to save my sister. And now all of that is over. The dream that I could escape my past. Save my sister. That I could have a happily ever after with Bast.
The cool night air hits my bare skin as they guide me onto the porch. I’m wearing only Bast’s T-shirt and underwear, but modesty seems absurd when facing execution. Behind me, Mira mutters a silencing spell on the cabin. Even if Bast wakes now, he won’t hear anything.
A black SUV idles in the driveway, its engine a low purr in the mountain calm. Through our bond, I feel Bast’s sleep starting to lighten. He’s sensing my fear. I try desperately to keep my emotions calm, to not alert him, but I can’t stop all my emotions.
“You really thought you could escape us? With a fucking man, no less.” Nia’s voice drips with contempt as she opens the rear door. “No one betrays theMathairs.Didn’t you already learn that after what happened to your sister?”
I want to scream at her. Want to tell her about everything theMathairskeep from us. About male witches and werewolves and love that doesn’t steal your magick. About choices and freedom and family that isn’t built on fear.
But the binding spell holds firm, and all I can do is glare as they shove me into the back of the SUV. Carmen climbs in beside me. Up front, Mira takes the wheel while Nia claims the passenger seat.
The vehicle creeps down the dark road, each curve taking us farther from Bast. Carmen’s hand stays clamped on my arm, her nails digging half-moons into my skin. I barely feel it. Physical pain seems distant compared to the hollow ache spreading through my chest.
“You know what they do to traitors.” Nia’s voice drifts back from the front seat. “Remember watching that witch burn lastsummer? The one who tried to leave the Court?” She turns in her seat, eyes glittering. “TheMathairsmade it last for hours.”
I remember. They made all of us watch.
But it’s not my death I fear most. It’s what they’ll do to Brianna. What they might do to Bast if they discover what he is. To Emma and her unborn child.
“Turn here,” Carmen says, gesturing to a narrow side road. “The others should have her ready.”
My heart slams against my ribs. They split up. Of course they split up—it’s standard Delta protocol. Hit multiple targets simultaneously, minimize response time. How could I not have anticipated this?
The SUV’s headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating another vehicle pulled off to the side. Two more familiar figures stand beside it—Rhyn and Dara, the other half of Delta Team. And between them…
No.
Emma struggles against their hold, her red hair wild in the moonlight. She’s wearing a nightgown, bare feet dirty from the ground. Blood trickles from a cut on her forehead. When she sees me in the back of the SUV, her eyes go wide with recognition.
They don’t know she’s pregnant. They can’t know, or they’d be more careful with her. How did they even get to her? The pack knew she was a target…
“Load her up,” Mira commands. “We’re behind schedule.”
Rhyn and Dara drag Emma toward us. She fights them every step, but their binding spells are too strong. Just like mine. They shove her into the back seat beside me, then head over to the other SUV.
We pull back onto the main road. Five Delta witches, two captives, heading up out of the valley. Through the mountains. Back to Salem for whatever horror theMathairshave planned.
Emma trembles beside me, and I wish desperately that I could speak. Could tell her I’m sorry. Could promise that somehow we’ll find a way out of this. But the binding spell holds firm, and all I can do is press my shoulder against hers in silent support.
The mountain pass looms ahead, a darker shadow against the night sky. Bast’s steady sleeping presence resonates in my chest, still unaware that his world is about to shatter. Part of me wants him to wake, to come charging after us like the deadly predator he is. But that would only get him killed.
Stay asleep, I plead silently.Stay safe. Live.
Tears slip down my cheeks as the first rays of dawn paint the eastern sky. Every passing minute feels like another nail in my coffin, another step toward an end I never imagined. TheMathairsdon’t forgive. Don’t forget.
And they never, ever show mercy.
The sun breaks over the mountain peaks as we get farther through the pass. Emma’s stopped trembling, but her face is ghost-white in the growing light. Blood has dried on her temple, dark against her pale skin.
