Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t want to see the scene playing out around me. Embry was a dozen feet away from me, face down on the wet, muddy ground. I couldn’t tell where he got hurt, but the overwhelming amount of his blood mixing into the puddle beneath him told me I lost him. Gabriel was fighting with everything he had, gaining the advantage as he returned the attacks blow for blow, even though there were four of them and only one of him. I knew he was exhausted, but he wouldn’t show it until I was somewhere safe. Or he died.
A hatred like I had never known overcame me as I rushed to attack the man in front of me. He had introduced himself as Henry, but as far as I was concerned, he was the devil incarnate. I had the dagger in my hand, but my arm froze in midair, barely an inch from his chest.
“I admire your tenacity, but there really is no need for all of this bloodshed,” his tone was conversational, which made my blood boil. He had stood back and watched his men fight, waiting for me to be exposed. Embry’s death was the opportunity he was waiting for, but I was not in the mood for conversation.
“You could have fought us yourself instead of sending your slaves.” I struggled with all my strength, but my arm wouldn’t budge. My strength should have included magical powers, but the lack of them, and the gown I was wearing, reminded me I was Cassie. She had been reluctant to fight at first, because she knew Henry’s Gift was controlling the other Gifteds, making them do despicable things against their will. It wasn’t until the choice was killing strangers or watching Embry die that she jumped in. Not that it made a difference.
“There would be no need for any of it if you just came willingly.”
“So you can kill me?” Henry was staying alive to complete a ritual that would allow him to take over the world. That would be enough to resist him, but as the Bearer of the Crescent Moon, my heart was the crucial ingredient in his ritual, and I much preferred my heart inside my chest. I shot up my knee, aimed at Henry’s crotch area, but like my arm, it froze before reaching its target. Instead of keeping it there, he slowly lowered it back to the ground, with my arm following suit, landing at my side. It felt like a bucket of ice water poured over me as everything tingled for a second, then went numb.
“Death is only temporary, Cassandra. And as you are the blood of my blood, I would never allow any harm to befall you.”
“Is that part of your ritual? Blood of my blood?” she spat at him, but I just felt sick inside.
“Once upon a time, Annabelle was my wife. Margaret was my daughter. The last thing I want is for anything to happen to you. Or Corinne.” The way he said Cassie’s daughter’s name, I couldn’t tell if it was a threat or a promise. Either way, it sent a shiver down my spine.
“You’re attacking us. Hunting us for miles.” Cassie shook her head, struggling to figure out if she believed him. Having seen how this scene eventually plays out, I wanted more than anything to show her my thoughts and memories. To warn her.
“Only because they won’t let me get close to you.” He blamed my guys. I turned to see where Embry was still lying on the ground, but I couldn’t see Gabriel. My heart stopped as I searched through the bodies in the mud, but Henry was halfway through saying Cassie’s name before he collapsed onto the ground at my feet.
“Are you hurt?” Gabriel asked, as the feeling returned to my body. I nodded, looking down to Henry, who was unconscious. He wasn’t dead, but even his death wouldn’t have been permanent. As a Gifted, he would keep coming back until he got what he wanted. Me.
I woke up in the passenger’s seat with a jolt. It was just a dream, I reminded myself, holding on to the door of the old station wagon while I waited for my heart to slowly regain its usual rhythm. I was used to these dreams from my ancestors, and much preferred the ones that happened when I was already sleeping, but these memories feel just as real as my own.
“Tennessee,” Gabriel told me before I could ask. He ran his hand through his mess of black hair, though I think it was more about the uncertainty we were facing than the hours spent in cars. Over twenty-four hours since we left New Orleans, and we were only two states over, which would make sense if we were stopping to check out the sights and enjoy sit-down meals, but we barely stopped long enough to go pee and change drivers. With this kind of non-stop driving, we should be home already. Instead, we took forever so the army of Gifteds loyal to Henry couldn’t find us; bouncing around Points C to Z. If someone was following us, they would attack us out of sheer annoyance from all the detours, without waiting for reinforcements. Unless their Gift was saint-like patience.
Since Gabriel was at the wheel, it meant Embry was sprawled out across the back seat, napping until we stopped for gas or to change cars at some hole-in-the-wall. The guys took turns driving so we wouldn’t have to spend the night in any sketchy motels and risk what happened last time. I wasn’t up to losing any more people, so I didn’t argue.
“Do you want me to drive for a bit?” I offered, knowing the answer would be no. Gabriel enjoyed having a plan and being in control, so our current lack of a concrete plan was making him hold tight to anything he had control over. Not that I blamed him. We were going up against the man that they stay alive to protect me from, and our only plan was to get more magic. Hopefully from the books locked away in my bunker. It was less than encouraging.
“I don’t mind driving,” he assured me. “Keeps me alert.” His hair was sticking up a bit in the back now, which made him look younger than he usually did. More vulnerable somehow.
“How much longer until we get to the plantation?” I asked, switching positions to get comfy, but there wasn’t much I could do after this long in cars. I knew how far we were distance-wise, but they could easily extend it into next week.
“We could be there by tomorrow evening,” he said with a shrug.
“You want it to take longer?” I asked.
“No, I’m good with the pace and eager to get you somewhere easier to secure,” he checked his mirrors, all three of them, more to make sure no one was following us than for road safety, “but we have no control over Henry’s followers. If there’s a car that exits when we do, or takes the same turns, we have to lose them before moving on.”
“We could also stop so you guys can rest. Maybe eat some food that doesn’t consist of microwaved grease?” I suggested.
“That may be pushing it,” he smiled at me, more like an equal than when the summer began and I was an intolerable teenager he had to keep his distance from, “but if we find a safe enough location, maybe.”
“I was kidding. Constant driving is great,” I tried to sound convincing, but he still turned to look at me, not buying it. So far, every ‘safe’ place we went to ended with someone getting hurt. Usually it was a Gifted who would come back to life, as long as their life’s purpose wasn’t accomplished yet, but not always.
“Should I be like Embry and tell you all about how hard this journey would have been in a carriage pulled by old horses, with the blistering sun beating down…” he did an excellent job of pointing out how much worse this could be. Embry and Gabriel would both fit in with me and my friends if I ever made it to college, even if they were closer in age to the founders of Harvard than the current students.
“I’ll check the sarcasm,” I sighed. I was grateful he made a joke about it instead of the annoyed silence he would have given me at the beginning of the summer.
“Don’t worry, I can handle it,” he assured me, smiling to himself as he checked his blind spot. I looked out the passenger-side window so he couldn’t see me blushing. We had a long road ahead of us, and my feelings for Gabriel were the least of my worries.