Mark rushed into camp and skidded to a stop, his head twisting to keep me in sight. “Patrol was attacked.”
I opened my mouth and snapped it shut. I didn’t need to ask who it was. “When? What happened? How many are hurt?”
“A few cuts and claw marks but I don’t think many were badly hurt. Zeke brought his best wolves. They ambushed us and we fought back hard. We had them on the run. But then the woman we locked up before came. She did something to them. Now our wolves are working for Zeke.”
Remembering Tup’s, I knew exactly how that had happened. I growled. Damn demons.
“She’s turned most of the patrol over to their side,” Marc continued. “And she’s turning more and more as they work their way up here.”
I rubbed my face and cursed under my breath. After clearing out Tup’s, I was fairly sure that fresh air away from the place they were compelled woke her victims out of their stupor, but she was with them now and they were already in the fresh open air. It didn’t seem to be working. We had to get her away from them if we stood a chance of a fair fight. And that meant me getting close enough to peel her away. I was the only one I knew for sure she couldn’t compel.
I blew out my breath. “Okay, I need to get to her, remove her from the fight.”
It wouldn’t be easy if she had my men and Zeke’s on her side. I’d have to catch them off guard somehow. “Clear out the camp. Send everyone into town or back to their families. The more people here, the more people she can turn to their side.”
“But we’ll be leaving the mountain exposed.”
My teeth squeaked as I clenched my jaw, a jagged stone falling into my stomach. I’d be leaving the magic inside the mountain without its protectors, but I saw no way around it. “I know. Do it. I’ll call you back when she’s out the picture.”
Mark ran off and it was only then I realized he was limping, blood dripping down his leg. Shit, but he must’ve pushed himself to get here ahead of the attack. I shook my head. I couldn’t focus on that now. I had to think about the whole of my pack and what we did next.
I jumped into my RV, unlocked the cabinet in the sleeping area, and took out my handgun shoving it into the back of my jeans and yanking my flannel shirt over it. I kept it only for emergencies, my wolf preferring more old-fashioned methods of hunting, but this was a damn emergency. If the worst happened and I had to take the demon out, I’d do it. She was a demon, and she’d made her choice. My wolf dipped his head in agreement. Anything for the pack, and to protect our mountain.
Peeking through the window to my RV, I saw most the cars were gone, the last few joining the main road. Doors were left open, swinging in the breeze, and a few things were scattered across the campground, dropped in the rush, but the rest of my people were safe. I smiled grimly. Now for the battle.
I left my RV and headed for the high ground, the tallest part of the mountain. From there I could make sure the mountain’s magic wasn’t used and I could see where Zeke’s men were.
But as I stalked up the almost vertical path, I felt eyes on my back. I dived to the side, my face in the dirt, a moment before a wolf pounced. I twisted and smacked their muzzle, pushing my alpha strength into it, then I hit them a few more times until they were out cold. My heart jumped as I looked them over, but the wolf wasn’t one of mine, turned against me. Though that didn’t make it much easier. Zeke should never have used his pack this way, for his own damned revenge.
I glanced back down the mountain, keeping low, but didn’t see any other wolves. I did see the demon, pacing around the camp, always within a meter of a man my sources told me was Zeke’s sorcerer, which was odd. Why would he be so close to her when she was already summoned and on their side?
Looking closer, I saw the demon’s movement was strange, delayed and awkward, like she was being pulled against her will through every step. And that’s when it clicked. Zeke would never have summoned a demon if he didn’t think he could control her. He’d had more than enough time for his sorcerer to fix whatever was broken when Cooper had stolen the icon and brought it to me.
I rested my hand on my gun. She wasn’t doing this of her own free will. That sucked, but I should take her out anyway. She was a danger to me and mine. My wolf whined. She was ours too. I frowned, shaking myself. There was no way a demon was part of our pack. I took aim. If I just injured her, Zeke wouldn’t let that stop her work and what if I missed? She was surrounded by his—and my—pack. I snarled. I couldn’t shoot. I needed to sneak close enough to knock her out but I didn’t know if I could. Keeping her alive made my life a hell of a lot harder. I was one man against an army. How the hell did I get the upper hand?