The mood is hushed the entire walk back to Giant City, as though even the energy to speak is too much for any of us. No one is talking about what we plan to do tonight. No teasing about drinking challenges or excitement for more shopping. We’re all weighted down by one simple truth: eventually Cyrus will get Hudson into that prison…and I will go with him. If we don’t find a way to break out before then, Hudson and I have a fate worse than death ahead of us—for an eternity.

Hudson is staring off in the distance as we wind our way through the forest. And it doesn’t take a genius to know what he’s thinking. If we can’t find a way to get in and get out, he will choose death and set me free.

He gives me a startled look as I reach for his hand and say, “Don’t even think it.”

His gaze widens, realizing that I’ve picked up on his thoughts so easily. “But—”

I interrupt him. “Never.”

By the time we make it to the market, we’ve all kind of silently agreed we want to just head back to Katmere. We walk to where we agreed to meet back up with Jaxon and Macy and Erym, eager to grab our friends and go.

Macy’s face lights up with a giant smile as soon as she sees us, and she comes bouncing over. She leans in to me and says, “Oh, the stories of today I have to share with you later. I smell a vampire-giant wedding one day in our futures.” When I don’t join in her humor, her gaze sharpens on my face, then bounces to the rest of our group. “Hell. Bad news?”

“I’ll tell you later,” is all I can manage to get out.

Jaxon has also caught on to the mood of our group, but Erym is blissfully unaware as she excitedly tells us about the banquet tonight and how excited she is for her parents to meet us.

“My mother says the Vampire Court used to throw the most beautiful balls!” And her adoring gaze falls upon Jaxon again.

I’m racking my brain, trying to come up with a polite way to skip the party, when Brown Beard comes running up to Erym and whispers in her ear loud enough for all of us to hear. “The Watch is here and demanding entrance into the city, Cala. They say they have an arrest warrant for Prince Vega.”

My stomach sinks like a stone, my heart pounding in my throat. How did they find us so fast? My gaze meets Hudson’s, fear skittering down my spine as I realize he’s considering our options—one of which includes turning himself in to spare us all.

I shake my head at him, and his jaw clenches, but then he gives me a quick nod. I let out a ragged breath of relief that at least he’s going to fight imprisonment. For now.

Erym, though, turns wide eyes to Jaxon. “You must leave quickly!” She’s mistakenly assumed the Watch has come for Jaxon, and we don’t correct her. Especially when she says she knows a secret exit out of the city that will give us a head start.

I just hope it’s enough.

63

I’m Rooting for You

We race through the tunnel Erym directed us to and burst out into the forest floor outside the city. Once there, we run, after deciding the vampires should carry everyone but me.

I only have a second to wonder why the Watch hasn’t caught us yet. Because they’re definitely faster than we are with the extra weight, even though the vampires fade like hell was on their heels. My wings are burning keeping up with them, but I dig deep and put on a sudden burst of extra speed so I can flip around to check why the Watch hasn’t caught up with us.

And it doesn’t take long to figure it out.

They’re not coming straight at us…they’re surrounding us. Boxing us in.

Jaxon must realize their strategy at the same time, because he pulls us to a stop in the center of a small clearing, and we stand in horror as vampires step around massive trees—in every direction. I land with a thump, staying in my solid gargoyle form, using my large stone wings to protect my friends as much as I can.

“Macy,” Jaxon says, not taking his gaze from the vampires circling us, “I’m going to need you to build the fastest portal in witch history.”

Macy is on her knees, riffling through her pack and pulling out her wand. “Already ahead of you.”

I swallow. Hard. There must be at least thirty of them…and everyone but Macy and me has their powers grounded.

“This looks bad. Very bad.” Fear for my friends, for Hudson, is beating against my chest like a living thing. Even my palms are sweating—and I’m stone, so that’s saying something. “Should Hudson and I surrender, give you guys at least a chance to get away?”

But Mekhi just turns and says, “Jesus, Grace. It’s not an army.”

Luca gives him a fist bump, and the rest join in that action.

Well, everyone except Jaxon, who steps forward and says in a loud, commanding voice, “I am Jaxon Vega, prince of the Vampire Court, and my friends are traveling under my protection. I suggest you rethink this before you suffer my wrath.”

Several members of the Watch turn to look at the one member not dressed from head to toe in a solid-red uniform. His clothing is black as night, and it’s clear he is the senior officer. “Don’t try to bluff me, Vega. I happen to know for a fact everyone but your little gargoyle is cuffed right now.”

“True, Re-gi-nald—” Hudson draws out each syllable of the vampire’s name like a taunt. “But then I’ve never needed mine to teach you a lesson, now have I? How’s that leg doing, by the way?”

Reginald definitely doesn’t like that. His jaw clenches, and his eyes narrow. “You’ll pay for that, asshole.”

“I’ll probably pay for a lot of things one day, but definitely not from you.” Hudson glances around at the other Watch members. “Now, all, I know you’re probably eager for a fight, but what do you say you hop on the winning team and we kick your commander’s ass for fun? Whaddaya think? Any takers?”

“What are you doing?” I hiss at Hudson. Riling them up for a fight seems like a supremely bad idea.

But Hudson just winks at me—he winks!—then says under his breath to Macy, “How’s that portal coming, Mace?”

“Almost there,” she replies, biting her lip as she finishes a complicated symbol with her wand before beginning a new one.

“That’s my girl,” Hudson murmurs to her before shouting to Reginald again. “I dunno, Reggie. Looks like some of your boys might be thinking it over. What say you we save them the court martial and just you and I work out our differences? Maybe a little mano a mano?”

Reginald grabs a short baton from his waist and jerks it to the ground, three extra lengths popping out to make a large staff. That must have been a signal of some sort, because the entire Watch does the same with their own staffs and then begin to move forward, closing in on us.

“Wrong move, Reggie.” Hudson shakes his head. “My brother there has been dying to kick someone’s ass since I stole his mate. And you know who trained him, right? The Bloodletter.”

Several members of the Watch hesitate long enough to check their commander’s reaction and confirm it’s true. But it’s a small pause, and soon they’re all moving forward again—only about a hundred feet from us now.

“You didn’t steal my mate,” Jaxon bites out, his gaze bouncing from Watch vampire to Watch vampire—and I’m shocked. Not because he wasn’t affected by Hudson’s words but that he didn’t get that his brother was trying to send him a message. Hudson would never say something so callous to Jaxon. Ever. How could Jaxon not see that?

Hudson rolls his eyes and says with more emphasis, “You think you might want to steal something back, brother?”

“Yes, Jaxon,” I chime in, “I really think you should take something back.”

Jaxon’s gaze meets mine, and I can see he finally understands.

“Of course, if the Bloodletter’s training wasn’t enough for you…” Hudson begins, but before he can even finish the sentence, Jaxon has faded around the clearing in a blink too fast to follow with my eyes.

“I think it was enough,” Jaxon says and starts tossing six of the staffs he’d liberated from the Watch to everyone except Macy. I catch mine in midair, hovering over the group now so I can pivot more quickly to wherever I’m needed.

Jaxon’s move stuns the Watch for a second, but they’re trained soldiers, and they recover quickly. I can tell from my height as I slowly turn in a circle that they’re about to rush us. Mekhi whispers to Macy, asking how much more time she needs, and my cousin pauses only long enough to hold up two fingers. Shit. Two minutes. We don’t have two minutes.

My mind races with our options. It’s too many to fight. If only we could slow them down. I glance around the clearing, looking for something to use to do just that. But all I see are grass and trees. And that’s when an idea occurs to me.

I swiftly land on the ground again next to Hudson, slightly in front of him, actually.

“You got this, babe?” he asks, already knowing I’d have a plan before I’d land in front of him and block his attack.

“I got this,” is all I say—and fall down into a crouch, my hands wide on the grass in front of me, my weight on one knee.