Mated in Mist (Talon Pack #3)(3)

Her brother pulled her up, and they scooted to the side, using a lower rock formation for cover.

“When I say go, run, crawl, do anything to get out. You hear me?” Roland’s voice held an edge of fear she hadn’t heard from him before, and she gripped his arm.

“Don’t you dare play hero. We’ll get out of this together.”

He kissed her forehead and nodded. “I promise, little sister, I’m not leaving this world anytime soon.” He held out his hands, and she reached out to grip his arms.

“Roland! They might have cameras! They did before. You can’t use magic.”

He raised his chin and looked over his shoulder at her. “Maybe it’s time to fight for our lives, rather than protect a group of people who’ve never wanted us.”

Her heart ached, but she couldn’t stop him, not when he was like this. If the cameras and surveillance equipment were there and they caught Roland using magic, all might be lost. Or maybe these humans only had guns and bullets.

When had she started hoping for merely guns in the hands of the enemy?

What had her life become?

Magic washed over her as Roland pulled on the pool and a wave of water crashed into the humans just now crawling over the rise. They screamed, trying to fight for air, and she had to look away. With all she’d seen, all she’d been forced to do, she should have been able to deal with death or dying, but she couldn’t.

Not anymore.

It was all too much.

Instead of focusing on what her brother was doing to save their lives, she did her part. She searched the edges of the pool for another tunnel or pathway, knowing going back the way they had come might be lost to them. Even if Roland dealt with those at the edge of the pool, there were most likely others at the entrance to the tunnel.

She narrowed her eyes, focusing as hard as she could.

Tendrils of sensation covered her skin and she fought off a shudder. She hated using magic for this. She’d prefer to heal or help the earth, rather than use it to save herself.

There.

A darkened crevice that looked big enough for even Roland’s broad shoulders. She pushed out with her magic, letting it dance off the water molecules in the air. Humans wouldn’t be able to see this, thankfully, but she was draining what little powers she had. Fast. She did her best to settle her pulse so she could sense if the air in the tunnel was stale or not, but it was a lost cause with the screaming, the crash of water, and her brother by her side, doing what he could to save them. She couldn’t concentrate properly.

Finally, when she was able to center herself enough to focus on her intent, she realized that the air tasted fresh. She could have cried, but held herself in check. She could weep when they were safe. And since she didn’t know if that would ever be possible again, she would just have to hold in the tears. Forever.

“Roland!” she shouted over the din. “Come on!”

He turned to her, his eyes wide and dark, but he nodded. Hurting others hurt them. But there was no way around it; to save their lives, they had to do what they must.

She crawled around the edges of the pool as the humans who made it out of the water surge coughed and hacked. If she and Roland moved quickly enough, they could be through the crevasse and out of the cave before the humans gathered themselves.

With Roland behind her, they made it to the opening where they could stand fully. Then they ran.

“Find the f*cking witches and burn them!”

She tripped over her own feet at the shout, but Roland caught her arm. She shook it off and pushed at him, trying to get him to move faster. As long as he was safe, she would be okay. She jumped over a fallen log, the bark digging into her hands as she tried not to fall flat on her face. Her feet ached and her muscles quaked and the last of her energy reserves were depleting far too quickly.

Leah ran behind her twin brother, her pulse racing in her throat. They were coming. They knew. Roland reached out behind him, and she pushed his hand away.

“Keep going. I can keep up. Don’t worry about me and end up tripping yourself.”

She wished she could pull on the water around them now that she had enough in her system thanks to the cave, but it was too dangerous. With those behind them and her body wearing down after running for far too long, using magic would be a death sentence.

“I’m not leaving you behind, Leah. So run your f*cking ass off. There’s a safe house up the road.” He grinned over his shoulder, that lock of hair she loved falling over his forehead. “I’ll never lead you astray, little sister.”

She smiled at him despite the fact that they were both running for their lives. “You’re not that much older than me, Ro.”

“It’s enough. Now let’s go.”

He turned back, only to freeze in his tracks. It took a minute for the crack in the air to register. Roland fell to his knees, and Leah screamed.

“Roland!”

She raised her hands, the water on the leaves of the trees from that morning’s rainfall rising into the air with her pain, her agony.

Another crack rent the air.

A gunshot. That’s what that was.

A sizzling pain seared her side, a fiery heat that wouldn’t be quenched by the water at her fingertips. She tried to breathe, only to cough, her legs going out from under her.

She fell beside her brother, her arms reaching for him, only to come up short.