Blood Assassin (The Sentinels #2)(99)

Instantly the Sentinel crumpled to the floor, knocked unconscious by Bas’s magic.

Without hesitation, they stepped over the slumbering Sentinel’s body, Bas taking the lead as they entered a small office.

It was a barren room with the windows boarded over and the walls stripped bare. The wooden floor was covered in dust, and cobwebs drifted through the air. The few pieces of furniture were battered from use, but the computer system set up on the desk was top of the line and worth a small fortune.

At their entrance a man glanced up from the computer screen, his expression of annoyance altering to sheer terror as Bas stepped forward.

“Hello, Lee Sandoval. It looks like our game is at an end,” the assassin drawled. “I win.”

Wolfe caught the scent of tobacco smoke long before they were close enough to sense the presence of the norms, or even the high-bloods hidden in the old-fashioned covered wagon.

He shook his head in disbelief.

Did humans not realize how far the smell of a cigarette could travel?

Cautiously he crept toward the crest of a nearby hill, stretching out on his stomach as he scanned the shallow valley directly below.

Night had fallen, but he was able to make out the wagon covered by a black canvas top that blended into the shadows. It was halted in the center of the dusty path, the two horses that pulled the vehicle standing with stoic patience.

There was no way to see inside the wagon, so instead he closed his eyes, seeking the tell-tale tingle that revealed the presence of high-bloods in the van.

There were at least four, he swiftly decided. Witches. And . . . something else.

Something he couldn’t recognize.

He opened his eyes to study the area surrounding the wagon. There wasn’t much to see beyond dirt and shrubs and a few large boulders sticking out of the ground. Then, glancing directly below the small ledge he was lying on, he caught sight of the heavy SUV that was hidden in the shadows of the hill.

He was briefly baffled, wondering why they hadn’t driven straight to the wagon after it’d become disabled. The heavy steel wouldn’t offer complete protection from magic, but it was better than nothing.

Then abruptly he realized that the vehicle must have been stalled by Anna’s powers.

“Lana,” he breathed softly.

Silently she moved to lie beside him, the scent of warm cinnamon filling his senses.

“I see them,” she murmured softly. “There are four,” she said, counting the male norms crouched behind the SUV before her attention turned toward the wagon. There was a pause as she concentrated on the fragile vehicle. Abruptly she turned to send him a concerned glance. “They have Anna inside.”

Wolfe nodded. “I don’t know whether to be terrified your suspicion was right or relieved we managed to track them down.”

“Terrified,” Lana promptly answered, her tone distracted. “Why don’t they just keep moving?”

“The wagon axle is broken,” he said, nodding toward the undercarriage.

“So they’re helpless.”

Wolfe gave a lift of his brows. He’d never heard the words “witches” and “helpless” in the same sentence.

“Not really,” he said wryly. “There are at least four high-bloods inside the wagon.”

“It would take three of the witches just to keep Anna contained,” she said. “They no doubt rotate so one is able to concentrate on controlling the horses while the others maintain the spell.”

Three witches just to hold one spell? Wolfe grimaced. It was hard for him to wrap his brain around the fact that one mere girl could be as dangerous as a weapon of mass destruction.

“What happens when the morons below us go in for the attack?” he asked.

“They either drop the protective shield around Anna to fight back or they die,” she said bluntly. “My bet is they drop the shield.”

“Mine too.”

She held his gaze. “We have to stop this before that happens.”

Wolfe turned to the side so he could pull out his phone and call the Sentinels who were following their trail. He grimaced when he realized the electronics had been fried.

“My phone’s dead,” he said, his voice pitched so it wouldn’t carry. He returned his attention to the men behind the SUV. Although they remained crouched out of sight of the wagon, they were beginning to shift with a growing restlessness that warned they were swiftly reaching the limit of their patience. Very soon they would manage to goad each other into attacking. When that happened all hell was going to break loose. “They won’t get here in time.”

“Then we have to take care of the situation,” Lana said, her voice soft, but edged with a steely determination that made his heart twist with dread.

This was the Mave.

The woman who commanded an entire race of dangerous high-bloods.

And the woman who would happily sacrifice her life to protect them.

He frowned. “We don’t know who the good guys are.” He tried to play for time.

“It doesn’t matter.” She fluidly rose to her feet, her decision made. “We need the witches to keep Anna contained.”

Shit. Wolfe pushed upright, shoving his fingers through his hair that was tangled from the night breeze.

“I can handle the norms,” he assured her. “You stay here.”