Kiss of Fire (Imdalind, #1)(61)

“How many,” he asked Wyn who sat in the passenger seat looking stressed.

“At least a hundred, but they are spread out.”

Ilyan reached around me and firmly placed the seatbelt over my shoulder and waist, placing large bags and suitcases around me in an obvious effort to stabilize me.

“You still need to be quiet, Joclyn.” He placed his hand against the right side of my face, his thumb resting on my mark. I twitched away from the foreign, uncomfortable touch again. “It’s more important to get us out of here alive than in comfort.”

“For Ryland,” I sighed, trying desperately to keep my mind focused.

“For Ryland.” Ilyan slid into the front seat, and turned the key in the ignition, revving the car to life.

“Where is the strongest?” he asked Wyn as he backed the car out of the parking stall.

The force of the car’s movement slammed me into the large bag on my left. I cringed at the pain of the impact.

“There are more bodies to the east, but the strongest power is coming from the north. That would be my guess as to where they are.”

“To the north then.” Ilyan’s jaw clenched as he hit the accelerator and gunned us out of the dark parking garage.

The warm summer sun poured through the back window, and I leaned my head against the seat, letting the sunlight hit my skin a bit. It felt nice; if only this warmth wouldn’t go away, I might be able to endure the pain.

“To the north?” Wyn asked. “You can’t be serious, My Lord. We would be walking into their trap.”

There it was again, My Lord.

“We are already in their trap,” Ilyan reminded her with a growl. He flipped his phone open and pressed it against his ear. “Ovailia,” he spoke the second someone answered the phone, “set a trail to the east; we are going to go to the north. Meet us at the second safe house.”

Ilyan did not wait for a response; he simply threw the phone to the side and turned the car around a sharp left-hand corner, followed by a quick right. My body flung around in the back seat like a rag doll, each impact sending more pain through me.

“What do you suggest we do when we come face-to-face with Edmund?” Wyn asked in a panic.

“We run.” Ilyan pressed the accelerator down all the way as we turned onto the large highway that cut its way through the city.

“Run?”

“Yes, Wynifred, we run. We fly. We save our lives. I can save the battle for later. There are more important things to face tonight.” They turned toward each other as a silent agreement passed between them. Ilyan turned back to the road again and increased our speed. I sat in silence, listening to their quick conversation, their infectious panic creeping into me.

“How far?”

“About two miles.”

“Find all the usable cars, trees, buildings; I need to know what I have to… dammit!” he swore, causing both me and Wyn to jump. The car decelerated, making my body lean forward.

“What?”

“They have a barrier up, so they can track us. Switch me places.”

Wyn didn’t say a word; she simply moved over to the driver’s side as Ilyan moved to the passenger’s side, the car never deviating a millimeter from the road.

“Pace yourself with as many cars as you can, and keep your speed steady,” he instructed, his accented voice filled with insane determination.

“Are you going to try to break through it?”

“No, I am going to demolish it.” Ilyan looked toward Wyn, his face filled with enjoyment or madness, I wasn’t sure which.

Wyn nodded to him once before accelerating, the force sending me against the back of the seat, Ryland’s necklace pressing against my chest.

The necklace was a white hot brand, flaming through me, the warmth pulsing hotter and hotter like the beat of a heart. It was more than just heat though; it was pain beyond my own: hate, love, fear, and excruciating heartbreak. None of the emotions were mine, but with that one touch, they filled me; they destroyed me. I couldn’t help it, the second it burned into me, my mouth opened in an agonizing scream. My voice ricocheted around the car, growing louder in the cramped space.

I heard Ilyan yell along with me as a bright light moved away from him through the window, only to explode against an invisible force that broke into a million pieces. As the wall broke, my scream continued, only silencing when Ilyan turned to clamp his hand over my mouth.

“You need to drive as fast as you can, Wynifred; they know exactly where we are.” He removed his hand from my mouth, and I instantly clamped my mouth shut.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly “The necklace… it’s in pain.” I didn’t know why I had said that, but the phrasing was right. The emotions that the necklace filled me with felt as if it was in severe pain.

Ilyan’s eyes grew wide, his jaw clenching. He looked over my head sharply as he looked for something. I could see his clenched jaw pulse angrily.

“Fast, Wynifred; they are both here.”

Wyn hit the gas, and we sped away from the cars we had been pacing with. All the cars became blurs as we soared by them, the black Mazda swerving in and out between the others on the highway.

“What do you think of your brilliant plan now?” Wyn grumbled as she cut in front of a yellow Hummer.

“Faster Wyn!” Ilyan screamed.