Chapter 31

MISTY

“Hurry,” Adam hissed in my ear, his voice urgent and strained.

Walking backward, one step at a time, we crossed the road and edged closer to the car while Lloyd continued to pound on the barrier. And as my strength waned, my anxiety spiked.

To have your mate hunt you was bad enough, but Lloyd wasn’t just any wolf, and that’s why he told me to leave. On the day of the gala, I’d been convinced he would kill me, and this felt like déjà vu.

Lloyd never broke eye contact, and I saw the depth of despair in his eyes. The alpha command would stay in place until rescinded, and he would not stop. He’d hunt me relentlessly until I broke the curse. How could I have been so stupid?

I just hoped I could maintain the barrier for a bit longer.

Adam yanked open the driver’s door and pulled me inside with such force that I was slammed against the steering wheel, the hard metal digging painfully into my ribs.

Panic surged through me as I fumbled for the door handle, my fingers trembling.

I managed to slam the door shut, sealing us inside, and then scrambled awkwardly over Adam, who was already trying to start the car.

My knees bumped against the gearshift, and I nearly fell into the passenger seat, my heart hammering in my chest.

I could barely catch my breath as I focused on one thought: I had to maintain the barrier until Adam could get us out of here.

The strain of holding it together was exhausting, like trying to keep a dam from bursting with nothing but my hands. Every second felt like an eternity.

Suddenly, Lloyd appeared at my side in his massive, menacing wolf form. His fur bristled, and his eyes locked onto me with an intensity that made my blood run cold.

He lunged forward, his snout pressing against the barrier with such force that it rippled and dented, bending dangerously inward until his nose nearly touched the window.

A deep, guttural growl rumbled from his throat, vibrating through the air and into my very bones. I flinched, instinctively pulling back as far as the cramped space allowed.

The barrier wavered under the pressure, and for a moment, I feared it would shatter altogether.

But just as quickly as he had appeared, Lloyd vanished from sight, leaving behind only the echo of his growl and the lingering tension in the air.

“Drive,” I shouted at Adam, panic creeping into my voice.

My heart raced even faster, and my thoughts whirled as I struggled to keep the barrier intact. Adam’s hand tightened on the gearshift, and with a quick glance at me, he floored the gas pedal.

The car roared to life, and we sped down the road, but I knew Lloyd was following; there was no escaping him.

“What now?” Adam shouted back, his eyes flicking between the windows and the rearview mirror.

“Drive into the city where there are lots of lights. Take the highway. We should be able to outrun him like that.”

“He is not like other wolves. He will follow your scent. Fuck, I knew this was a bad idea…”

“We don’t have a choice,” I retorted, my mind racing for solutions. “We need to lose him in the city. The lights, the noise, the crowds—they’ll confuse his senses.”

Adam nodded grimly, accelerating as we hit the main road. The car’s speedometer climbed, and the trees blurred past. The strain and emotional turbulence made my head pound.

As we neared the city’s outskirts, the first signs of civilization came into view—streetlights, buildings, and the distant hum of traffic. I glanced back, half-expecting to see Lloyd’s wolf chasing us, but the road was empty.

“Maybe we lost him,” Adam said, though his voice lacked conviction.

“Don’t know, but he can’t turn invisible in electric light or sunlight,” I muttered, scanning the surroundings.

~“Your spark has gone out. We shouldn’t have gone there…,”~ Cammy whined.

We weaved through the city streets, the bright lights casting eerie shadows. I saw Lloyd in every shadow but knew my mind was playing tricks on me. I was exhausted and felt a wave of dizziness.

“What are we going to do?” Adam asked worriedly.

“Drive until the sun comes up, and then we’ll go to the barn. He won’t be able to find us,” I said despairingly. No matter where I went, he would find me.

“He’ll be able to smell you…,” Adam contradicted in disbelief.

“I know,” I lashed out. “We’ll pack up and drive to Monolith.”

“Have you tried linking him?” he asked.

I shook my head. I was too scared to.

“Try, then we’ll know if he’s close…,” Adam suggested.

I swallowed audibly. ~“Lloyd?”~ I linked hesitantly.

There was no response, and I heaved a sigh of relief. Axel had told him to taunt me, and I didn’t think I could deal with that, not after everything that had happened.

“He’s not responding.”

Adam drove up and down the city streets, always in well-lit, busy areas. I couldn’t keep my eyes open and dozed off numerous times, utterly exhausted and discouraged.

I had never been happier than when the sun came up. We refueled, and I bit my lip the entire time, my head swinging back and forth anxiously.

“Okay, let’s head for the barn. He can’t outrun us, and we’ll be in and out in ten minutes,” I assured Adam.

“Okay, try to sleep because you’ll have to drive. I’m exhausted,” Adam said, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Again, he’d saved my life, putting his own in danger. Axel could have given him an alpha command, and I would have been at their mercy.

I’d been impulsive, fueled by the magic running in my veins. I hoped the distraction I caused aided everyone else, and with any luck, my dad got away.

Adam drove much faster once we got closer to the barn, swerving left and right to avoid the potholes and stopping as close as possible to the stones.

We looked around, but neither of us could see any movement, and wherever Lloyd was, he wasn’t close.

Hopping out of the car, I quickly opened the door, and Adam drove in. I closed the doors and bolted them securely. I was so wired that I stood momentarily at a loss, not knowing what to do next.

“What do we need to pack?” I asked Adam as he exited the car, which had returned to its customary white color. His shoulders visibly drooped with exhaustion.

“Most of my stuff is in the trunk. You wanna pack the candles…?” he trailed off and pointed at the mirror and bowl on the coffee table.

“Yes.” I gathered everything in my arms, stowed it in a plastic bag I found lying around, and dumped it in Adam’s trunk.

I was just as exhausted, and driving for hours on end wasn’t appealing. Lloyd would find me eventually, and going to Monolith would endanger countless people.

I’d have to find some way to stop him, but it looked bleak. I couldn’t break the allegiance spell without knowing what item was used.

~“If only we had stayed here, Axel wouldn’t have seen us,”~ Cammy lamented.

~“No use crying over spilled milk,”~ I said guiltily.

“Got everything?” Adam asked. “I want to get away from here, and honestly, the only place I feel safe is in the car.”

“Only if the protective barrier is in pla—”

I broke off in dismay when I heard pounding on the wall, making us jump in fright. Fuck, Lloyd had found us. He’d masked his scent, and we couldn’t smell him.

I looked desperately at Adam, but there was nowhere to go. We were trapped, and Lloyd was strong enough to break the door.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find you, witch,” Lloyd rasped, and my heart sank to my stomach. His tone was harsh and filled with loathing.

Again, he pounded his fist against the wall, but now it was in a different place, and I knew he was looking for the door. The next hit rattled the hinges ominously. I looked at Adam, but he was frozen, his eyes wide and fearful.

~“Get the grimoire and get to the loft. Maybe there’s a spell you can use,”~ Cammy advised urgently.

Her words broke my paralysis, and I grabbed my backpack from the car. “The loft,” I mouthed at Adam, hurrying up the ladder.

“Can you pull up the ladder?” I whispered once Adam climbed up.

Lloyd banged again, the wood groaning, the hinges squealing. Adam knelt and tried to pull the ladder up, but it was nailed down.

I hastily dug the grimoire out of the backpack and paged through it, but my heart was racing, and the banging was so loud that I could barely concentrate.

~“Focus,”~ Cammy shouted.

Crippled by fear, I paged haphazardly as the door gave way with a shudder. A naked Lloyd strolled in, his face ashen. His gaze immediately snapped up, and he looked at me with eyes that reflected his sorrow and belied his actions.

All the hairs on my body stood up as I watched him saunter casually to the ladder. “Your time is up, and I’m going to break every bone in your body, starting with your fingers,” he gritted.

My breathing accelerated, and I considered jumping out of the hay door, but he would be on me in a flash. Adam pushed me behind him, but he’d never best Lloyd, and I couldn’t and wouldn’t have his death on my conscience.

In desperation, I flicked to the next page, my eyes catching the Latin word ~Somnun~. A sleep spell might work, and I was out of time.

~“Do it now,”~ Cammy shouted.

Lloyd was already climbing the ladder, and I knocked Adam out of the way and chanted desperately as Lloyd stepped onto the deck and rose to his feet fluidly. His face was grim, and that scared me more than anything.

~“Lavender and crystal’s soothing grace. Bring restful dreams to this sacred space. Calm and peace now fill the air. Grant Lloyd slumber without a care. As I will it, so must it be, blessed sleep, come now to thee.”~ My voice rose with every word until I was shouting.

Lloyd was already reaching for me when he faltered, and his knees gave way, a look of surprise on his face.

His eyes were filled with relief as they closed, and he fell sideways to the floor. The spell had cost so much energy I stumbled and almost fell.

“How long do you think it will last?” I asked Adam, my hands propped on my knees and breathing heavily.

“I don’t know, but I’m not waiting to find out.” He grabbed the backpack and my elbow, yanked me to the ladder, and we hurriedly descended. I gasped when I saw the barn door was hanging on one hinge and blocking the exit. How the fuck would we get out of here?

“Get in. I’m going to drive through it, and I don’t care if it fucks up my car,” Adam said urgently.

I turned to look up at the loft, but I couldn’t see Lloyd from this angle. Adam revved the engine, and I hurriedly got in the car. As he reversed under it, the barn door tilted to the side, scraping the roof and crashing to the floor behind us.

My chest tightened, and I could barely breathe. Emotions engulfed me, and I sobbed my heart out.