“You feeling okay?” Sam turned and looked at me from the front passenger seat. Jaxson was driving, and he glanced at me in the rearview mirror.
She was being nicer since I’d saved her ass. Hell, even Regina and Tony had warmed up a bit. I never thought I’d see the day.
“I’m fine. Just needed sustenance. How much farther to Billy’s cabin?”
“Twenty-five minutes,” Sam said.
We were deep into Michigan, driving through the heavily wooded Upper Peninsula. I watched the passing trees in the darkness, and my thoughts drifted to the sorcerer. The faceless man. Shivers snaked down my spine.
What would we do if Billy didn’t know where the sorcerer was?
He was after me—my blood—and I had the sinking feeling that he wasn’t going to stop, regardless of whether we got to Billy.
Jaxson and Sam were talking quietly. They’d debated bringing me, but I’d had some sharp words to say about that. I’d reminded them that I’d bested four werewolves on my own and that I’d been the one to rescue Sam. If that didn’t prove I was enough of an asset to bring along, I didn’t know what would.
I silently reached into my backpack and pulled out the scrying potion. Would the sorcerer be there? What if he was planning an ambush with Billy? We needed more information, and I could do something about that. I leaned forward and took a swig of the potion, grimacing as I swallowed it. I knew it was a long shot, but it could make all the difference.
Settling back, I closed my eyes so Jaxson and Sam wouldn’t notice what I was doing. The potion burned through my veins. I concentrated on the sorcerer, and my muscles spasmed as my mind focused and drew me into darkness.
The potion was working faster than I’d anticipated. I glanced around. It was pitch black, and the air tasted stale.
Something was different. A light shone up ahead, and I walked toward it. I was in a cave. The walls were covered in lichen and dripping with water. I stumbled on a rock and silently cursed as the sound echoed through the space. Was it supposed to do that? I’d never heard anything while scrying. The time the sorcerer had spoken to me, I hadn’t actually heard his words—they’d formed in my mind like a thought, rising from my subconscious.
As I drew closer to the light, my nail beds itched, and fear took root in my heart. He was close. I sensed it with every fiber of my being.
My heart pounded against my chest. Last time I’d scried, it had felt like I’d been dreaming, but this…this felt so real, like I was actually here.
I swallowed my rising panic and looked around, taking in every inch of my surroundings so that I could sketch it later. There was nothing specific about this c
ave, though it was dark and creepy as hell.
Up ahead, the cave opened, and a small fire illuminated the space. Two passages split off in the distance, veiled in darkness. Apart from my breathing and my racing heart, it was quiet.
“Savannah,” a low voice whispered.
I spun, but no one was there. Goosebumps erupted across my skin, and panic seized my chest. I couldn’t breathe.
“I’ve been waiting for you, my darling. Come to me, Savannah.”
I just needed to stay long enough to see his face. To know who he was. “Where are you? Show yourself.”
A sinister chuckle echoed through the cavern. “Oh, Savannah. I told you once before: no peeking.”
His voice sent terror right through me, and my chest heaved as I sucked in air. I couldn’t explain my body’s reaction.
Instinct.
“Show your face, you coward.” I spun, feeling dizzy.
Suddenly, a form appeared in front of me, gripping my arms. There was no face, though, just a black, empty, cavernous space. Horror paralyzed me, yet I managed to scream.
I tried to break the vision, but I was stuck.
The form’s grip tightened, and his nails dug into my skin. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This was all wrong.
“We’re one and the same, Savannah. You can’t escape me. I’ll find you, always.” His voice penetrated my mind, filling my soul with a cold darkness that made me want to claw my skin off.
I kicked and wrenched my body, trying to free myself, but my blows didn’t connect. Desperate, I screamed, “Jaxson!”