With his free hand, Clay cupped the back of Dane’s neck and pulled him in until their foreheads touched. “I am returning to you. I swear it,” Clay growled.
“I’m holding you to that.”
“Guys, I’m already nauseated from the concussion. I don’t need this as well,” Grey complained.
Dane’s lips quirked into a small smirk, and he winked at Clay. It wasn’t much, but it meant that Clay could leave Dane alone at the trucks and turn his entire focus on getting Baer. Even if it meant tearing apart each pestilent he found until Baer was returned to them.
Clay allowed himself one quick, hard kiss before he released Dane and walked with Grey toward the front of Jo’s truck. They cut through the trees that lined the road, heading toward the dirt driveway they could see not too far ahead. Clay reached out, letting his hands run across the rough bark of the trees. His powers came from the dirt and earth beneath his feet, but the trees were so deeply connected to the earth, they were a conduit for that power. They whispered things he couldn’t quite understand in a language all their own, but he got an overwhelming sense of relief. Relief that he was there. Relief that he would make everything better.
“I understand not wanting to make the boyfriend worry, but what exactly is the plan, Clay?” Grey asked a little testily.
“How many were there?” Clay said, ignoring Grey’s comment for now.
“I’m not sure.” Clay glared at Grey over his shoulder and Grey glared right back, pointing at his head. “It happened fast. We didn’t know they were there. I’d say a safe guess was half a dozen, but I’m not one hundred percent sure. Could be more, could be less.”
Clay resumed walking until they reached the edge of a tree line. In the distance, they found that the dirt driveway ended with a pair of SUVs and an old barn that was starting to lean heavily toward the left. Not a sound structure in the least.
“Unless there are humans in there, your powers aren’t going to be much help,” Clay murmured. His eyes darted over the building, trying to take it in along with any sign of Baer or even the pestilents. There were little hints of movement, but he didn’t see any pestilent guards outside the barn.
“Glad you realize that,” Grey murmured. Clay glanced over at him, and Grey gave a little shrug. “I didn’t want you to formulate a plan where I’m doing something magically spectacular. It just isn’t going to happen.”
“Are you armed?”
Grey reached down and pulled out a knife that had been in a sheath on his belt under his untucked T-shirt. Clay was just grateful Dane hadn’t seen that monster when they’d been standing by the trucks.
“Found it in the truck. Figured this was why it was in there.”
Clay grunted and glanced at the barn. “I’m going into the field to the left of the barn to cause a distraction. Draw out as many as I possibly can. I want you to slash their tires so they can’t follow us. Then you need to sneak inside and get Baer. Get him out of there.”
“And what exactly are you doing once you get the attention of all those pestilents?”
Clay was silent, his lips pressed into a hard line. He didn’t fucking know what he was doing, but he and his powers were going to fucking figure it out.
“You realize this is a trap, right?” Grey continued. “They’ve never tried to grab us. They just wanted us dead on the spot. Grabbing Baer, keeping him alive…he’s bait.”
“Yeah, I get that, but we’re not leaving him.”
Grey smirked. “No, we’re not.”
Clay took in a deep breath, and he felt a small surge of energy from the tree he had his hand resting on, as if the earth were trying to give him a last boost of reassurance before he broke from the tree line to the closest SUV.
He was hunkered as low as possible, trying to keep his steps quiet along the dirt and bits of gravel. The air was still. There were no rustlings of leaves or even songs from birds overhead in the trees. When the pestilents were near, all life seemed to shrink away as if they knew those creatures didn’t belong there, that they had evil intentions.
Peeking around the corner of the first SUV, he saw two pestilents pacing across the entrance of the barn, looking not at all pleased about something. The interior of the barn was too dark in contrast to the bright sunlight outside to make out anything. Gritting his teeth against his mounting fear and frustration, he moved quickly to the second SUV parked next to the first. From his new position, he couldn’t see any more of the barn or the pestilents. They were heading into this fight with far too little information, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Baer was injured, and the longer they waited, the worse he’d get.