Hunted (War of the Covens 1)

“I always am,” she whispered weakly, and then realized she had better stop clinging to the teacher’s arm or she would definitely get sent to the nurse’s office. She straightened. “I just a need a moment. I promise.”

“OK.”

After the teacher let her go, she headed toward the nearest bathroom to pull herself together. Then the pain, ten times intensified, blasted her head and her body against the lockers in the hallway. She wasn’t even aware of smacking the back of her skull against them or sliding to the floor. What she was aware of was the icy cloying she’d felt on the faerie who’d pretended to be Jaeden, and with it disrupted images of blood and a horror-filled eye. The eye was a familiar dark blue.

Caia snapped her eyes open, her breath rapid, glad to be alone in the halls. And then the panic set in, and tears of frustration and anger poured down her cheeks. Angry at her own weakness and damnable habit of crying, she swiped at the salty streams with enough force to leave red splotches.

“Jaeden,” she whispered in agony.

Jae was being tortured again. Right now. As Caia lay there in a useless lump of hysterics, Jae was in extreme physical pain. But what terrified Caia most was the bleak numbness she’d felt swelling out of Jaeden.

If they didn’t get to her soon, it wouldn’t matter if they found her breathing.

They would be bringing back a dead lykan.

Cutting class was nothing to Caia. The world had shifted enough on its axis for such things as war, torture, and imminent death to put perfect attendance on the back burner. After giving herself a good talking-to, Caia scrambled to her feet and went after Sebastian. He was in Shop and sneaked out easily enough.

“What’s happening?” he asked as they slid into his car.

“It’s Jae,” she whispered, choking on the name. “She’s … it’s getting worse.”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles white with rage. “What’s happening to her?”

“Believe me, Sebastian, you don’t want to know.”

“Yes, I do,” he snapped.

Caia drew a breath, grabbing either side of her seat as he whirled them out of the parking lot. “You might want to cool it, or we’ll never make it to my house.”

After he eased off the accelerator, Caia explained what she could of the images she’d seen.

“And you’re sure it definitely means Jae’s being—” He cut off, flinching. The thought of sweet Jaeden being subjected to anything as horrifying as torture was too unbearable to voice out loud.

“Yes. It’s not dreams. I don’t know how or why I know with such certainty, but I do.”

“I believe you. I wish to Artemis I didn’t, but I do.”

They remained in tense silence until they pulled into Lucien’s driveway. Sebastian exhaled. “Dimitri and the others are back,” he said.

Caia didn’t wait for him to shut off the engine. She was out of the car and rushing toward the house with him on her heels.

He caught up with her just as she was about to open the door. His hand gripped her wrist almost painfully.

“What?” She whirled on him, trying to pull out of his grasp.

Sebastian’s eyes flicked from hers to the house. “Are you going to tell them what you saw?”

Dimitri.

He would go ballistic at this news.

“Oh. I didn’t think.”

They stood for a moment in silence.

“Well,” Sebastian whispered, “I don’t think it would be wise. It would be different if you knew where she was. They obviously didn’t find her, or you wouldn’t have had those visions.”

She nodded, her shoulders slumping. “I don’t want to lie.”

He seemed to understand and drew her into a hug, his chin resting on the top of her head. “No one blames you, Caia, for who you are. How many times do you have to be told?”

She didn’t say anything. It wouldn’t matter how many times they told her she was blameless; she would never believe it. If they’d just left her in hiding, none of this would’ve happened.

Seb’s arms tightened around her, and she knew before the familiar dark voice said, “Am I interrupting?” that Lucien was standing in the doorway.

She drew out of Sebastian’s hold and winced. Crap. She didn’t even have to be half magik to understand Sebastian’s body language. He looked Lucien straight in the eye and kept a possessive arm around Caia’s shoulders. Jeez. She really had to remember to lay off touching Sebastian. It sent the wrong message.

A little worried, she glanced up at Lucien from under her eyelashes. He looked furious.

She stepped out of Sebastian’s embrace.

“I have news,” she explained. “But I don’t want Dimitri to know.”

Lucien’s expression changed, eyes filled with concern. “Jaeden’s not—”

“No,” she reassured quickly, still whispering, “but I think our time is running out.”

He nodded and stepped onto the porch with them, shutting the door behind him. He brushed past them, perhaps knocking Sebastian back deliberately, and they followed him as he wandered down to the driveway to be farther from the house.