I don’t know. I don’t think so. But I can hardly breathe. I think you might be holding me too tight.
Sorry. He released his death grip on her waist, though he still kept her pressed firmly against him. He doubted she could levitate. Some of the more powerful witches and warlocks could. But until tonight, Emma had kept the brakes on her power, so she probably couldn’t.
“We’re pretty high up, aren’t we?”
He cleared his mind and became aware she was shaking head to foot. She’d only flown one time before with him, but that had been two months ago.
Still holding her in a firm clasp, he told her to plant her feet on his right boot. He eased her down a little until she connected. When she did, he felt her relax right away.
“That helps so much.” As she slid an arm around his neck, she glanced around. “How high would you say we are?”
“About half a mile.”
“Oh, my God. But what happened? What was that back there and how did you think to move us so fast?”
Vaughn told her the exact sequence. “When you were doubled over, I felt fingers on my face. It was the girls, right?”
“Yes, they’d just left their bodies. They were flying around us, shrieking so loud I could hardly stand it. Didn’t you hear them?”
“No, but I could sense a warning in their touch. That’s when I gabbed you.”
“The gunfire was deafening. I take it all seven officers were firing.”
“Not seven. There were at least twelve.”
Emma groaned. “Then Loghry really wanted us dead.”
“No question. It also means he won’t quit until we are.”
Adrenaline had his nerves on edge. He needed to take her somewhere, but if Loghry was after them, where could they go to be safe?
He gathered up his vampire shielding ability and let it flow.
“What is that?” Emma turned slightly in his arms.
“The only defense I have against you spellcasters.”
“Your vampire ability to disguise yourself?”
“Exactly. You okay with that?”
An odd chuckle escaped her throat. “My kind just tried to kill me. So yeah, I’m okay with whatever you need to do.”
r />
“Well, right now, I’m trying to figure out where we should go. My townhouse won’t be safe. Not now. Maybe never, after tonight. But what about your home in Elegance? I know you told me you have a powerful security-spell over the entire property.”
“I do. And I’m sure we would be safe there.”
~ ~ ~
As Vaughn turned toward the east and began to fly her in the direction of Elegance Territory, Emma asked him to go slow. Not because she was afraid, but because she’d never seen this part of Five Bridges from high overhead before.
Her right leg was bothering her a little. Maybe one of the bullets had nicked her, but it probably wasn’t anything serious. She’d have a look when she got home.
He kept them moving steadily east, toward Elegance and even began a slow descent so she could see the land better.
Five Bridges had over a hundred small bridges linking up the pitted landscape. Long ditches crisscrossed the land as part of a containment solution to the drug and human trafficking problem that had been a result of the flame revolution. Those ditches, thousands of them, were almost impossible to traverse. Yet, dozens of runners, loaded with flame drugs, tried night after night to get to the human world beyond the barrier of barbed wire. Too many succeeded, though a large number died in the process.