The sun has set and risen again and still I sit on the mountain. The others have left me to myself. I reach out for Raven. ‘Any change?’ Please be a change.

‘Nothing. Well, that’s not entirely true. If… If you can control yourself, I need you to come. This is important, father.’

I should apologize. I don’t. I sift to her home. Everyone is still here, and the Druids are tense. The two fox women are both upset, the small one sheltered under Nestor’s arm. I glance at the other. She is standing by the window, and it is her that everyone is watching closely.

I turn toward Raven, purposefully not looking at Cora. I’m about to ask her what changed when agony bombards my nervous system. My muscles go rigid as I clench my teeth, sweat beading on my forehead. Roaring in anger, I turn my power inward to find whoever is attacking me. The others circle me, except the Druids. They move to protect Cora, and I respect them more.

I try to focus, breathing shallowly through the excruciating pain. It takes me moments that feel like years to determine it isn’t an attack on me. My body quivers, and my gut twists as the realization hits me. Cora is under attack; the pain is hers. Pivoting and looking down at her, I see a fine sheen of sweat coating every inch of visible skin.

“What?” Sean practically screams at me.

“She’s in such pain. So much pain.” I see red, figuratively and literally. “We must find the bastard that has her.” They all share a look, and it’s my turn to question. “What?”

“The one that has her trapped is Powaqu’s father.” Rage explodes from me as I turn to her slowly.

“I knew you couldn’t be trusted.” Raven’s hand latches onto my arm, stopping my forward motion.

“We’ve already discussed it all, father. She hasn’t seen or heard from him in years. But we have an idea.” Her voice is steady as she tries to break through the haze.

“I got a message from her,” Sean says. My head swivels towards him.

“You should have said that as soon as I got here,” I growl, and he just raises a brow. “Well?”

“She said ‘That’s why we have you, bloodhound. Blood.’ That’s it. Nothing more. We were trying to figure out exactly what she meant or if she even meant it to come to me. It could be nothing more than some fantasy she’s in. Maybe I’m just part of it, or maybe they have her locked in a memory. She said something similar while we were in Valhalla.”

I look between the woman and Sean, then pace toward the window. Focusing on the waves crashing into the rocks below, I let my mind wander and my power out. It flows to the woman, studying her, tasting her. Thinking about Cora’s message, I focus on her body and the scent of her power. Pulling it back, I send it to Raven, going through the same process. My lips curve slightly. Gotcha.

“Raven’s magic and blood has a hint of me in them. And yours has a hint of your father, since the rest of you is purely human. Cora sent Sean that message. She gave us the way to help her.” I crook my finger at the woman, and she moves closer. I flick my hand out, shifting my hand as I do, the long claw slices through her skin on her arm causing her to gasp.

I collect the blood dripping down her arm and use my magic to pull some of hers from her. I bind them together as I turn to Sean.

“Well, come on, bloodhound. Time to hunt.” My face might be too gleeful at the thought of running this fucker to ground, although maybe not since Sean’s face is a reflection of mine. I blink and the enormous grey-green wolf is standing in front of me. His body towers over the couches, and he hardly fits in the room.

Squeezing around him, I open the front doors and walk out into the afternoon light, and he follows right behind me. The others have moved to the doorway, except Aislin who is sitting with Cora. Glancing at them then at him, I nod. “Tonight will be the first night in over a thousand years Cù Sìth will hunt.”

I hold out the bowl, and he lowers his nose, drawing in a deep breath, committing the scents to memory. His howl echoes through the Highlands before he races away. I’m about to shift and follow when she stops at my side, her back straight as an arrow and shoulders stiff.

“Take me with you, I’m not very good at it… dream walking. When I was little, he used to take me with him. I can follow that path. You can’t kill him while he holds her. It would kill her.” Her voice is low but steady, she doesn’t look at me just stares off in the direction Cù Sìth ran. “I know it won’t make up for everything.” She looks at me finally. “But it is something I can do for them all.” She looks behind us at those gathered watching.

My eyes narrow on her. “I will make you wish you were dead if you betray her.” She nods once.

I shift into the dragon again and the rustle behind me lets me know the others are worried. ‘I will cloak myself. She is going with me.’ Raven nods as I hold out my clawed foot, letting Pow climb onto my back. She is barely settled when I leap into the air.

‘We’ll keep her safe.’ I pray they do. My hold on my power and control is tenuous at best. I focus on the great wolf criss-crossing the land, pushing the other out of my mind for now. Nothing I can do about it anyway. I’m positive my demise is inevitable.

We race around the world, hours ticking by as my anger grows, images of Cora being tortured playing on a constant loop. Finally, he slows. We have arrived in America. I feel Powaqu stiffen.

“Welcome home,” I call back through the wind.

Sean runs a grid up and down from the top most point of Canada to the bottom of the United States, over and over. He stops somewhere close to Albuquerque, turning circles, nose to the ground. “Did you lose him?” I call.

His head shakes, and his lip pulls back, fangs glistening in the moonlight. It’s been a whole day, and her pain and terror have come and gone throughout the long hours. Shifting, he stands on the rocks looking south. Landing close to him, I shift, letting the woman fall to the ground. What can I say? I am a dick.

“He’s farther south. Mexico. Central America. I’m not sure.” He stares. “They have to be hiding him, shielding him somehow.”

“Odin.” It sounds like a curse, maybe it is.

Powaqu looks south, resignation lining her face. “I know where he is.” She sighs and turns to me. “Chichen Itza. It is a ruin, but he has protected it since the time he was worshipped there. I’ve never been, but long ago, he showed me in a dream -- rooms hidden and locked in the great pyramid by him a thousand years ago, places no one has ever seen other than a few members of the clan.”

Sean studies her, assessing her, then he looks at me. My turn to decide whether to trust her or not. She could very well be trying to lead us to not only her father but the one he works for. “I don’t believe you’re stupid. I think you know I will destroy you if you are lying to us.” She nods just once, a jerking motion. “Both of you climb on.”

Shifting once again into the dragon, I lower myself down for them to get on. ‘Watch her closely. I still don’t trust her.’ His pfsst is the only response I get. In seconds, we are soaring through the cloudless sky. I climb high and pump my wings, pushing my body as I race to save her.

The sky is brilliant with shades of dark exotic orange, passionate fiery red, and sweet bubblegum pink. The jungle is dark and silent, the animals sensing a predator far more dangerous than anything that normally stalks on deadly feet. We glide to the ground, and this time I let them climb down before shifting. We stand under the canopy of trees and watch the pyramid in silence. I release a whisper of power, just enough to taste the air, looking for traps or anything that will alert him to our arrival. Shaking my head, I stride forward, unwilling to wait a moment longer.

“I don’t need to be in the room with him. If you can just get me close, I should be able to connect and enter the dream.”

Stopping, I look at her and then at Sean. “He will know something is wrong as soon as you appear. We can’t let him get away. You do understand what must happen here, don’t you?” Sean’s voice is hard.

“He must die. We must kill him.” Tears pool in her eyes. “I’m not crying for him now. I want to weep for the girl I was, the one waiting, sitting beneath a sky like the one above us. Her, I’m sad for. He has been dead to me for a long time.” Sean nods, understanding shining in his eyes. Knowing what little I do about his time with his mother, I have no doubt he would have no problem doing it if it was her.

Glancing at the pyramid once again, I realize we need one more. “Wait right here. I’ll be back in a moment.” I leave a flabbergasted Sean staring at the spot I had just been. Appearing once more in Raven’s living room, my eyes land on Michael standing beside Cora, two long steps and I wrap my hand around his arm and disappear with him.

He sputters as we appear beside his brother and the woman. “I told you ‘moments,’ ” I say as she jumps. “We needed the silent killer. He will be able to move in the shadows on soundless feet. While he gets within killing distance, Sean, you must look for others, and I will be beside Powaqu. When she enters the dream, I will release my power. I will not allow him to leave this place.” They all nod. Hers is slow and resigned, but I sense no betrayal from her. For now.

We make our way to the pyramid as the sun starts to appear through the tops of the trees.