Chapter 29
Carter
I sniffed the air. “Her scent is coming from the same direction we heard the screams.”
Kevin sniffed. “She’s with a handful of my family members. We have to hurry.”
“Is this the direction of that cabin?” Che asked.
Kevin nodded. “It isn’t far.”
I reached into a pocket for my phone only to realize it wasn’t there. I’d had to leave it in my car, close to where we’d left our clothes to shift. Now I wore an itchy outfit we’d found about a mile back. And Kevin had been right—everything was sorely out of style.
Before leaving my phone, I’d told Toby everything I knew, including where the cabin was located. He said he’d pass the information on to Tap and Gessilyn.
The thought of Katya being held captive by the traditional jaguars sent waves of fury through me. What were they doing to her, given they thought they owned her? I shuddered at the thought.
I’d make them pay. Whatever they did to her, I would double onto them. They would regret ever crossing paths with me.
“We’re getting close.” Kevin’s voice broke through my thoughts.
“What’s the plan?” I turned to him. “Bust in and take them down?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of figuring out which room she’s in and then breaking her out.”
“That works, too.”
Che froze. “Do you hear that?”
Kevin and I paused.
Footsteps.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Someone was close, and moving quickly.
“Who’s there?” Che called out.
My muscles burned as I prepared to shift at a moment’s notice.
Muffled voices sounded.
Kevin, Che, and I exchanged concerned glances. I clenched my fists and prepared for the worst.
Jet, Bobby, and Alex stepped out between some bushes. They all jumped into defensive positions, but then relaxed.
“Did you find them?” Jet asked.
“That way.” Kevin nodded in the direction we were heading.
“Where’s Toby?” I demanded.
“He’s waiting with the witches. Gessilyn is finishing up a spell that should render the jaguars unable to shift for a while.”
“Including us?” I exclaimed.
“Not if you stay out of the way.”
“What about Tap? Is he coming?”
“As far as I know. He was calling in some favors.”
I raked my fingers through my hair. “So, in other words, it’s just us for now.”
“Pretty much.”
“Let’s do this.”
“What are you wearing?” Bobby arched a brow. “You guys look like you just stepped out of Dirty Dancing.”
I glared at him. “We had to borrow clothes. Come on. Focus. We have to save Katya.”
“Save me?”
I whirled around. Katya stood behind me with some kid. I threw my arms around her and spun her in a circle. “I’ve never been happier to see anyone in my entire life!”
“Me too, but we have to go!”
“They’re right behind us,” said the kid. “They’re going to find us if we don’t leave.”
Kevin stood taller and tightened his expression. “Good.”
“Good?” Katya exclaimed.
“It’s time we confront them.”
“We’re outnumbered!” Katya pleaded with her eyes. “They have weapons.”
Kevin turned to the new kid. “You take her to safety. We’re going to deal with them.”
Katya’s mouth dropped open. “Why? I’m away from them. Let’s go.”
I held her close. “They’re never going to give up. We have to face off with them.”
The new kid shook his head vigorously. “The rest of the family is headed this way. They want to fight. We don’t stand a chance.”
I glared at him. “There’s no other choice. We have to fight them, or they’ll never back down. As in, ever. They’ll keep coming after Katya, after Kevin, and now after you. If we don’t take them down, they’re only going to get worse. You should know that if you grew up with them.”
“We can hide.”
“That doesn’t work,” Kevin said. “Nobody knows that more than I do.”
Katya pulled away from me and took his hand. “But we can fight them later. On our terms.”
“We already have people headed our way. They’re going to help us. Soon, we’ll outnumber them.”
She turned to me. “You can’t be in on this, can you? Letting my dad fight?”
“You think I can’t hold my own?” Kevin arched a brow.
“I think you need time, Dad. Just hours ago, you were bound to that bed.”
“And now I’m not. You’re more than welcome to head back. Your mom and sister are worried about us. Not that I can blame them. We can’t tell them about us being shifters.”
“Cloaking spells,” Katya said. “We can carry on with those. They’ve worked for—”
I shook my head. “That’s no way to live.”
She turned to me. “I can’t ask my dad to jump into this after all he’s been through.”
“Nobody’s asking me,” Kevin said. “This is my fight. I’m the one who decided to walk away. I knew the consequences, and I’m still willing to fight for them. Now I actually stand a chance with all you guys on my side.”
“That’s what you think.”
We all spun around toward the voice.
Three groups of about ten shifters each stepped out between the trees.
They outnumbered us.