And I know why.
And now I also know what to do with myself, where I'm going, what I'll be, and it's funny, because it's all in my name anyway. I am going to hunt down those who ripped my family apart, and I won't stop until I draw Yr on their faces with their blood.
— Giomanach
I was barely two miles from my house when I saw the headlights behind me. First there was nothing, not another car in sight. Then I rounded a corner, and suddenly the lights were right there in my rearview mirror, blinding me, filling my car as if it were lit from within. I squinted and flashed my brakes a few times, but whoever it was didn't pass or turn off the brights. The headlights drew closer.
I slowed Das Boot, sending the message of "get off my tail," but the other car glued itself to my bumper, tailgating me. Mild road rage started to build. Who could be following me like this? Some practical joker, a jerk kid with his dad's car? I jammed my foot on the gas, but the car sped up as 1 did. The tires skidded slightly as I rounded another corner. The car matched my movement. A prickle of nervousness shot down my spine. My wipers were click-clicking away-matching my pulse—clearing away the falling snow. I couldn't see any other lights on the road. We were alone.
Okay. Something was definitely wrong. I'd heard stories about car jackers… but I was in a 71 Valiant. No matter how much I loved it, I doubted anyone would try to steal it from me by force, especially not in the middle of a snowstorm. So what was this idiot doing?
My eyes shot to the rearview mirror. The headlights bored into my pupils. I blinked, trying to clear my vision of a sea of purple dots. Anger began to turn to fear. I could barely see a thing in the darkness. nothing except those lights, the lights that seemed to grow in strength with each passing second. But for some reason, I couldn't hear the other car's engine. It was as if—
Magick.
The word slithered into my thoughts like a snake.
I bit my lip. Maybe that wasn't a car behind me at all. Maybe those two lights were some manifestation of a magickal force. I had a sudden, vivid memory of Hunter Niall peering under Cal's Explorer, of Cal showing me that rune-inscribed stone. We knew Hunter had tried to use magick on us once already. What if he was doing it again now, to me?
Home, I thought. I just needed to get home. I flipped up my mirror so the light wouldn't blind me. But there was about another mile and a half of road until I made it to my street. That was actually pretty far. "Crap," I muttered, and my voice shook a little. With my right hand I drew signs on my dashboard: Eolh, for protection; Ur, for strength; and Rad, for travel….
The lights seemed to flash even brighter in my mirror. My left hand jerked involuntarily on the steering wheel. All at once I felt something bumpy under my wheels.
Before I knew it, I was sliding sideways out of control into the deep drainage ditch. Goddess! I screamed silently. Fear and adrenaline pierced my body, a slew of invisible arrows. My hands gripped the steering wheel. I had lost control; the tires screeched. Das Boot lurched sideways on an ice slick, like a heavy white glacier.
The next few seconds unfolded in slow motion. With a sickening crunch the car's nose rammed a pile of ice and snow. I jerked forward and heard the shattering of a headlight Then silence. The car was no longer moving. But for a few seconds I sat there—paralyzed, unable to move. I was conscious only of my own breathing. It came in quick, uneven gasps.
All right, I finally said to myself. I'm not hurt.
When I lifted my head, I thought I saw the briefest flash of two red taillights, vanishing into the night.
My eyes narrowed. So… it had been a real car after all.
With a trembling sigh I turned off the engine. Then I threw open the door and hoisted myself out of the driver's seat—no easy feat considering Das Boot was skewed at a crazy angle. It was hard to concentrate, but I called on my magesight and peered down the road in the direction that the car had disappeared. All I saw, though, were trees, sleeping birds, the faint glow of living nocturnal creatures.
The car was gone.
I leaned against my door, breathing hard, my fists clenched inside my pockets. Even though I was pretty sure those lights hadn't been magickal, the fear didn't subside. Somebody had run me off the road. Das Boot was hopelessly lodged in the ditch. A lump formed in my throat I was on the verge of bursting into tears, shaking like a leaf. What was going on? I remembered the runes I had drawn on the dash right before the wreck, and now I redrew them in the chill air around me. Eolh, Ur, Rad. The brisk movement helped calm me slightly, at least enough for me to try to figure out what to do.
Actually, there was pretty much only one option. I had to walk the rest of the way home. I didn't have a cell phone, so I couldn't call anyone for help. And I didn't exactly feel like waiting around in the darkness on this frozen, lonely road all by myself.
Heaving open the driver's door again, I fished inside for my backpack and carefully locked Das Boot. I shook my head. It was going to be a long, miserable march to my house. But as I heaved the backpack across my shoulder, a flash of dim light illuminated the snowflakes around me, and I heard the faint rumble of a motor. I turned to see a car slowly approaching… from the same direction the lights had vanished.
The flash of relief I'd briefly felt at the possibility of being rescued evaporated as the car rolled to a stop, not fifteen feet from where I stood. The headlights weren't nearly as bright but for all I knew, this was the same car. Maybe the person driving had decided to turn around and finish me off, or—
My insides clenched. The license plate, the grating of the tan BMW… I recognized it even before the passenger window unrolled. It was Bree's car.
Bree looked across from the driver's seat, her eyes outlined in black, her skin pale and perfect We regarded each other silently for a few moments. I hoped I didn't look as freaked out and disheveled as I felt. I wanted to radiate strength.
"What happened, Morgan?" she asked.
I opened my mouth, then closed it. My eyes narrowed as a horrible thought struck me. Could Bree have been the one who'd run me into the ditch?
It was possible. There were no other cars on the road. She could have made a U-turn up ahead and come back to see what had happened to me. But… Bree? Hurt me?
Remember what you heard in the bathroom, a voice inside chimed. She gave your hair to a witch. Remember.
Maybe things had changed permanently. Maybe Bree no longer cared about me at all. Or maybe Sky Eventide had put her up to this—as a stunt to scare me, the same way that Sky had forced her to turn over a lock of my hair. A thousand thoughts pounded against my skull, aching to be let out, to be heard: Oh God, Bree, don't let them fool you! I'm worried about you. I miss you. You're being so stupid. I'm sorry. I need to talk to you. Don't you know what's happened to me? I'm adopted. I'm a blood witch. I'm Woodbane. I'm sorry about Cal—
"Morgan?" she prodded, her brow furrowed.
I cleared my throat. "I hit a patch of ice," I said. I gestured unnecessarily to Das Boot.
"Are you okay?" she asked stiffly. "Did you hurt yourself?"
I shook my head. "I'm fine."
She blinked. "Do you want a ride home?"
I took a deep breath but shook my head again. I couldn't get into her car. Not when she might have been the one who had run me off the road in the first place. Even though I could hardly believe I was having such horrible thoughts about someone who had once been my best friend, I didn't dare risk it
"Are you sure?" she pressed.
"I'll be fine," I mumbled.