My nemesis stood in the middle of the wolves, who twitched and growled around him, waiting for something to kill. He was talking to a young man with a rifle in his hands. Halfer gestured around the valley, obviously telling the man to find us no matter what it took. Everything about him screamed frustration, from the frown on his face to his bunched up, bulky shoulders.
There was no way we were getting out of this cave without someone noticing, and I doubted it would be long before some wolf got our scent. The best werewolves in the country were down there in that pack. They would eventually catch something in the air and it would lead them back to us. We would be caught. We could run back into the tunnels, but we would have to face the wolves at the gate. This was what it meant to be caught between a rock and a hard place. I was just grateful the artifact didn’t work on Lee because while the gate might have stopped him, he could have tracked my scent through the ground. If Lee had been tracking me, he would have been waiting when I emerged from the caves.
“See, sweetheart,” Dev breathed into my ear as he pointed. “There’s Zack.”
A brown wolf prowled the edges of the massive pack, circling around. His gaze would stray to the tent every now and then, waiting and watching for his chance to get past the guard. We were damn lucky the guard hadn’t gone in there or he might have discovered Daniel’s coffin and the small army of pixies we’d ordered to stay behind so the wolves didn’t try to eat them.
Halfer suddenly held the paw up. Behind me, Lee groaned. The wolves stopped what they were doing and all focused on their new master. After a moment, I watched as four small groups of wolves took off in various directions, no doubt trying to figure out where we’d gone. Even worse, one of the men was now walking up toward the house, toting his rifle behind him. He was going to search the house and eventually he would find the door we had been forced to leave open. We’d bolted the gate from the inside but I was certain Halfer had come prepared.
“Damn it. I hope he doesn’t have any C-4.” Dev didn’t sound too hopeful because I was sure if he was running this, he would have come prepared. “Screw our contracts, Zoey. From now on I’m bringing in weapons whether our allies like it or not.”
This was the second time our playing by the rules had cost us with Halfer.
“Do you see the way he has to hold up the paw when he wants the wolves to do something other than prowl?” I pointed out.
He nodded. “He’s been doing it a lot. I think he has to do it to maintain such a large group. And he obviously has to remain in direct contact with it.”
“How good is your brother with that bow of his?” I wished I didn’t have to rely on that bastard, but we were running out of time.
Dev got still as he followed my line of thought. He shook his head because he knew I was right. “He’s the best archer in generations. It’s like the weapon is a part of his body. Even so, it’s a small target and we’re a long way away.”
Declan snorted behind us where he had crawled forward to listen in like the sneaky bitch he was. “I could hit that with my eyes closed and the rest of my body engaged in a bit of fornication.”
It was time for my brother-in-law to stop talking and do a little walking because the minute they got that gate open, we were going to be surrounded.
“I am going to need a better perch than this, however.” Declan craned his neck to look around. “I would have a much better spot if I climb up a bit, but then I would be exposed.”
The three of us moved back in the cave so we could speak more freely and the others could hear us.
“If the prince climbs out of the cave, they will shoot him,” Padric pointed out because guarding the royal was his chief occupation in life.
“We need a diversion.” Dev ran his fingers through his hair. “This is where the grenades would have been helpful, John.”
“You really like blowing shit up, don’t you, Quinn?” McKenzie asked, rolling his eyes. He looked like a man who’d had to blow up too many things to think it was cool anymore.
He did, I acknowledged silently. Daniel had forced Dev to watch far too many action movies in the last couple of months. After exploring the oeuvre of Michael Bay, Dev had started buying all kinds of exotic explosives. He was now obsessed with big bangs. He sometimes forgot that small diversions could work just as well.
I suddenly had one of those awful ideas in my head. I get really dumb ideas from time to time. They usually end with me dying or getting my ass handed to me.
“So you want the faery to shoot the damn paw out of Halfer’s hand?” Lee asked, leaning against the cave wall. “What’s to stop Halfer from running back to get it?”
“Uhmm, the wolves who suddenly get their free will back,” I explained. “I think they might be pissed off and not at us.”
“This is a terrible plan,” Padric said, shaking his head.
“It’s the only one we have.” I really hated this rule-by-committee thing. It was easier when I was running my own damn crew. I just had to deal with Daniel’s objections because everyone else knew I was the boss. I hated having to justify everything. It was just about time to act and let the others follow my lead.
“The fact that everyone’s attention would suddenly be on Declan could give Zack the shot he needs at taking out the guard and getting to Daniel.” Dev stared out the cave, thinking.
“Nice, brother,” Declan said but even as he groused, he was snapping those imperious fingers. “So I am to be bait. That is a loving way to describe the man who shared a womb with you.” Reality twisted around a tall Fae with long blond hair. He handed Declan his bow and arrow with a deferential bow and gave Padric a long silver sword.
“Are we needed, Your Highness?” The guard asked the question with an academic tone.
Declan waved him off. “Not yet, Geary. The cave is too small for all of us. You may go.”
Neil’s eyes were wide as the Fae disappeared again. “That was cool.”
“Well,” Declan said with a small smile. “I suppose we will see now if I am faster than those bullets Zoey is so impressed with.”
But I had no intention of letting our only hope of getting out of this alive be a target. If they shot Declan, we had no one else who could do what we needed. If they saw him moving, then the wolves would be all over the cave and we were done.
Declan would need to move into position, set up his shot, and take it. He wouldn’t do that in one easy, fluid move no matter how good he was. The truth of the matter was we still needed bait. While I wasn’t sure exactly what Halfer’s orders were to the wolves, I did know I was his prime target. If we sent someone else out, say a McKenzie, there was no way to know if the wolves would go for him. I thought they would follow him until they got my scent and then chase me down in the cave, taking everyone out in the process. I had no doubt Halfer would let the wolves kill everyone, but he would make damn sure I went first.
When it comes to bait, shouldn’t you always go with the choicest morsel when trying to hook a big fish?
Dev sighed beside me and suddenly his hand was in mine. He leaned down and spoke quietly in my ear. “You’re the most obnoxious woman I’ve ever met. You are certain this is the path you want to take?”
My mouth was hanging open, and Dev laughed lightly. “How did you…?”
“I’ve been through enough of these little adventures to know what you will do, my wife,” Dev replied, a sparkle in his eyes. “I also know I can’t stop you. Besides, it really is the only thing that makes sense. Those wolves want you, sweetheart. They’ll come after you no matter where you are. But this time, I think, I will let them eat you first.”