Mated Girl (Wolf Girl Series Book 4)

We rode quickly for nearly an hour, my ass slamming into the hard leather saddle of the horse with each trot. As the border of Light Fey City came up in the distance, we finally slowed.

“Whoa, whoa,” I called to my mare and pulled back on her reins. She slowed, her nostrils flaring as she sucked in more air from the rigorous sprint.

“Thanks, girl. You did good.” I patted her neck as she pulled to a full stop. Sage and I dismounted swiftly and pulled the packs off the horses. After giving them some of our water, I felt the internal tug of moral obligation.

“What do we do with them?” I asked Sage. They were Paladin horses, horses we probably couldn’t spare.

Sage looked up at the sky to see Marmal circling with Pearl.

“Just let them loose? Maybe Rab can send someone to try to intercept them. Horses are good about finding their way home.”

Yeah, but how good? We’d crossed a lot of ground. Maybe if they ran along the border wall and straight into the Wild Lands, through the Ithaki treehouses, they could make it back quicker…

I nodded to Sage, stroking my horse once more. “Go back home, baby,” I whispered to her, and aimed her along the stone wall that bordered the two lands. If she ran the length of it, she would hit the Wild Lands. I just hoped she could sense my meaning, if not my words. With a light pat, I swatted her rump and she took off, the other mare right behind her.

‘Rab, I’m heading into Light Fey City. Might not talk for a while until I get Sawyer back. I’ve set the horses free. I’m hoping they will run the length of the border and end up in Wild Lands at Dark Fey border.’

He didn’t respond right away and my heart pounded frantically in my chest as my mind spun with all of the reasons why. I was just about to call on Arrow, or Willow, when Rab spoke.

‘Okay. I’ll send a scout to retrieve them.’

Sage tugged my arm. “We are out in the open. We need to get cover.”

I jogged after her, nearly tripping over a bush as Rab’s delayed answer spun in my mind. ‘What’s wrong?’ I finally asked.

He paused again. ‘Nothing I can’t handle.’

‘Rab. It’s my pack. What’s. Wrong?’ I growled and Sage spun to stare at me as I shot her an apologetic look and tapped my forehead. She rolled her eyes, well aware that I was speaking in my head. I didn’t like the feeling that I was being kept out of the loop on my own pack.

Rab sighed. ‘The Independent Society of Douchebag Wolves, or whatever the hell they call themselves, left the bunker and are trying to find our land. In doing so, they might have tipped off the vampires.’

Those idiots! I knew the second I met that dude that he’d be a problem for us. Probably ran out of food and realized he’d made a mistake. As much as I wanted to wash my hands of it and say it wasn’t my problem, they were Sawyer’s wolves; until my husband was out of prison, they were my problem.

‘Where are they now?’ I asked.

‘Roaming Ithaki land looking for us in broad daylight like a bunch of buffoons.’

I threw my arms up in frustration as Sage and I ducked behind a large oak tree right at the border of Light Fey City.

‘Wait until nightfall and then send out a small team to bring them in,’ I told Rab. ‘Then double the patrols. If vampires come sniffing around…’ I paused. Do … what? Run? Fight? I wanted to be there with them to make these decisions. ‘Try to have the witches shield the place better, but fight to protect what is ours,’ I finally said. I hoped it wouldn’t come to any of that.

‘You got it, Alpha. I don’t think they will come all the way here. Rumor is Ithaki are on the outs with the vamps for lack of holding up their end of the deal or something.’

That was a relief. Maybe we could use that to our advantage. I turned to tell Sage what had happened, when a blur streaked behind her in the trees.

“Run!” I shouted at the same time that someone reached around and grabbed me from behind. A strong hand wrapped around my throat and another around my stomach as I was yanked backward and pinned up against someone. Sage moved to help me, when another person leapt out from behind a tree, jerking her backward by the strap of her pack.

My gaze flicked upward into the eyes of Sage’s captor and I froze.

Trip was covered in soot from the barn fire. Black ash covered his face and clothing, except for the wrinkled creases on his forehead. He pointed Sage’s handgun right at my best friend, as a batshit crazy look came over his face.

Fuck.

My cuffs were on, so I wasn’t going to be of much help until I could get them off. Especially if the person holding me was a troll-fey Ithaki, which I guessed they were.

“You. Little. Bitches,” Trip seethed, holding the edge of the gun up to Sage’s chin. “You burned down my business. You took my fucking dragon. I’m going to shoot her and make you watch before turning you in to the vampires for my very well-earned reward,” he growled.

I gulped, trying to assess many things at once. Would he pull the trigger on Sage by the time I could crack the guy holding me in the face? Maybe if I just lunged forward, he would loosen his grip on Sage and direct his attention to me, which would allow her to get away…?

As I was thinking of all these scenarios, Trip and Sage were suddenly covered in a large shadow. It fell over them like…

I grinned, and a millisecond later Pearl swooped from the sky and dug her claws into Trip’s back. An ear-splitting yelp ripped from his throat as Sage pulled her head to the side and Trip dropped the gun. He was yanked up into the air by Pearl as the hand around my throat tightened. Sage dove for the gun and I bucked backward with all my strength to dislodge the bastard behind me.

“Not so fast,” he growled, doubling down on his grip until black spots danced at the edges of my vision. Why did men always go for the throat? I tried to suck in air, to no avail. I used elbows, heels, nothing worked. He was a giant and I was stuck. My wolf rattled my insides as I started to panic. After everything I’d been through, was I really going to get choked out by a troll? I blinked, no longer having eyes on Sage. Where was my bestie when I needed h—?

The loud bang of a gun ripped through the space and the pressure on my neck released. I fell to the ground with a thud, gasping and sputtering for air. My throat felt like there was a hard ball lodged in the center as I struggled to calm myself. When I’d finally gotten enough oxygen to my brain, I looked to the side and saw Sage holding the gun at her side. She’d shot the troll-fey right in the ribcage, which probably had ripped through his heart so that the bullet wouldn’t go into me.

“Couldn’t get a clean shot of his head,” she said, reaching out a hand to lift me up.

With a sigh of relief, I took her offered hand and stood. “Thank you.” I rubbed at my throat and looked up at the sky.

Pearl had Trip in her claws while Marmal rode on her back. He was flailing and bucking his arms and legs, trying to dislodge himself. Then suddenly, she just let him go. Trip’s scream ripped through the sky and became louder the closer he got. His body dropped like a stone to the ground, and I winced when the hard smack echoed throughout the trees.

“I have a feeling Pearl is going to be helpful,” Sage told me. I nodded.

I hated that I couldn’t speak into Sage’s mind like my other pack members. Marmal too.

An idea formed in my mind and I mulled it over. “Sage can you make non wolves … pack members?”

Sage’s eyes bugged a little, but she nodded. “There are rumors, but … why?” Then her gaze flicked to the sky as Pearl and Marmal flew in slow, wide circles, and landed before us. Pearl stomped the ground with one talon, which was covered in Trip’s blood.

Marmal’s hair was windswept as she held onto two horns that protruded from Pearl’s head.

“Well, she can fly!” I shouted to Marmal as Sage and I stepped closer to them.

Marmal grinned and the small tusks in her cheeks dipped inward. “She can.”

“You can speak to her?” I confirmed for the second time, and Marmal simply nodded. Troll magic. Mysterious.

“Tell her thank you. From both of us.” I motioned to Sage.

Sage nodded and then looked behind me. “People will have heard all that. We should scram.”

She was right. A gunshot and Trip’s fall … Light Fey City would be on us in no time. Dark Fey too no doubt.

“Okay, we will steal a car and—”

Marmal shook her head. “Pearl says she can carry up to twenty grown men. You two will feel like feathers.”

Ride a dragon! I mean, that was my escape plan after busting Sawyer and Walsh out of prison, but…

“What if we’re spotted? I was able to see her clearly the whole time,” I argued with my friend.

Marmal nodded. “We wanted you to be able to follow us. She can cloak herself. Old magic. We’ll be invisible.”

Invisible!

My eyes widened.

‘Is that so crazy?’ my wolf asked.

Touché.

I mean … she could go invisible and walk through walls. Maybe that’s where it came from … this old magic.

I looked at Pearl in a new light. Were the dragon and my wolf similar in some way? At least magically?

“Sounds good to me.” Sage leapt across the space and Marmal helped her onto the beautiful white dragon.

“Thanks, girl.” I reached out to Pearl and stroked her white scales. They felt like a cross between a lizard and a dolphin. Shiny and firm, but soft in a way. It was hard to describe. Her eyes were slitted and the color of the ocean, blue and black and white all mixed into one shiny jewel. Reaching back with her face, she nuzzled my leg and inhaled, her nostrils flaring.

“She says you smell like home,” Marmal translated, sounding a bit confused.

I frowned, unsure what that meant. “Where’s home?”

Marmal pulled me up and I snuggled in behind Sage, grabbing Pearl’s body beneath my legs to steady myself.

Marmal’s eyes widened. “She said you would call it the Dark Woods?”

I felt Sage stiffen against me. Pearl was … from the Dark Woods? I thought of the magical cave inside of the mountain and the way the trees moved. If any place in all of Magic City were home to a dragon, it would be there.

Holy crap.

My mind reeled at that revelation, but before I could ponder on it more, Pearl snapped her wings outward.

“Ready?” Marmal asked.

Sage and I had barely said yes when Pearl kicked off the ground and then we were flying. Her giant wings pumped the air as we soared higher and higher. The wind rushed past me, tossing my hair around my face.

“Wooooo!” Sage cried out, but I shushed her with a light elbow to the ribs.

“Fey could be tracking us,” I murmured behind her.

“Buzzkill,” she grumbled at me.

I looked out at the giant expanse before me and gasped. Wow. It was so beautiful up here. You could see the little brick walls demarcating the territories like spokes on a wheel. It was sad, actually, that everyone was so segregated. Because I could see how all of Magic City, as a whole, was so incredibly beautiful. The lands ranged from rich, thick, green forests to the open plains of Troll Village, which were burnt orange and yellow.

Pearl flew over Light Fey City with its black asphalt roads and glass buildings topped with solar panels, and a powerful magic came over us. I could smell the scent of burnt wires as she pulled up some type of shield. It was like I was looking through a plastic bag. Clear, but hazy.

“Okay, she says we are invisible! She’s got the cloak up,” Marmal screamed behind her at Sage and I.

Okay, that was going to be super freaking useful in getting Sawyer out of prison. But I knew the key to having this really go off without a hitch was to be able to communicate with both Sage and Marmal mentally.

“Girls!” I shouted, and they both spun around to face me.

I swallowed hard, and tried to convey the seriousness I felt stirring inside of me. “I want to make you both pack. Paladin pack. My pack. I’ll claim you, and that way we can talk into each other’s minds…”

Both of their mouths popped open at the same time. “But I’m a troll.” Marmal sounded as if she was in complete disbelief.

I nodded. “And you would be accepted as family. Cherished. Loved. Protected.” I knew that if I approved it, Rab and the others would as well.

Her eyes grew misty and she nodded. Then I looked at Sage, prepared to put up a fight, prepared to tell her she wasn’t really leaving the city wolves behind, she was just joining a blended family.

“I’ve been pack with you for a while now, Demi. Let’s make it official.” Sage extended her wrist, knowing what was required, knowing what I’d done to claim Astra.

I inclined my head, tears filling my eyes as I thought of how much I’d been through with this girl.

Reaching out, I removed my left wrist cuff and felt my teeth lengthen, then I dipped my head down to her forearm and nipped her, until I tasted blood.

‘Mine. Pack.’ My wolf surged forward as my alpha power blanketed Sage. I felt our bond deepen as a surge of consciousness joined mine and I sensed Sage so strongly, her worry for me and Walsh and Sawyer, her protectiveness, loyalty. Then she faded into the background with the rest of the pack.

‘Testing, testing,’ I tried.

She grinned. ‘That’s cool. I’ve never done that without being in wolf form.’

A smile pulled at my lips. ‘Welcome to the pack.’

Marmal was next. She extended her arm timidly; she didn’t know me as well as Sage did, and she sure as hell didn’t know wolf ways, yet still she trusted me. After drawing blood, I claimed her and her consciousness surged with mine. There was a frantic panic in her energy and her eyes widened.

She clutched her chest. “I feel you.”

I nodded. ‘I feel you too. You’re family now. Pack,’ I finished with a smile, slipping the cuff back on my wrist.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times, like a fish out of water, and then a single tear slipped from her eye. I shouldn’t have pressed her but I did; I pushed into her emotions just a tiny bit to see what was wrong, and then tears were lining my eyes as well.

She wasn’t alone anymore. Her sister had died in the farm fires last year, and she hadn’t realized how lonely she was until this moment that she felt our bond.

I reached out and pulled her in for a hug, in which Sage had to lean over and clutch on to Pearl and out of our way.

‘You’re with us now,’ I told her.

‘Happy to be so,’ she responded.

We all flew in reflective silence for the next twenty minutes when the cluster of buildings signaling downtown Magic City, the capital of Light Fey City, rose up into view.

It was stunning. A giant river ran right down the center of the city, spanned by a huge bridge so that cars could go to each side. The river was almost like a lake it was so wide. As we flew closer, I noticed there in the very center of the wide rushing river was the tallest building in the entire city.

Magic City Prison.

There was probably a hundred feet of water on either side of the island, with boat docks and canoes moored on the shores. The city bustled around the island prison as if it didn’t exist, cars zipping in and out of traffic, fey walking and laughing as they dressed in their finest suits. It was like a magical Manhattan.

‘Have her set down over there. We need to go over the gameplan,’ I told Marmal, pointing to the thick trees that butted up against the river’s edge. It looked like some type of parking or hiking trail. It was like they’d cut a city right out of the forest but kept as much nature as possible. I’d never seen so many fey in one place. There were very few in my time at Delphi and they kept to themselves. The way they walked, so lithe and graceful, was almost hypnotic.

Pearl lowered us onto a grassy patch deep within the park, and I dismounted as I stepped out of her invisible shield. We were alone for now, but I pulled the hood up high over my head to cover myself just in case, and then checked that my cuffs were securely on my wrists. Sage and Marmal met me in the grassy area as I paced tracks into the lush blades of green.

I’d made it. I was here. And I had no fucking idea what part of the plan to start next. But looking up at the huge building and knowing my mate was so close gave me hope. I needed to get Sage inside, but getting her arrested now seemed like a big and timely fanfare. There would be sentencing and all of that if it was anything like the jails in Spokane and the human world. My wolf felt on edge as she slithered restlessly inside of me. Were there vampires inside the prison right now? Maybe they lay in wait in these very bushes.

“Tell her to keep cloaked until I figure this out.” I pointed to the direction that I knew Pearl was, but instead of a dragon there was just a shimmering bubble not noticeable to the untrained eye.

Marmal nodded. “She will.”

“Okay…” I said, not slowing my pacing. “What time is it here?”

Sage pulled a cellphone out of her pocket and turned it on. Holy crap, I hadn’t seen one of those in over a year. My fingers itched to check my Instagram account as silly as that sounded.

“Eugene gave it to me,” Sage offered. “It’s two p.m. Light Fey time.”

Two hours. I had two hours to get Sage inside for a four p.m. jailbreak during Sawyer’s workout time, or I’d have to wait another day. I was not waiting another day to see my man.

“Okay. I have a plan.” I set down my pack and pulled out all the maps.

The workout room on the eightieth floor was directly across from the mess hall and next to the showers on the west side of the building.

“Sage, if you can merge with my wolf and get her inside, she can get up to the eightieth floor to save Sawyer and then come back for you,” I told my bestie, knowing it was such a huge ask. She’d be putting her life in danger. If I knew they wouldn’t recognize me right away, I’d do it myself. She had already agreed, but I wanted to give her one last chance to back out.

“You know I’m down, but how can I get arrested and sent to prison in two hours?” she asked.

I chewed my lip, an idea forming in my mind. “We’re going to test your acting skills.”

She frowned and I pointed to Marmal. “You’re my getaway car. We will keep Pearl hidden, and then when I direct you, I need you to drop me off at the top floor while we grab the guys, and then we’ll go pick up Sage before they transfer her to a psych ward.”

Sage sputtered, choking on her spit. “Psych ward!”

I nodded. “I need you to act batshit conspiracy theory crazy. Swim across the river, walk right in the front door and spout ridiculous things. Just enough to get my wolf inside.”

Sage shook her head, half smirking. “You and Sawyer owe me the nicest possible vacation ever after all this.”

I grinned. “Done.”

“Okay, I can do this.” A shadow crossed her face and she pulled her lower lip into her mouth to chew on it nervously.

“What?” I asked, stepping forward. It was normal to be nervous before something like this. “If I could go myself, I would. I—”

She shook her head. “I wonder what Walsh is like now…?”

Oh.

I’d been able to talk to Sawyer mentally. The last time she had spoken to Walsh, they had ended on a bad note, with him rejecting her for his duty.

“I’m sure they’re both different. Sawyer has befriended a vampire,” I growled.

Sage scrunched up her face like she smelled something awful. “Really? Gross.”

I nodded. “But he’ll still be Walsh. Our Walsh. Don’t worry.” I gave her a side hug and she bobbed her head in agreement.

“Question…” Marmal held up a hand. “There are magical wards all over that place.” She pointed to the building. “We won’t be able to fly close enough unless we bring it down. And didn’t you say the boys are wearing cuffs that electrocute them if they step foot off the premises? How are you going to deal with all that? We don’t have a witch and I can’t bring them down.”

Fuck. She was right, and she’d also given me another clue into her magic. She could see wards. I should have brought Raven or Star, but maybe Marmal was good enough. I hadn’t known then all that would be involved, and I had wanted to protect them by leaving them behind.

I planned on stealing a key to get the boys’ cuffs off, but the other magical wards … I had no plan for. Were they like the cuffs? Because I’d gotten my cuffs off once … it took a fey blade and some blood but—

“Do light fey carry fey blades? Or is that only a dark fey thing?” I asked.

Marmal’s eyes widened a little. “All fey carry their birth blade. It’s a big deal to their culture.”

Okay … okay…

I paced harder. I had two hours. I would need my attention to be with my wolf and Sage, but maybe I could sneak away and steal a fey blade before—

“I’ll do it.” Marmal stepped forward and pulled a small dagger from behind her back. She gripped it in a tight fist and looked at me with determination.

“Do what?” I hadn’t said anything yet.

“You want a fey blade, right? But you need to stick with Sage since your wolf will be with her? I’ll get it and meet you back here before four p.m.” Marmal crossed a fist over her chest.

Wow, how had I lucked out with such supportive women by my side?

“Thank you,” I croaked.

She nodded and looked back in the direction of Pearl, probably communicating mentally.

‘I’ll keep in touch.’ She tapped her head and pushed the words into my mind. I gave her a halfcocked grin.

Marmal was pack, and I felt so right with that decision. After our troll pack member slunk away into the hiking trail to rob some unsuspecting fey of their blade, I turned to Sage.

Placing one hand on either of her shoulders, I looked her right in the eyes and took a deep breath.

“Are you ready for my wolf to … join you?”

She swallowed hard. “Nope. Totally freaked out, have already imagined the worst, like she gets stuck, or I throw up, or go insane … but let’s do this.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, girl, I love you.”

She grinned. “Just don’t get stuck. I like having only one soul in my body.”

I gave her a curt nod, as if I knew what I was doing when in fact I was scared myself. I didn’t want half of my soul stuck in another person’s body either! My wolf was ready, perched just at the edge of my skin, blocked only by the magic of the cuffs Sawyer had custom-made for me.

Reaching out, I pulled them off but kept them in my hands, ready to put them back on the second my wolf came out. Sending my scent, or whatever, out into Light Fey City, was not something I wanted to do right now.

The moment my wolf leapt from my body and onto the grass before me, I snapped the cuffs back on. My wolf was still spectral, not yet solidifying her body as she looked from Sage to me.

‘It’s going to be weird, I know,’ I told her. ‘But we gotta do it to get Sawyer.’

Sage made fists and braced herself like she was preparing to be hit, then her eyes flashed yellow.

‘Her wolf doesn’t like it,’ my wolf said.

I shrugged. ‘Tough shit. She’ll get over it.’ I was in alpha mode now and I was bringing my baby daddy home today no matter what.

My wolf nodded, and then leapt.

It was like time stopped. My wolf arced through the air as Sage flinched, closing her eyes and holding her breath. I held mine too, and so did my wolf. No one breathed, the wind didn’t blow, it was like the world stopped for a moment just to witness half of my soul merging with another person. Then she disappeared. She leapt right into Sage’s chest and … she was gone. A shock ripped through me, like electricity zapping up my spine. I cried out at the same time Sage did, our tandem screams ripping through the forest.

It hurt, like my skin was on fire, but only for a second before it was gone. ‘What the fuck was that?’ I asked my wolf.

‘Her wolf fought me for a second before relenting,’ she told me.

Sage panted, holding her chest and looking over at me with wide eyes. “This is the weirdest feeling of my life and I want it to stop as soon as possible.”

I winced, feeling Sage’s discomfort through our bond. It was bad for me too, but not as much as her.

“Sorry. Let’s do this quickly then.” I called her over to the edge of the river. We walked around the shimmering transparent bubble that was Pearl’s cloak and I knelt down at the edge of the water. Reaching into the thick wet mud, I picked up two handfuls and moved to rub them in Sage’s hair.

She stepped away from me. “What the heck?”

I rolled my eyes. “You have to look insane. Right now you look like a sexy, redheaded Lara Croft Tomb Raider.”

Sage frowned. “Who?”

I shook my head. “We are overdue for a movie night, my friend.”

She closed her eyes, relenting, and stepped closer to me as I rubbed the mud onto her face, then in her hair and on her clothes.

“I actually hate you right now, and Sawyer owes me so big. I want a red Range Rover with white leather seats when I get home,” Sage growled.

I grinned as I started to tease her hair into knots and clumps, making it look wild. “You got it, babe. And a house with a view. Whatever you want.”

We both knew we were half kidding. Who knew when that type of life would come back into normalcy. But if it didn’t, I’d get her a white horse and cottage on Paladin land, whatever she wanted that I was capable of giving.

“Alright, let’s do a practice. You have to seem mentally unstable and non-threatening.”

She popped her eyes open, widening them, then peeled her lips back to bare her teeth at me. “I heard you drink wolf blood here.” She hissed in my face. “I need a unicorn horn to produce miracles.”

I bit down on my lips to keep from bursting into laughter. “That’s perfect. Go cause a scene but be harmless, you don’t want them to magically cuff you before my wolf can get out.”

She nodded, looking at the water. Across the river, about a hundred-foot swim away, was the giant prison, all glass but tinted so dark I couldn’t see anything. A huge thirty-foot fence dotted the perimeter with glowing blue barbwire. It was definitely magic.

I’d cross that bridge when I got to it.

“Be safe, okay? I want Sawyer back, but not at the expense of losing you. If shit goes sideways, get out,” I told her.

She nodded, but we both knew that was easier said than done.

She moved to jump into the water and I rushed forward, pulling her into a hug. “I love you, Sage Hudson. Like big huge love. You’re my sister no matter that our DNA says different.” My voice cracked and I wanted to kick myself for getting all emotional, but if anything happened to this woman, I needed her to know how much she meant to me.

Pulling back, she wiped her teary eyes, smearing mud deeper into her cheeks. “I love you too. That’s why I’ll go to the grave with the knowledge that when you delivered Creek, you pooped all over my hand.” She grinned.

My mouth popped open at that declaration. “Shut the fuck up. That’s not true.”

She just raised one eyebrow and then waltzed into the water.

What the hell?

“Sage!” I whisper-screamed. “Is that true?” Because that was mortifying.

My bestie just chuckled before dropping into the water, taking a big breath and kicking off the rocks.

There was no way I pooped on her hand. Totally no way … right?

Pushing that revelation from my mind, I slunk into the bushes and watched as Sage waded across the river, her muddy red hair flowing around her like a messy mermaid. Anxiety ramped up inside of me as she inched her way across, going farther and farther away from me. As she neared the shore on the other side, she stood up out of the water and … started to walk like a chicken.

What the…? Okay, the acting had begun.

She tucked her arms into her chest and flapped her elbows, cranking her neck back and forth.

I shifted my perspective to my wolf and immediately wanted to recoil. It was … a tight fit being inside of Sage. Her wolf kept pushing against mine and it made it feel claustrophobic in a way that was hard to describe. Sage reached the sandbank and started to scratch at her arms.

“Baby killers!” she shouted up at a guard tower that sat high above the giant fence. “Marshmallow for breakfast is what you think!” she screamed nonsensically.

We were both totally going to hell for using mental illness as a cover to get inside this building. I silently sent up a prayer for forgiveness to anyone who actually suffered from such delusions.

“Stop right there!” someone bellowed, and a red laser beam from the scope of a gun appeared on Sage’s chest. She looked up at the giant fence and the fey now standing on top of it. He peered down at her with scrutiny, rifle raised.

“I know what you’re doing here!” Sage screamed. “Eating lemons and killing werewolf babies to make sunblock appear on silver gold leaf!”

Holy shit, she really was going to deserve an Oscar for this.

The fey man frowned, lowering his scope. “You’re trespassing. Violators are shot on sight.”

Sage reached up and clawed at her face, dragging her nails down her cheeks. “The bugs made me!”

“Shit.” The dude looked over his shoulder and spoke to a second dude, barely visible from this angle. “Some crazy chick is losing her mind out here. Call medical and have them transport her back to the mainland.”

Sage screamed then and ran full speed at the brick fence, arms out as if she expected to walk right through it.

What the hell was she doing? The second her hands touched the fence, the male fey yelled, “Don’t!” But it was too late. Blue magic burst from the fence, knocking into Sage, and she crumpled to the ground, completely unconscious, knocking my wolf out with her.

The male fey screamed something I couldn’t hear from my hiding spot in the trees across the river, but I could see him and he looked alarmed.

My wolf stirred inside of Sage, becoming conscious before she did, and I could see from my spot across the river that the wall above her started to move. A stone gate was hidden in the wall so that you couldn’t see it until it was retracting to gain entry. The brick pattern was a cream speckled barrage of muted colors so that even the gate’s hinges were camouflaged.

Two guards waltzed out, guns raised at Sage as she lay huffing on the ground. I felt her consciousness stir, and immediately spoke into her mind. ‘Stay down. I think they are going to bring you inside the gates. The fence was spelled and electrocuted you.’

‘Everything hurts,’ she replied, but said nothing more as she just lay there unmoving.

The two guards looked down at her with pity, their pointy fey ears peeking out from the sides of their black baseball caps, and I moved closer inside of the bushes where I was hiding to get a better look. A hundred feet was far when you had to swim that length, but so close when you were hiding in a bush trying to avoid being seen.

One of them inhaled. “She’s a wolf? What the hell is a wolf doing all the way out here?” I was seeing through my human eyes but hearing what they were saying through my wolf who was conscious in Sage. It was a weird out-of-body sensation.

Four other guards came out now, aiming their guns into the trees across the riverbank, right at me, and I slunk backward fully so that I could no longer see them from my human body.

My heart pounded in my chest as I used my wolf’s hearing to listen to what the men said. Sage’s eyes were still closed, so I couldn’t see anything.

“She was ranting about crazy shit. Maybe she escaped from Psych? It’s only a few blocks away on 3^rd Street,” one of the guards said, and I saw him point across the river to an area downtown from my hiding place in the bush.

“We don’t keep wolves in Psych on 3^rd,” the other said, puzzled.

“Let’s get her inside and ask the warden what he wants to do about it,” another said.

“Rules state we shoot all violators on sight. This smells of an ambush to me,” a new cold male voice called out. I flinched, just as he kicked Sage in the ribs.

Sage’s eyes burst open and she started to sing at the top of her lungs. “They grow babies on watermelon treeeeees!” She thrust her arm upward, arching her back.

The men looked down at her in shock but she didn’t let up. “They rub tortilla juice in my eyeeeeees!”

The fey who had kicked her shook his head. “Okay, that’s just sad. Bring her into medical, but make her shut up!”

One of the fey stooped down and pulled a roll of duct tape from his cargo pants. In one quick motion he ripped a piece off and taped it over her mouth. Sage thrashed a little, but just enough to seem scared of the tape and not enough to be a threat. The guard then hauled her to her feet, pulled her hands behind her back, and walked her inside. Excitement thrummed through me. It was happening.

The prison break was a go.