Be quiet.He infiltrated Mark’s mind, begging him to quash his obvious desire to fight him.
There it was again, a low growl that didn’t belong to any animal Caster could identify. A sinister magic followed the second growl, engulfing the area around them. He tried to find any sign of the others, but the menacing growl and toxicity of the magic around them were all there was.
Mark frowned. “I—”
One look was all it took for the whispered words to die in Mark’s throat and his breathing to grow even shallower.
Breathe.Caster didn’t have time to coddle him. Whatever made that sound was close, and every fiber of his being told him it was more foe than friend.
Mark stilled in his arms as he took a much-needed deep breath.
Caster kept his heightened hearing in the direction of the threat and looked Mark in the eye, daring him not to look away. Something’s here. Do you hear it?
Mark shook his head.
Caster frowned. He should. Wolf senses were even more heightened than a vampire’s. He pushed back the niggling suspicion that perhaps there was more to this particular wolf. Right now, they needed to survive.
The growling grew closer, and a sense of darkness prickled his skin. Magic. Dark magic.
Mark gasped, and almost on instinct, Caster pushed evencloser to his body. There wasn’t enough space for their chests to expand with every intake of breath.
Do you feel that?Dark, dirty, almost toxic magic tore into his skin like tiny puncturing needles. Mark’s hand closed around his arm in a tight grip, no doubt experiencing the same pain. It wasn’t anything like the tingling effect of Riley’s magic. Caster looked at where their skin touched to make sure they weren’t bleeding.
Mark let out a tiny moan, gripping Caster’s arm tighter, and closing his eyes. His voice was a low whisper. “What is that?”
Caster shook his head.I don’t know. Look at me.
Tear-laden brown eyes met his. Whatever the dark magic was doing seemed to affect him more. Vampires healed much faster, and Caster’s body repaired itself with every pinprick. But shouldn’t the same be true of a werewolf?
Unsure why it would help, Caster released his hold on Mark’s shoulders to rub his arms in a gentle motion. Mark sighed in response, his body going slack as the pinprick sensation intensified. Whatever dragged the dark power towards them must be getting closer.
We have to move.
Mark’s forehead met his shoulder, his breath shallow sighs, his words a broken whisper. “I don’t think I can.”
Yes, you can. I’m right here.
He lifted his head, the obvious pain the magic’s effect caused on full display.
Caster took a breath and reached for Mark’s waist, intendingto use his strength to support him through the burst of vampire speed they would need to get away from the current threat.Hold on to me, tight. Do you understand?
The small nod was sufficient response.
Caster needed to reach Riley, but first, he needed to protect Mark.
Gripping his body even tighter, he pulled Mark closer and willed his body to move. The pain of the dark magic’s influence was now more of a stab than a pinprick, and the liquid coating his hands had to be Mark’s blood. With no time to confirm his suspicion and with no apparent direction in mind, Caster called forth all his strength and speed, moving through the forest with such intensity that trees fell as he passed them by, careful to protect Mark’s battered body from further damage.
The pain lessened, the magic’s influence dissipating the further away he moved from it. When there were no longer pinpricks of pain, he stopped, careful to keep hold of an unconscious Mark. A quick assessment of their surroundings told him they were still in the forest. He focused his senses to find the dark power’s source, listen for the low growls of whatever had brought it, and breathed easier when it was no longer palpable.
He laid Mark’s body on the forest floor. His heartbeat was strong, but there were small cuts all over his exposed skin, including his face. The scent of his blood threatened to call forth senses Caster didn’t need right now.
He rubbed at his tired eyes, unsure why the wolf was not healing as he should. Was something wrong with him?
He knelt beside Mark and all but screamed for Riley in hishead, hoping the others hadn’t encountered the darkness. He waited, and no response came. It was unusual. The protection spell Riley had placed on every royal family member meant their connection was always open. Caster could call on Riley anytime, and the witch could find him anywhere. So, why wasn’t it working now?
He tried again, but still no response was forthcoming. Mark stirred, wincing as he became aware of the small wounds covering his body.
Caster reached for him, helping him to sit, braced against a tree. “Are you OK?”