Blood of the Wolf: The Crown (Mackenzie Grey Book 11), Karina Espinosa [top 10 ebook reader txt] 📗

a threat to her …” the vampire mused. “I would hate to see you on the other side of the battlefield.”

Abaddon’s gaze turned in my direction and he smirked. “Well played, Mackenzie. Well played.”

He figured it out. It was stupid of me to think he wouldn’t realize that Lucian was my back-up. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I’d killed too much time already. I needed to find Alexander.

Lucian nodded his head toward the forest. “Go. I’ll handle this.”

A breeze blew in across the tree canopy in one section only, billowing the leaves in a certain direction of the forest. Since I didn’t know where I was, whether it was east, west, north, or south, I didn’t know which direction to head. But the trees did seem to be pointing me in a specific direction.

Ophelia told me to trust the trees because they were my friends. Maybe this was what she meant. If not, I was completely insane.

I looked back at Abaddon and shook my head. “I’ll find Alexander on my own.”

With that, I darted into the forest, not bothering to look back to see if Abaddon was chasing me. Lucian would take care of him.

I hoped the tree leaves were leading me towards Alexander. They kept blowing in a singular direction until suddenly it changed course and I turned, following its lead and zig zagging throughout Caledonian. I ran as if the demon himself were chasing me. And who knows? Maybe he was.

I burst out of the tree line and found myself at the edge of a cliff. I gasped when I saw Alexander standing at the edge, his feet teetering on the threshold.

I slowed my pace and inched my way toward him, not knowing if he was in a trance or not. “Alexander?” I waited a few seconds but didn’t get a response. “Alexander, if you can hear me, say something, anything. Give me a signal.”

From where I stood, I could see the lush forest down below, along with the massive fall if Alexander took that dive. I inched closer, my heart hammering in my chest, until I could reach the back of his shirt. As soon as I snatched a piece of the fabric, he wavered on his feet and I felt him tipping forward.

Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around Alexander from behind, hauling him backwards and flinging us both to the ground and away from the edge. We fell to the rocky ground with a loud thump. I could already feel the scratches and bruises from the fall.

Alexander shook his head, coming to his senses with a start. He looked around the area as if seeing it for the first time. “Where am I?” he croaked.

I released him and rolled over onto my back. “We’re in Caledonian Forest,” I sighed. “Abaddon kidnapped you.”

He turned to me in horror. “What did ye do?”

I chuckled and winced from a sharp pain in my arm. “Nothing! I found you on my own. No deal was struck.”

Alexander exhaled in relief and then rubbed at his forehead as if he had a headache. “I don remember a thing.”

“That’s how his mind trick works,” I explained. “I guess it’s sort of like what we do when we use compulsion.” With that thought, I wondered if there was a way to fight compulsion, and if it might work against Abaddon. I made a mental note to ask Cosima.

“Are ye okay? Are ye hurt?” Alexander looked me over, taking in my bloodied face and crooked nose.

I waved him off. “Just a broken nose and a few bumps and cuts. Nothing to get worked up over,” I said as I started to stand up. I reached out a hand to help him stand. Alexander took it and stood, dusting himself off. “Let’s get out of here before we have any unexpected visitors.”

13

We roamed the forest for a while before Alexander could recognize any landmarks that oriented him enough where he could lead us back to the castle. We were deeper in the forest than I realized, and since I was easily winded, we had to stop and take several breaks so I could rest. After a while, we found the trail and started the trek back to the castle with a clear way home.

“How were ye able to fight against the demon?” Alexander asked after we’d been walking a while.

I shrugged. “I realized none of it was real; it was just a vivid mind trick. It was still pretty terrifying, because even as I was saying it wasn’t real, I felt myself falling into this huge cavern that split the earth in front of me. I had to make a conscious effort to push that feeling away.”

“I cannae imagine it got any easier after ye came to that realization.” He pointed to my broken nose with a knowing look.

I snorted and winced from the pain. “You should see the other guy.”

True, I didn’t necessarily break his nose, but I got a couple stabs in. I made him bleed, so I would take that as a win.

Alexander’s expression grew serious. “Yer nae in a condition to be fighting, Mackenzie.”

I tried to remember he was coming from a good place and mightily resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “I’m not purposefully fighting, Alexander. I was protecting this baby’s life and yours. And I’m going to continue doing so.”

He huffed but didn’t say a word. There was no sense arguing with me. The demon knew the people closest to me were my weakness and I would protect them until my dying breath.

For the rest of our trek, we kept the conversation light and avoided any topic that had to do with the baby or Abaddon. It almost felt like if we slipped and spoke his name, we would summon him.

The instant we exited Caledonian Forest and stepped into the field behind the castle, a cadre of guards was waiting along with Ranulf and Bash. With a guardsman’s shout, they rushed toward us.

Bash grabbed