Breathe Under Water - Shadows of the Night 1

Chapter 26

I gave a start. Corine? But that would mean-

"Somebody is outside," Alexander said, his eyes sweeping the silent army of trees surrounding the car.

"I can feel them," Antonio said slowly. "Practitioners of magic. Witches."

Great. From one crisis to the next, I thought, knowing well that it could only mean one thing: rogues. And if rogues were out there, Michael couldn't be f-

The power bolt hit the car before I had time to finish the thought. The rear tire exploded, the whole car shaking with the impact.

Michael.

I yanked the car door open. There were no thoughts that made sense. Move or die. Kill or be killed.

Sweaty palms and fingers still trembling from shock, I stumbled two steps forward. The stench of burnt rubber and smoke penetrated through the smell of pine trees and damp soil.

I heard the noise of car doors opening and realized that someone else just got out too, but it wasn't what I focused on. The danger lay somewhere in the wicked forestry green, somewhere right in front of me.

Shadows and dark green. Stillness. By all appearances we were alone, but I knew that the silence and watchfulness of the trees was deceiving. Tensed and poised for action, I peered into the unknown shadow-world of the forest.

"Please, get back in the car."

The sound of Peter's voice broke through my concentration. I made a mistake a freaking rookie in the human police force wouldn't have dreamed of: I turned around. Alexander and Antonio were standing behind me, eyes targeting the wood just as I had before.

"Your majesty. It's daylight," Peter said, approaching them from the other side of the car.

"Be quiet," Alexander muttered.

A twig twitched, leafy cloth in movement. Adrenaline exploded in my veins and I swirled around, ready to strike out. Shadows, dark green; branches and tree trunks that were part of one big jigsaw puzzle I had no way of solving.

Dammit! Where are they?

I closed my eyes, let myself fall into second sight. Darkness and auras popped into existence around me like a sound concert. The auras of the vamps got into my view and at first all I could see was blackness. I lost precious seconds trying to sift through them and look for another color. And then I found it: a dark red tainted in patchy black. Rogue witches. My pulse plummeted and surged in a bungee jump bounce.

"There are twelve of them," I said breathlessly, tearing my eyes open. "And they're-"

Leaves and twigs crunched to my right, the first noise in a series of sound-blasts. They appeared one by one. Shadowy figures stepping out of the forest's thickness.

We were surrounded by rogues.

They were staring at us wordlessly, the trivial sound of forestry life blaringly sharp.

Hands twitching and cramping in time with my heart beat, I stared back. I scanned the half-dozen attackers in my line of vision, eyes needling their faces, but there was no sight of Michael.

I heard someone approach from behind, but didn't turn. It had to be one of us. Turned out it was Peter, Antonio Cellinis second servant.

"I will flank you on the right," he whispered.

I was about to tell him to stop joking and get back into the freaking car, when I felt the change in the air. I felt, more than saw how his body started to convulse, the sound of ripping fabric tempting me to look. And yet I kept my eyes poised on the rogues.