Mated in Mist (Talon Pack #3)(2)

Usually, Leah only needed to drink a glass of water a day to be fine spell-wise, and since most people drank more than that, it wasn’t a problem.

However, she and Roland had been running for days from those who wanted to hurt them, and it had been an oddly dry week in the Pacific Northwest. They’d lost their packs with their water bottles when one of the humans on their tail had gotten far too close, and it hadn’t rained more than that morning’s sprinkle in days.

Her body was starving for food, water, rest, and care.

They crawled through the narrow tunnel toward the scent of water and she almost fell to her chest at the sight of a clear pool surrounded by crystals and different rock formations. Stalactites and stalagmites jetted from the rock, and she wanted to weep at its beauty.

“Sweet goddess, it’s glorious,” Roland whispered then smiled over his shoulder at her.

It went straight to her heart. It wasn’t his old smile—the one that told her that everything would be okay. No, this one held the pain and strain of running for so long. First from those who should have opened their arms to them, then from those who would see them dead rather than find out who they truly were.

The humans who wanted her people dead.

Only, she couldn’t fight them to protect herself because not all humans knew witches were real. Instead, they thought witches were from movies or were a weird cult that spent the nights dancing naked in the moonlight and drawing pentagrams in dirt.

She rarely danced in the moonlight.

And she’d never done it naked.

But those who followed them with guns and traps knew Roland and Leah were witches. And that scared her. The wolves were the ones out of hiding—not her people. The Packs had been forced into the open, and now their very lives and way of life were on the line. Leah had never wanted that for the witches—even if the covens had never wanted her family to be part of their inner circles.

Her mind and her heart hurt from thinking about that so she pushed it aside for the moment and crawled the last few feet to the side of the pool. As soon as her hand touched the top of the water, her whole body shuddered in bliss. The pores of her skin opened, beckoning the sweet glory of her powers. She’d never been this dry before in her life, and she knew her brother hadn’t been either.

It had been dangerous for both of them.

With her senses alert in case the humans found them within the cave, she brought her cupped hand to her lips and drank. Her parched tongue lapped it up and she swallowed as much as she could without choking. It tasted of the heavens and the goddess’s blessings. She drank until she couldn’t fit any more in her stomach then finally wiped her face, her hands still shaking and her heart beating too fast. But she could breathe again.

That had to count for something.

“You’re bleeding, little sister,” Roland said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

She blinked up at him; aware he’d also washed the grime off his face. “I know,” she whispered, her voice still a bit hoarse from lack of use.

“Do you want me to heal you, or do you want to do it yourself?”

She shook her head and held out a hand. He gripped it firmly and her soul settled. They were twins, witches, and best friends. She didn’t know what she’d do without him.

“I can heal myself. Check yourself for wounds and heal, as well.” She pressed her lips together and searched around the small cave that was their refuge for the time being. “We can’t stay here for too much longer.”

Roland scowled. “I know. I hate this. We just need to get a bit closer and then we might be okay.”

She frowned. “Closer to what? Why won’t you tell me where we’re going?” She didn’t like this. They usually made plans together, but he, apparently, had an idea and refused to tell her. “What if we become separated and we need to meet up?”

“Then let’s not become separated. We’re almost there, little sister. Just believe.”

She wasn’t sure what to believe in right then. If he wasn’t telling her where they were going, then it must mean she wasn’t going to like the destination. But still, she should be told. Needed to be prepared. Anyplace had to be better than the middle of nowhere on the run from humans who wanted her head.

But once Roland set his mind on something, there was no way she could stop him.

Instead of asking again, though, she went about healing her wounds, gently placing her hands on her knees and chanting softly. The water in her system touched her soul and ignited the power the goddess had blessed her with. She wasn’t a true Healer like the wolves had, but she had enough power within her to heal at least somewhat. It was a maternal family trait within her witch line.

The sharp pain in her knees eased into a dull throb and she stopped, not wanting to use too much power in case they needed to use it again later. Not that she was sure she could use magic out in the open. There were always eyes on them.

Always.

Roland worked on his cuts and scrapes, his magic a warm pulse against her own. She looked up to ask about the next step in the plan, then found her face pressed against the rocks, her twin’s body covering hers, a cacophony filling the air.

Rock shattered around them as the humans kept shooting. Since there was a ridge of rocks between the humans and her brother and her, there was a slight chance they might make it out of this alive. Sharp rocks exploded in front of her as the enemy shot again and she had to duck to avoid flying shards. Thankfully, the angle between her and the one shooting at her wasn’t the greatest, so she and Roland had a small window of time where they could escape. At least, that’s what she hoped.