#Chapter 367 – Trap
Ella
“Ella!” Cora screams as one of the men comes around her side of the car and starts to bash at her window with a crowbar, the glass cracking and then beginning to fall inside the car. But I have no time to respond I’m already – unbuckling my belt and throwing myself into the back seat towards my child, who screams bloody murder.
My eyes flash to the other side of the car, where another man is approaching, raising his own crowbar to begin bashing the windows. I panic now- we’re trapped, utterly trapped, no way to get out of the car –
He starts to smash at the back window, working to get in towards Rafe and I, and I make a snap decision, instantly transforming into my wolf and, as the crowbar breaks through the window, grabbing it between my teeth and yanking as hard as I can –
The man shouts, pulled off balance so that his arm is fully in the back of the car now, and I drop the crowbar – ignoring the ringing in my jaw and teeth- and snap again, higher this time, my teeth sinking into the flesh of his elbow and upper arm. He screams, trying to yank back, but I sink back into my haunches, snarling, letting him rip his arm to shreds as he tries to pull away from me –
He leaves quite a bit of blood behind as he withdraws his hand and arm from the car, dropping the crowbar as he goes – and I transform back into my body, turning towards my screaming son but distracted again as I hear Cora scream-
I gasp, spinning towards her, and see the man who broke into her window almost fully in the car now – grabbing her a knife in his hands-
And in horror I watch as he raises that knife high into the air and then sinks it, viciously, into the flesh of her back – and then wrenches his hand to the side to drag it through her flesh –
But before he can get far I am flying for him, my nails turning to talons at the edge of my fingers that I sink first deep into his arm –
As he shrieks and drops his knife, I rip my claws again over his face, his neck, his shoulders – anywhere I can reach
Screaming in fear, the man withdraws from the window to the left side of the car and I hurl myself out after him, shifting again into my wolf before leaping for him – savaging him in any way I can –
I don’t stop until he stops crying out, stops making noise, and then I turn to see the man with the shredded arm leaning back into the car-reaching for my son and I leap for him next.
His death is quick, his life’s blood running off my chin as I transform back into a woman, as I turn to look for the priest.
I turn to see him standing in front of the car, his dark magic still whirling around his hands and extending outwards towards the car, working to keep us in place.
“If you leave now,” I growl, striding forward towards him, “I will let you live. But you have seconds to decide.”
“Come for me, little girl,” he laughs, beckoning me forward.
And so I do.
With a feral roar, I let my nails again extend into their talons, let my teeth sharpen into fangs, and then leap for him, ready to tear his flesh to shreds –
But before I can reach him, he moves his magic away from the car to wrap around me. I gasp, clawing at my throat as the dark shadows wrap around my neck, my feet kicking wildly as he lifts me into the air. And then, as I watch, he begins to murmur – begins to say some kind of spell –
And I feel my fangs shrink back – feel my claws retract back into my hands
And then he laughs at me again before lowering me, panting, back to the forest floor.
I stare at him in confusion, in wonder, for a second while he shakes his head at me. “What now, little girl?” he murmurs, cocking his head at me with a filthy smirk. “What do you have to fight with now that your wolf is gone?”
And I snarl – and try to transform but-
Nothing happens. I gasp, stumbling backwards a step as I try again
But – nothing –
And then I’m backing away from him, desperate, knowing that I – I can’t fight him if I don’t have my wolf –
And he takes one wicked step towards me when both of us snap our heads to the side at the sound of the car’s tires squealing, the engine revving hard
And I gasp as the car slams into the priest, making him bend in half before sending him sailing to the forest floor where he hits his head, hard, against a long grey rock.
“Ella!” Cora gasps from the car and I’m instantly in motion, dashing for her –
I haul the driver’s-side door open and am almost sobbing by the time I set my eyes on her – – blood – so much blood and my sister covered in it-
“Cora!” I cry, reaching for her – but she’s moving away from me – and as I watch I realize that she’s moving into the passenger seat so that I can get into the driver’s seat so that I can drive.
“Ella,” she moans, looking around frantically, trying to assess the damage.
“Let’s go,” I growl, throwing myself into her abandoned seat, glancing quickly into the back seat at my screaming child, making sure that he’s still strapped in. Then, as soon as I slam the driver’s door behind me, we move.
I back up the car a few steps, staring at the priest who suddenly comes into view but who is not moving, a wide red puddle starting to form on the rock on which he landed. But then I move my eyes back to the road before us, hitting the gas hard and heading towards it.
We’re out of the forest in the flash, leaving the horrible scene behind. My breath is coming fast, my heart racing, my hands shaking as I try to at once concentrate on the road and assess my sister.
“Cora!” I yell, looking over at her, seeing her eyes closed. “Cora, talk to me!”
“I’m I’m okay,” she murmurs to me, – a heavy moan next on her lips.
“Tell me for real, Cora! Tell me what’s happening! Don’t try to save me from it!”
I press the car harder, flying down the roads at what is probably a reckless speed, praying to the depths of me that we don’t meet any more priests – any more barreirs –
Cora’s eyes flash open and I glance at her. “I’m serious, Ella,” she pants, pressing a hand to her back where she’s bleeding. “It was a – a glancing stab. I don’t think he hit anything too
important – It would” she gasps when I hit a bump and I grimace when I see the pain flash across her face, see her go white with it.
“Keep going, Cora!” I encourage, my eyes moving fast between her and the road. “Tell me!”
“I’d be in more pain,” she gasps, “if he’d hit a kidney. I think I think it will be okay, Ella – but I have to get to a hospital, now -”
“No we don’t,” I growl, whipping the car to the side and making Cora gasp as we pull to the road’s shoulder.
“Ella, we have to go!” she screams, there could be more of them!”
“No!” I shout, slamming the car into park and then taking panting breaths as I close my eyes. Cora goes quiet as she realizes what I’m doing, but even though I can reach that lavender state – even though I can sense my gift when I reach for it, it…
It slips out of my hands.
“Cora,” I cry in agony, my eyes flying open. “The Priest 1 he did something to me – he bound my wolf, I can’t reach the gift.”
“It’s okay,” she says, leaning forward to grasp my shoulder and gasping with the pain it causes her. I shake my head at my sister, fear and apology all over my face. “Seriously, Ella,” she says, panting a little, “it’s fine. Just – let’s get back on the road, okay? I need medical attention. And if you can’t get it, we have to go somewhere else.”
“Okay,” I say, gritting my teeth, determined. And then I get us back on the road as fast as I can. Soon, the wind whipping through the broken windows begins to howl around us. “Okay, Cora. I’ll get you there. I’ll take you to the hospital as fast as I can.”
“No,” she gasps, gritting her teeth and closing her eyes. “Take me to Hank – he will know what to do. We have to go see Hank.”
“Okay,” I say, nodding anxiously. We’ll go to Hank. Right now. He will fix you up.”
I turn towards the road with renewed conviction as my sister gasps beside me, as my baby cries in the back seat. And then, before I lose myself to the
road, I reach beneath me to grab Henry’s phone, which must have fallen out of Cora’s pocket.
“Here,” I say as it bounces in her lap, making her open her eyes. “If you can, Cora – text Sinclair. Tell him what happened.”
And as I concentrate on the road, Cora reaches for the phone.
