Jordan's mom.
Shit.
She stood with her arms crossed as she glared at us. Jordan had told me her name was Debra, and that she'd been the daughter of the alpha before Dixon. He'd implied she was fierce and dangerous, and like a true lioness, she was very protective of her sons.
I drew my lips back in a snarl, ready to fight, though I wasn't sure we stood a chance against her. Debra had years of training on me, whereas Mira hadn't gotten much beyond the basics in our pack.
"You're running," Debra said. It wasn’t a question. Obviously, there would be no other explanation for our presence on the edge of the Leo village in the middle of the night. "Maybe you're not as stupid or as weak as I thought."
Mira and I froze, glancing warily at each other, tails swishing back and forth. Why wasn't Debra rushing to sound the alarm? Or tackling us to the ground?
She gestured toward the desert. "Go on then. I won't stop you."
I let out a low, wary growl. Was this a trap? Mira cocked her head at me, her ears twitching. She didn’t know either. Then I remembered Debra's words back when I was in prison—for whatever reason, she didn't want me to mate with Jordan any more than I did.
I dipped my head briefly to Jordan’s mother in thanks, and then nudged Mira with my nose, signaling to her that we should keep going. We leaped over a short wall, landing squarely in the desert, and then we ran.
We dashed across the harsh terrain, unsure if we were going in the right direction, and Mira kept up with me perfectly, matching me stride for stride. Then I heard a howl from the town behind us, and my hair stood on end. More howls joined in, cutting through the cool night air, and then I heard the distinct growl of engines starting up. I looked over at Mira, trying to urge her to run faster while increasing my own pace until my muscles screamed. There couldn’t be any slowing or stopping, not now. We had to make it.
But even in our wolf forms, we couldn’t outrun cars, and it wasn’t long before I felt the pull in my gut that meant Jordan was getting closer. Fuck. Stronger and stronger it pulled until I almost lost my footing, and the sound of cars in the distance grew louder. Panic filled me, and then suddenly the headlights were on us, illuminating us like spotlights. I tried to bolt to the side, to go into a defensive running maneuver that Stella had taught me. I didn’t make it. The SUVs slid in alongside us, spinning around with expert precision to box us in. Dammit, I thought, and tried to look for an escape route. There wasn’t one.
We were trapped, once again.
Chapter Eight
My legs shuddered under me as I halted completely, and I was panting hard enough that I was sure Jordan could hear it. Mira wasn’t better off beside me, her lips pulled back as she lowered herself into a defensive crouch. But the waxing moon was overhead, and I still had its magic filling me. I pressed against Mira's side and teleported us away from the cars, into another spot of desert. Then I did it again, putting distance between us.
Before I could blink away a third time, the air around me seemed to light up, and fire hit my side. I let out a loud howl of pure agony as I was knocked down, and then a beam of pure sunlight flew toward Mira next, though she narrowly dodged it. From my spot on the ground, I traced the bolt back to Roxandra, who sat in front of one of the SUVs.
As I struggled to my feet, the cars surrounded us again. One of the doors opened and I snapped my head toward the sound. Jordan stepped out and held up a hand, and at his silent command, other shifters emerged from their vehicles and surrounded us. The three Sun Witches moved to stand beside Jordan, and Roxandra's hand lit up as she shot another bolt of light at Mira, this time hitting her square in the chest.
She yelped, falling on her side, and didn’t move again. If I’d been in human form, I would have gasped, but what came out of my throat was a whine. I looked over at her, trying to figure out if she was even still alive, but the shifters were closing in fast. I closed my eyes and weighed my options. I only had a few seconds to make a decision, and if I made the wrong one, it could end with both of us dead.
There was no way I’d leave Mira, even if I could teleport, and I didn’t see a way that I could carry an unconscious shifter and fight my way out of here. And if the Sun Witches hit me with whatever they’d hit Mira with? I’d be toast. I flinched at the thought of having their magic on me again. I never wanted to come into contact with that again.
"I'm disappointed in you, Ayla," Jordan said with a sigh, as he moved to stand in front of me. "I thought you were finally willing to accept me as your mate."