Anya Bast - Witch Heart

Adam gave him a strange look. "Wards don't work on demons. Nothing works on demons."

"Yes, but we don't know yet if the Duskoff are involved."

"Good point. I didn't know we had any safe houses there."

"The Coven keeps at least one in all the major cities. They double as investment properties." Jonah glanced at Adam. "It's heavily insured, so if you have to torch the place, you can, but try not to, okay?"

Adam held up his hands. "Hey, boss, you know me."

"Yeah, I do."

Thomas guided the car into the parking lot of a long building where people went in and out with plastic and paper bags. While Thomas did something in the front of the vehicle, Claire gawked at her surroundings.

Adam caught her eye, probably catching her staring. "We're northwest of the city. Lots of suburbs. This is a shopping mall. People come here to buy things."

"Oh, like a marketplace."

"Sort of. They sell clothing, furniture, and other household things here. Not food."

"Ah." She stared out the window at the passersby. "On Eudae the women make most everything for the home and for decoration. They are the artisans in that world." She tried to keep the note of wistfulness out of her voice.

Eudae was the only home she'd ever known and she felt a bit sick for it, brutal and cold though it had been at times. These aeamon wouldn't understand her feelings, since the daaeman were their enemies.

Only the Atrika were her enemy. Not the rest. Not the other breeds. Yes, she might harbor some resentment for the Ytrayi and for Rue in particular, but her feelings were mixed. They were, after all, the only people she'd ever really known or identified with.

"Micah would love to talk to you sometime," Adam said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Who is Micah?"

"He's the Coven archivist and general all-around knowledge manager. He's the one who has been spearheading the efforts to open a doorway and rescue you these past months. Micah is fascinated with all aspects of demon culture, and you're a direct source. The texts he's got are useful, but aren't complete. Especially when it comes to modern-day culture on Eudae."

She fingered the hem of her shirt. "I would be happy to speak with him sometime."

Thomas turned and handed a folded piece of paper to Adam. "I hope you can speak to Micah in person soon, Claire. For the time being, it's time for you all to get going. Go far. Go fast. All the information you need is on that sheet." He slipped a small rectangular disk from his wallet. "ATM card. I'm out of here." He opened the door and exited the vehicle.

Claire quickly got out, too, and threw herself into Thomas's arms as Adam took the wheel. She buried her face in his chest. "Thank you." The words came from the bottom of her being.

Thomas dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. "No, Claire. You have nothing to thank me for. You saved my life. Now I'm just trying to return the favor."

He released her and strode away, pulling a small black object from his pocket, pressing a button and talking into it.

Claire stood for a moment outside the car, letting the breeze buffet her hair. She stared down the strange street they'd traveled on, watching strange people and smelling strange smells.

Were the daaeman on their trail even now?

Dumb question. Of course they were.

Somewhere near the exit signs for the house on the Rock in Wisconsin, that's when the Atrika caught up with them.

Adam had been driving while Theo rode shotgun. It was strange seeing Theo in a car, since he normally drove a bike — a Harley Night Rod, to be exact. He looked uncomfortable in something with four wheels, like he had a touch of claustrophobia.

There could only be one they're she could be referring to. Damn, dirty demons.

"I thought we lost them. How did they catch up with us?" She turned around, staring down the black highway behind them. Her accent was odd, overly rounded vowels and flat consonants. It was unlike anything he'd ever heard before.

He caught her gaze in the mirror and narrowed his eyes. "How do you know they're behind us?"

She drew her full lower lip between her teeth. They hadn't had much in the way of orthodontics on Eudae, but her teeth were pretty naturally straight anyway. "I can feel them, like a tingle in the center of me. It's Rue's magick maybe. The elium." She shook her head violently, curls flying. "There's so much about this magick I don't understand yet. I need a quiet place to explore it."

"Hey, it's okay." He tried to calm the edge of panic in her voice. "Just answer me one thing. Do you think they can track you magickally?"

She thought for a moment. "No. I don't think so. I'm actually not totally sure what they can do with blood magick, but if it was that easy to track me they would've found me in Chicago before the police brought me to the hospital." She bit her lip again. "Although I did move around a lot, so… I'm not sure."

"Well we're about to find out. Hold on." He swerved toward an exit at the last minute and gunned the engine hard. Beside him, Theo grabbed the armrest. All the cars behind them, save a black SUV, passed the exit.

Seeing no other cars and none of the ever-vigilant Wisconsin patrolmen in sight, he ignored the stop sign at the top of the ramp and guided the vehicle down a small two-lane road into the hills. Evergreens whipped past in the glow of the headlights. Evening had settled not long before.

The trees didn't lack for water, Adam could feel it. Fire witches were always hyperaware of their surroundings and how well a place would burn. This area had received a lot of water lately. That was good. He didn't want to use fire against the demons, but if it came down to it he didn't have to worry about starting a forest fire.

"Adam." Claire's voice quivered.

Adam pushed the accelerator almost to the floor. The trees flew faster.

"Adam!"

He looked in the rearview mirror. Claire's blue eyes were wide, her already pale face paler, and her lips compressed. Every muscle in her body seemed taut as she stared at the road in front of them. "What is it?"

Theo shifted in his seat. "This is probably only the second time the woman's ever been in a car and you're trying to break the land speed record."

The black dot in his rearview was getting bigger. His gaze flicked to Claire. "I'm sorry. You can have a panic attack when we're free of these guys, okay?"

She dragged her gaze to his and forced her jaw to unlock. "It's fine. Do what you have to do."

He did. Slowing down just enough not to tip the car, he took a corner fast and hard. Thank the gods for remote parts of Wisconsin. Where they were now was blessedly uninhabited.

They breezed past a motel that would have been a great set for a horror movie and then more trees. As soon as Adam found the right spot, he slowed and guided the car off road.

"Are you all right?" He glanced at Claire.

"Better." Her face was green, belying her answer.

He went slowly now, over huge bumps that knocked his teeth together and enduring the branches scraping the paint off Thomas's Mercedes S550. Finally, he was deep enough in to not be seen. He hoped. Adam turned off the headlights and cut the engine.

He shifted, fingers itching to hold his sword, which he'd stashed behind the front seat. Honestly, going head-to-head with two demons right now was not the wisest course of action. They weren't ready to face creatures who could regenerate limbs, heal almost any wound, and had almost zero vulnerabilities… not yet.

It was best to hope that the Atrika passed them by, gave them time to plan and prepare. That didn't stop Adam from wanting action, though. Like Thomas had wanted it. Like Theo wanted it. Now Theo sat hunched over in his seat, fists clenched, jaw locked.