Drowning with Fire #3 ✔

Chapter 28 - Theo

As a pack (minus Ryder, who was presumably still sweet-talking Eric, and Halia, who was presumably still watching Victoria), we decided who should go ahead to Hopecliffe with Killian while he was unconscious.

Ember was to teleport Killian and Al there, whereas Thea would run there in hellhound form, finding sanctuary from prying eyes by becoming one with the shadows. Maia too, with her added strength as a skinwalker, was to run there as well. We figured that Ember, Thea and Maia, being the strongest of us all, would be best to keep an eye on Killian. Al was to get in touch with her pixie troupe and then find a suitable cave to hide Killian in.

"What did I miss?" Ryder sauntered into the clearing with a smug grin on his face as we were getting ready to split. His smirk turned into a scowl of mock annoyance. "Wow, thanks for waiting for me before taking him down."

"You had Eric to distract." Thea patted him on the shoulder condescendingly.

"Yeah... What's happening now then?" He asked.

"Ember, Al, Thea and Maia are going ahead to Hopecliffe with Killian," I explained. "And the rest of us are going back to Wednesday's to gather a few things before we catch the bus over there."

"Got it." Ryder nodded, then hesitated – rocking backwards and forwards on his heels. "If you're planning on getting to Hopecliffe before Killian wakes up, you better get going."

Ember squeezed my forearm. "He's right."

"We'll be on the next bus out of Lake Oldoy, I promise," I told her sincerely. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be okay," she replied with a slight smile and wrapped her arms around me tightly.

"See you soon," I said as she walked away from me.

Once Al had hugged Wednesday, Ember grabbed onto her friend's wrist and knelt down to grasp Killian's shoulder. And in one swirl of fire, the three of them disappeared from sight – hurtling through oblivion across to Hopecliffe.

Thea shifted into her full supernatural form; a great black dog with tendrils fire encompassing it.

<Later, bro.> She eyed me and then sprinted off through the woods, gathering enough speed before she became a black and red blur.

<Be careful.> I reminded her mentally.

<Always am.>

Without a word, Maia crouched down on all fours and let out a fierce growl before chasing Thea through the woods.

And then it was just me, Ryder, Wednesday, Abi and Zack standing amongst the trees. The clearing had disappeared and we were in the thick of the Lake Oldoy woods once again. Yet I was glad the dryads had helped out – we wouldn't have stood a chance against Killian if the dryads hadn't used roots to bind him to the floor.

But we'd had that chance, and we'd used it to our advantage.

~

It was with subdued hearts that we walked back to Wednesday's house. We'd completed the very first step in getting Kaden back; we'd taken Killian down and we sort of knew how to detain him too. Yet while we were still in Lake Oldoy, there was nothing we could do to help.

Though once we got to Wednesday's, I was able to keep my mind busy by packing things up.

"Just get what we need," I told them as we got inside.

"Good thing Zack and I didn't unpack." Abi forced a smile.

"Are you okay about having to move again so quickly?" I asked her in concern. "I know you and Zack only just got here..."