Free Soul Guard (Elemental Book 5) by Rain Oxford Page A

familiar, he was able to use the powerful wizard’s
magic and the shadow pass.
    He showed a frustrating lack of concern. “Missing? Is
that all?”
    “Scott is only five.” The shifter opened his mouth to
interrupt. “And his jaguar form includes saber fangs and wings.”
    His expression finally changed. “Raduma,” he said,
more to himself than me.
    I nodded. “I thought you knew what Henry was.”
    “I knew from the first moment I saw him. I just
didn’t think his child would develop those traits. I thought Henry didn’t have
wings.”
    “He doesn’t, but I’ve seen Scott with them when he
was in danger.”
    “Why didn’t you use the shadow pass to find him?”
    “I haven’t been able to get anywhere but the tower.”
    Without wasting any more time, he grabbed my arm and
pulled me towards the shadows. “Picture the child,” he said. The shadows
swarmed us, blocking all light, and the air changed. The gravity was heavier,
the air was stale, and it was pitch black.
    I visualized Scott in my mind. Not knowing which form
he was in, I pictured him in his person form. I didn’t even have a guess at how
long we were in the shadow pass. Hands reached for me, but I knew to keep my
mouth shut. My instincts warned me that I was surrounded.
    Finally, the light returned and the gravity let up.
We were in an alley. The first thing I saw when I looked out on the street was
the animal control truck. “Shit.” There were three men in uniform with
tranquilizer guns and a crowd of people gathered in front of a bakery. A dozen
plans formed in my head in the first few seconds, before I disregarded all of
them and strolled right out onto the street.
    Flagstone tried to stop me, but I was already acting.
I let my magic overpower the minds of all the people in the crowd and made them
sleep. When I first learned to control minds, it required pushing thoughts,
images, and my mood into their mind. To make them sleep, I would have to recall
the feeling of sleep from my own mind. The more I used my power, however, the
easier it became. This time, my magic pulled it from them. They all dropped to
the ground without resistance. Only then did I realize I was overreacting.
    Still, I was already inside before Flagstone could
reprimand me. “What the hell were you thinking?! That’s the kind of thing that
would get you a death sentence if the council were still running!”
    I ignored him, looking around and under the tables
and counter for Scott.
    With a speed I thought over vampires possessed,
Flagstone slammed me against the wall. “Answer me! Tell me why I shouldn’t kill
you for that!”
    “They’re asleep, not dead.”
    “That’s not the point! That’s exactly the kind of
thing John Cross would have done!”
    I felt Rocky’s presence press against my mind and
sent him a dismissive thought. I tried to shove Flagstone off, but that just
made the wolf growl. “John would have killed them.”
    “Some of them could have busted their heads open on
the pavement! What were you---”
    “I wasn’t thinking!” I interrupted. “I just acted and
I know it was stupid!”
    He let me go. “Then find the cub, because Logan wants
to talk to you.” Although his voice was much lower in volume, there was still
anger boiling behind it.
    I continued my search for Scott in the kitchen, where
I found an old, thin man instead. When I walked in, he stepped in front of
something and put his hands up. “Don’t shoot him,” he said.
    I immediately put my hands out to show him I wasn’t
armed, which didn’t help because my jacket flapped open to reveal my gun. “I’m
not here to hurt him; I’m here to keep him from getting captured.” After a
moment of hesitation, the man moved aside and I saw the small, saber-tooth
jaguar cub huddled under a counter with a huge bread roll in his mouth.
    “He came in here last night because he was hungry,
but he ran out there when the customers made noise because he was curious.
Someone called animal