Destiny Divided by Leia Shaw

ass!” And she meant it. No way was she going to bunk in a bat-filled cave with a pissy sorcerer for god only knows how long.
    James looked like he was going to explode with anger. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. His head titled to the side and his nostrils flared.
    He was…sniffi ng? What the hell?
    Then he froze. H is muscles tensed, his eyes widened. She watched him curiously. This was different, even for James . Clouds parted and a full moon glowed, lighting up the area around them.
    She only had a moment to consider it befor e something grabbed her. The world turned upside down as she was thrown over a shoulder and locked into place by a steel grip on her legs. Her heart raced and panic swept through her.
    But it was James’ voice that said, “Don’t you dare make a sound or I swear over all that’s holy , I will beat you bloody.” He jostled her in warning.
    Maybe it was the way he’d hefted her over his shoulder as if she were nothing more than a sack of rice, but she decided not to test him this time.
    T hey took off. She was flying. Or maybe not flying. But they were moving fast. Way fast. And Sage was stuck hanging off James’ freakishly strong shoulder, blood rushing to her head, ass up in the air. Even if she were brave enough to scream, she couldn’t have because the air was moving around her too fast. All she could do was gulp it down.
    What the hell was going on? Then it hit her. James wasn’t just a sorcerer. And he certainly wasn’t human. After what felt like only a few minutes, though she knew it must have been longer, James dumped her on the ground. Her body was stiff but she managed to scramble away until a cold, hard wall stopped her.
    The moonlight made it clear enough to see James’ silhouette pacing across the opening of the cave. He muttered angrily but she couldn’t make out the words.
    H is attention snapped to her. “Because of your stubbornness,” he said. “I have to go back down and get our bags.” He threw a flashlight toward her and it bounced off her leg. “For once, Sage, do what you’re told and stay here !”
    She stared at him , dumbstruck.
    “I ’ll be right back.” He left in a blur.
    James isn’t human . She had to say it a few times before it sunk in. Then what did he truly want with her? She stood up and stumbled toward the mouth of the cave . The hell if she was going to stick around to find out.
    Flashlight in hand, she lumbered down the mountain, veering away from the direction James had left. She tripped twice, hard enough to make blood drip down her leg, but it didn’t stop her. She had only walked for five minutes before she was back over the solid shoulder and dropped on her ass in the cave.
    James stood over her. “I told you to stay!”
    She scrambled on the dirt floor then rose unsteadily as she contemplated fighting him. But instinct told her not to. His whole body – from his stiff stance, to his balled up fists, and even his frowning mouth – emanated danger.
    He spun in a circle scanning the environment around them. For what, she had no idea. Maybe he was looking for a stick to beat her over the head with.
    Since escape seemed implausible for the moment, she watched him instead. She looked for weaknesses but mostly tried to figure out what the hell he was.
    Moving far too fast to be human, James pulled a bunch of sticks together in the center of the cave. He lifted his hands and, in only a few seconds, the sticks caught fire.
    He turned back around to face her. She could see his face clearly no w, although the shadows on the walls were equally unnerving. But he didn’t look angry. He looked concerned. And just the slightest bit nervous.
    She walked backward, slowly, until she bumped against the stone wall of the cave.
    “Do you know wha t I am, Sage?” he asked while creeping toward her.
    A Hunter . And with the speed she’d witnessed tonight, a lethal one undoubtedly. She tried to recall a spell she could use against