Black Feather Falls (COMPLETE)

Hunted (24)

Israel's Perspective

I'm hearing everything, yet nothing is registering. No, I'm not scared, as terrifying as this guy is; the lack of registry comes from my love for Daniel. It would've been different if it was just me and Zahra, we've handled Hell and avenging angels ... we are unstoppable. But it's not just us; Daniel is in the picture and I can't act like he's not a factor and worse; I can't put his life in danger.

I've done enough damage to him over the past two years and I don't want him to suffer anymore. To have him die in the crossfire would crush me from the inside out; especially since I'm the one who dragged him into this mess.

"He can't find you." Zachary's tender voice pierced the silence. "He's one step behind you. It seems he can only find you when you've left a location. He's tracking your residual magical energy, so he can't pinpoint where you are ... akin to Zahra's minor dryad magic. Since I discovered my innate dryad magic, with Zahra's and my brother's help, I've been able to actively mask your presence; enough so he undeniably can't find you."

"That's the thing." I amended. "He shouldn't be able to find me at all. Dryad magic is the most powerful cloaking magic there is; no one, but the casting dryad can break it." Questions like waves rushed through me, filling me with great anxiety.

"What if he's not tracking your magic and hasn't broken your cloaking?" Jana, who's been absent for three days now, appears at the door I'm sure was locked. Her chestnut brown hair is curled to shoulder length with a piece slightly covering her left eye. Her Asian descent actively enhances all her features; from her light brown eyes to her light skin tone. She's dressed in head-to-toe sweats just like Zahra, only these being black and pink.

"Jana!" Everyone exclaimed at the same time. "You're back."

"Where've you been?" My eyebrows now arched in judgement.

"Shove it Israel." She clapped back with a venomous smile. "As I was saying, no one can break a dryad's cloaking ... not even a God; only another dryad. Lingering magic can only be tracked within a ten-minute period of the person leaving."

"Where did you read that?"

"During my absence, I headed over to the Athens Municipality Library, and from there with the information you gave me, I made my way into every library database in the world." Jana is indisputably the best hacker in the entire country.

Daniel's taste in everything else may be garbage, but his choice in friends is impeccable. It wasn't hard to convince Zac that he was a Dryad, but it took some time convincing Jana that she was a Raijū; a lightning fox spirit from Japan. One of the many species of creatures here on earth. Her lightning powers and innate control over electricity has empowered her abilities as a hacker. I doubt Daniel is even aware of the magical powers his friends possess. Such a useless little boy.

Regardless, this is the reason why I brought Zachary and his mom to London; Daniel's happiness was simply a means to an end. As insensitive as that sounds, it was the truth. I discovered Zac's dryadic nature by accident. The night I held Dan in a chokehold, he left the house and hours passed and he never came home. I grew worried and asked Zahra to use a locator spell on him .... it didn't work. I knew Daniel was powerful, but he wouldn't have had enough power to mask his magic.

For the most part, the moment my hand touched him, his abilities were lessened greatly. It grew even more late and worry pooled inside me until Daniel and Zac appeared at the door. Zahra was in the bedroom surrounded by candles, trying to locate him still. I opened the door, and impulsively grabbed Zac by the wrist. He groaned as he twisted his arm to break free. Daniel was lifeless watching the whole encounter.