With that, Iruka disappeared, leaving Aimee and Taiga alone. She glanced at him, then pointed toward the first marker Kiba had left. “Let’s go.”
Chapter twenty-five
“Welldone,oldwoman.”Yata’s thin, birdlike frame cast a long shadow over the crumpled form of her Squad Leader.
Oba-chan stood stiffly, avoiding Kiba’s prone body. “We struck a bargain.” Her eyes fixed on the ground as if the weight of her guilt would become too heavy if she dared look at him. “I’ve delivered the shinobi as promised. Now, honor your word and release my kin. They are all I have left.”
“No!” Taiga gasped beside Aimee. His body tensed as if ready to spring into action.
Without hesitation, Aimee grabbed the boy by his collar and yanked him down hard, her knee pressing firmly into his back. She was already masking their presence, including the massive pulse of Mana swirling around Taiga. She knew any sound would give them away.
Wait, she mouthed, holding him steady.
As she kept Taiga pinned, one of the other rogues stepped from the shadows and approached Kiba. He bent his knees, checking theman’s pulse with two fingers. Then, he pried one of the eyelids open, scanning the unfocused pupil, his movements methodical. After that, he bent each of Kiba's limbs one by one, watching for any reflexive twitch or resistance.
“He’s definitely under the Veilroot,” the man confirmed, marking something in his notebook.
“As I said.” Oba-chan crossed her arms. “I’ve upheld my end of the deal.” Her eyes darted briefly to Kiba, but she quickly looked away.
Yata clicked his tongue in disapproval, shaking his head slightly. “Not quite, Granny.”
“What do you mean?” Oba-chan's voice wavered as she stepped forward, her arms stiff at her sides. “You wanted shinobi. You now have the Silver Wolf. What more is there?”
Yata turned slowly to face the other man. “Cain, test him. He’s no good to us just sitting there drooling.”
Taiga swatted impatiently at Aimee’s leg.
Let me up! he signed.I’ll follow your lead. I promise.
Aimee hesitated, her eyes fixed on Kiba’s unmoving form, her heart sinking. She prayed he wasn’t too far gone. She lifted her knee off Taiga’s back with a reluctant nod, but her focus never wavered from the Squad Leader.
Cain stepped forward, raised his hand, and traced a series of arcane symbols in the air, the same ones Aimee had seen him use back at the estate. Then, he pressed two fingers to his forehead with a practiced touch.
Aimee squinted, trying desperately to follow the flow of Mana, searching for any weak points she could exploit, but it moved too quickly, slipping through her mental grasp like water. One moment, Kiba was inert on the ground. The next, he was on his feet, moving with the grace of a predator, bowing slightly to Yata.
The small man clapped his hands together, a gleeful giggle escaping him as his eyes lit with twisted joy. “Oh my. Oh my, my my. That is just perfect. Well done, my friend. You’ve perfected Kazuma’s formula.”
Aimee felt a jolt run through her at the mention of the name. She hadn’t heard it before, but something about it tightened her chest.
It doesn’t matter where they got the formula, she thought, shaking off the strange feeling.
Cain shrugged, examining Kiba with a casual indifference. “He was nearly there already. I can’t imagine why he abandoned his research.”
Oba-chan, her patience clearly fraying, took another step toward Yata. “There. Well done. Now just give me my family back.”
Frowning at the interruption, he slowly turned toward her. “You’re ready to rejoin your family then?”
“Yes!” Oba-chan stomped her foot. “Just give me the antidote, and we’ll be on our way. You can keep the village and do whatever you want to the Havens. I just want my family.”
They’re going to kill her, Taiga signed, gesturing toward the scene.
Aimee barely shrugged, her eyes locked on Kiba.
We have to save her. Taiga grabbed her sleeve, his expression pleading.
Fuck that, she mouthed back.
I’m going, whether you come or not! Taiga’s eyes burned.We can’t just let them kill her! He moved to slip past her, but she grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back.
