Which was stupid.
They were trained assassins.
They handled monsters on a regular basis.
They could take care of themselves.
But she wanted to be the one to take care of them and watch their backs. As their mate, it felt like her job. And no matter how dangerous, she wouldn’t trade them for the world.
“Fine.” She tipped back her head and blew out her breath. “We do this together.”
Loki gave a joyous yip, and the guys’ expressions varied between cocky and smug.
Cashure wasn’t impressed. He opened his mouth to protest, and she held up her hand. “We go together. Either we go through you or around you. Your choice.”
He scanned them with calculating eyes, possibly judging his chances, then shrugged and conceded defeat. “Very well.”
His acceptance was too easy, and the hair lifted on the back of her neck when he turned to open the door. “What aren’t you telling us?”
Magic flared in the tiny space as Cashure touched the door, a grimace twisting his features as the magic took a bite out of him as it checked his bloodline. When the lock snapped open and the door creaked wide, he gazed at her from over his shoulder. “If you go in together, you will be judged together—live or die, your fate will be tied to one another.”
The guys didn’t even hesitate to step through the door, and she was humbled at their belief in her. Loki sprang through the doorway like it was a race, his claws scrambling as he raced to catch up to the others. Morgan hesitated at the entrance, turning to look at Cashure. “If you ever decide to leave, come to the coven. We’ll grant you sanctuary.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw, his eyes turning stormy. “Not everyone deserves forgiveness.”
“Sometimes, it is those who don’t think they can be redeemed that are the ones who deserve it the most.” Then she stepped through the door. She expected him to follow, so she was surprised when the door thudded shut behind them.
The guys were waiting only a few feet away, each of them touching her as she passed, as if to reassure themselves that she was with them and unharmed. Once satisfied, they pushed farther under the castle until they came upon another door, this one more ominous and deadlier—a cell door.
Kincade pushed it open, and the metal creaked like it hadn’t been used in years. Rust flaked to the floor, the smell of despair and fear tainting the air. The men entered first, Draven nearly body checking her in his rush, shooting her an apologetic glance over his shoulder…and missing Ryder reaching out to smack him on the back of the head.
The small gesture made her smile.
As soon as she stepped over the threshold, the door clanked shut behind them with an ominous clank. She whirled and pushed at the metal. When it wouldn’t budge, her heart sank.
It was a fucking trap.
She felt stupid for willingly walking into a dungeon.
“What the hell?!” Ryder came to a stop in front of one of the cells, the door opened wide.
When she followed, she saw what had freaked him out.
The cell was full of statues.
She wandered farther down the hall, passing cell after cell. One after the other, she saw they were all filled with more and more statues. Some looked startled, some confused, while others had an expression of fear etched on their faces.
It was unnerving.
She lost count of the stone statues after the fifth cell. Loki stuck close to her side, refusing to venture far. He slunk low to the ground, as if the statues blank stares unnerved him too.
“I don’t understand.” Draven stood in the middle of the hall, his hands on his hips, scanning the tunnels with a frown. “If this is a prison, then where are all the prisoners?”
The guys glanced around the dingy space, then turned toward Atlas and Caedmon as if they would know the answers, but both men wore baffled expressions, just as clueless.
A dry, rustling sound caught Morgan’s attention, a subtle hiss like air being let out of tires. “Do you hear that?”
The guys went into action, forming a protective circle. Draven, Caedmon, Atlas, and Kincade pulled their weapons, while Ryder and Ascher beefed up, shifting shapes until they sported fangs and claws. They peered into the darkness, seconds away from springing into action.
