“I don’t want to know what that was.”
“Neither do I.”
Feeling unsettled by this development, Lexilifted her cup and sipped her tea as she watched the people on theroad.
CHAPTER 22
Cole caught the scent of Orin not far from where heleft Lexi. He didn’t say a word to the others, but the other lycantracked it to a forest where even Cole lost Orin’s trail. Fromthere, they prowled through the woods until they came across a fewhouses.
They interviewed the occupants of thosehomes, but no one had seen Orin. From there, they traveled backinto the woods until they came to the edge of a lake. The sunreflected off the water’s pristine surface and illuminated thelarge, gray stone manor across the way.
Malakai stared at the manor while the lycansprowled the water’s edge, and Brokk studied the ground like he wasbored with the whole thing. However, the set of Brokk’s jaw and theway his fingers twiddled behind his back indicated Brokk was payingattention to everything.
Cole studied the amulet at Malakai’s throat.The vampire hadn’t possessed the powerful sun medallion while theywere fighting together, but there was only one place he could havegotten it.
The vampire’s possession of the medallionmade Cole distrust him more. He was acutely aware Malakai wouldtell the Lord every detail of their time together today.
He glanced at Brokk, but his brother waswandering idly by as he examined the shoreline as if searching forsomething. Whatever Malakai did to earn that amulet, it had madethe Lord extremely happy.
“I’ll be back,” Malakai said.
“Where are you going?” the largest of thelycans demanded.
“I have something to do.”
Malakai walked away, and Cole watched as hestrolled around the lake. As his step's pace increased, Colerealized Malakai was nowhere near as nonchalant as he was trying toact. Something about the manor had Malakai excited.
“I’ve had enough of that asshole,” thesmallest lycan grumbled.
“Then let’s get out of here. We’re not goingto find the dark fae,” another lycan said.
“He’ll report us to the Lord.”
“Report what? That we lost the trail. There’snot much to report there.”
The largest lycan looked at Cole and Brokk,who stared back at them. “I don’t care what you do,” Cole said.
The lycans didn’t say anything before theyturned and loped away into the woods.
“Now what?” Brokk asked.
Malakai was almost jogging as he closed in onthe manor. “What has him so excited?” he muttered.
“No idea,” Brokk said. “We should try to findOrin.”
“We will, but let’s see what has that assholein such a rush first.”
Brokk frowned as he gazed after Malakai.“Yes, let’s.”
They started around the lake together.
“What do we do if we find Orin?” Brokk askedas Malakai climbed the steps to the front doors of the manor.
“We’ll get his ass somewhere safe if wecan.”
“Can you smell him?” Brokk asked.
“No, I lost his scent soon after they did,but I might be able to pick it up again if we keep searching.”
