“That’s more like it,” Lexi muttered as she rose. “Sahira and Brokk should be back by now.”
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Cole replied.
He said the words, but she heard the concern in his voice, even if he was focused on something else. She rested her hand on the counter while Cole stared down at the piece of paper sitting on it.
She frowned at the paper, but from her angle, she couldn’t see what was on it. Lexi didn’t think it was here when she returned for the healing potions, but she was in such a rush that she probably wouldn’t have noticed it.
Lexi glanced around the kitchen as if she could will her aunt and Brokk into being here. Anxiety gnawed at her gut as the house's emptiness became louder than the screech of the craz.
She shifted her attention back to Cole. “What is that?” she inquired.
He pushed the paper toward her, and she leaned over to read the words scrawled in a hasty hand on it.
We have to talk. You know where to find me. It’sIMPORTANT.
She didn’t recognize the handwriting, so Sahira didn’t write it.
“It’s from Orin,” he said as if reading her mind.
“Oh,” she murmured. “I’m assuming he means for us to find him in the tunnels.”
“He can wait.”
“Cole—”
“I still have rebels to hunt. Orin can wait.”
She didn’t particularly want to see Orin right now either—the man pissed her off—but if it kept Cole from a battle, she would talk to his brother.
“We should talk to him and find out if he’s seen Brokk and Sahira. Maybe there’s a chance they’ve already returned and we missed them, or they had to go somewhere else. Maybethat’swhat this note is about,” she said.
“They would have left us one themselves if that was the case.”
“He still might have seen them. We have to talk to him.”
Cole shoved the piece of paper away from him. “Let’s make this quick.”
Lexi led the way to the fireplace and pushed the rock on it to open the tunnel. Ducking inside, she found the flashlight and clicked it on while the door slid shut behind them. Neither of them spoke as they made their way through the tunnels toward where the refugees hid.
Their shoes were silent against the concrete floor, and the familiar aroma of wet earth hung heavy on the air. She shone her light over the walls, but she’d memorized these catacombs years ago; her father made certain of it.
They were halfway there when Cole grasped her arm and pulled her to a stop. A second later, the shadows shifted and Orin emerged from the darkness. If Cole hadn’t stopped her, she never would have known he was there.
She had no idea what he planned to talk to them about, but his stony face and the hardness of his black eyes was anything but welcoming. Cole’s hand tightened on her arm as he pulled her back a step and moved to stand slightly in front of her.
Orin studied her before shifting his gaze to Cole. His eyes softened a little.
“We have to talk,” Orin said.
“That’s what the note said and why we’re here,” Cole replied.
“Have you seen Brokk or Sahira?” Lexi blurted.
Orin’s attention remained riveted on Cole as he replied, “No.”
A chill slid up her spine as an unsettling feeling knotted in her stomach. Something wasnotright here, and though Cole was doing a lot better, he was far from being ready to fight Orin.
But why would Orin want to fight him when things were fine with them before? They hadn’t been great, but they were working together and tolerating each other. What happened to bring about this sudden change in Orin?
