“No, there’s not,” Asher agreed. He hated the idea of her anywhere near those monsters, but there was no avoiding it. One day, all of them were going to have to fight, or they were going to lose everything they’d ever known and loved. “I can call the Alliance and have them send us some help.”
Brie pondered this before responding. “No. If there’s something truly horrible there, then I can’t put their lives in jeopardy too. I have to go alone.”
“The fuck you do,” Asher growled. “I’m not letting you face this on your own. I’m going with you.”
“You can die far more easily than me.”
“I don’t care. I’ve faced death countless times before; it doesn’t scare me. And you arenotwalking into this alone. You don’t have to do that anymore.”
Although, he was more nervous about dying now because ofher. If she truly was his mate, and something happened to him, it would also destroy her. He would do everything he could to make sure that didn’t happen, but he wasn’t going to let her hunt for the stone, in a possibly treacherous place, on her own.
“We’ll go together, and we’ll give Cabo and Zina some contact information for the Alliance in case something happens to us,” Asher said. “I’ll let Nathan know someone else might be contacting him and who they are, so he’ll believe them when they call. And if the Alliance is needed, they’ll be prepared for a threat when they come for us. And they will come. They won’t leave us there.”
“You have no doubt about that?” she asked.
“Do you doubt Zina and Cabo would come for you if something happened?”
“No,” Brie replied without hesitation.
“That’s exactly how I feel. We’ll tell Cabo and Zina that if we don’t come back, they’re to wait for the Alliance before coming for us. It might take some time, but wewillhave backup if something goes wrong.”
Brie pondered this for a bit before replying. “I’d prefer if you didn’t go.”
“That’s not going to happen, even if I have to follow you there, which could end up causing problems.”
“I could restrain you again.”
“You won’t.”
She scowled at him. “What makes you so sure?”
He smiled at her as his fingers skimmed her belly. “You can tie me up anytime for fun; I won’t complain, but you won’t do it again to keep me a prisoner. You didn’t like doing it the first time.”
She hated he knew her so well and was right. She wouldn’t imprison him again, even if it kept him safe. However, from what she’d seen of that cave, it wasn’t where he died.
Maybe it was different inside, but she didn’t think so. And if that was true, then she had no reason to fight him over this… other than stubbornness. Since she wasn’t in the mood to argue, she decided to let it go.
“What do you think is down there?” he asked.
“Besides the stone? I have no idea. But what I saw in my dream creeps me out. That place is bad.”
The tremor in her voice stilled his hand on her stomach. “We’ll face it together and get the stone.”
Brie wished she had his confidence, but it didn’t matter because she hadhim. And she was starting to care for him far more than she would have ever believed possible.
The sight of that cave had caused a chill to permeate her bones, but her growing feelings for Asher made terror dig its way into her heart.
* * *
They leftZina and Cabo at a hotel next to Coral Lake. Before leaving them there, Asher called Nathan and explained he might get into some trouble and had given his contact information to Zina and Cabo in case they needed it. He didn’t reveal where he was or what they were doing.
He hated the anxiousness in Nathan’s tone but promised to call him as soon as he could before hanging up. He hoped Cabo and Zina never had to call him.
After that, he and Brie climbed into an unassuming, black sedan they’d rented and headed for Coral Lake. He traversed the winding back roads while Brie fidgeted in the passenger seat. He’d never seen her so anxious, but she pulled at the edge of her shirt, shifted constantly, and tapped her fingers on her legs.
When they passed the Coral Lake sign, she closed her eyes and muttered, “Oh, shit.”
“You okay?” Asher asked.
