The comms in my ear crackled, adding to the conversation. “We’ve secured the western ridge. No movement. No sightings.”
“Same on the north.”
“Thermal scanners are useless,” another man muttered in my ear. “Everything’s still too hot—or too cold.”
“Keep looking,” I commanded. “We need to find them and get the fuck out of here.”
“Copy.”
“Copy.” The man vanished back into the charred forest, and I pushed onward.
Exhaustion settled like glue, but Rook had trained me well.
I’d chased after her over countless countries; I could chase after her over a stupid mountain range.
Brushing aside yet another scorched branch, I froze.
Fuckingfinally.
The panther snarled the moment I tripped into the small clearing, but I flat out ignored him in favour of the two people he guarded.
Lucien lay on his side, his entire body spooning Rook who looked so small and fragile in his embrace. Neither of them looked up, and I risked getting bitten as I tripped forward, needing to see—
“Hey.” I jerked my hands up in surrender as the panther lunged. “I’m here to save them...same as you.”
It hissed.
Narrowing my eyes on Rook’s slack face, my heart fisted with worry.
Was she dead?
The black beast swiped the air with clawed paws.
“Quit it, you mangy animal.” Backing up, I touched the commsin my ear. “I’ve found them.”
Found them hopefully alive, but also...very, very naked. Unzipping my jacket, I went to cover her, but the damn cat hissed again.
“Fuck, you’re a pain in my ass.”
“Copy. We’re on our way.” The comms crackled and I took my first proper breath since the sky had caught fire, waking me up halfway through the night to find Rook wasn’t where she was supposed to be.
At least I’d finally found her. I could rely on the Snowflake Corp men to track my location and help me take my little employer and the man she’d fallen stupidly in love with back to Ashfall Cliff.
And once I knew she wasn’t dead. Once I’d proven she was okay...then I was going to wring the ever-loving life out of her.
Because I wasdonewith this shit.
Done chasing her across continents and always being one step behind. Done with fearing that I would be too late.
I didn’t care what she was or what she was becoming, she was mine to protect, and it was about goddamn time she let me do my goddamn job because if she didn’t...I’d quit.
“Ugh, who am I kidding?” I moved forward, unable to keep my distance even with a spitting panther threatening to tear my throat out. “You’re a reckless, stubborn pain in my ass but I’m not going anywhere. In fact...”
Fisting the GPS tracker—that I’d carried with me ever since I’d lost her the last time—out of my pocket, I dangled it in the air. The red string I’d stolen from one of Lucien’s bonsai trees wasn’t the prettiest of jewellery, but screw it. “This is going on you the moment that cat stops offering to bite my head off. I’m never going to lose you again, and if I have to weld this onto your damn leg to ensure that, I’ll do it.”
Her forehead furrowed as if she’d heard me.
My heart kicked.
