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“I haven’t been a holy man for decades.”
His mocking laughter cut through the night, making me nearly convulse with rage. “No. You haven’t. Which is why I can’t trust you to follow through on your vows now.”
“And you always do everything you’ve sworn to do?”
“When it comes to protecting my family? Yes.”
I took a step toward him, then blurred across the distance, grabbing him by his collar. “Your family isyourpriority. She is mine.”
His eyes widened. “Fuck me, you really love her, don’t you?”
I didn’t answer. Instead I released him and turned to walk away. “Stay out of my way, Cashel. Let me do my job.”
I stormed away from him, not paying attention to the path I was taking as my body quaked with fury. Whose idea was it to create damned mazes out of a hedge? Every turn put me at a dead end.
“You’re not where you’re needed, Caleb.”
The Seer’s voice sounded in my head, stopping me in my tracks. I spun in a circle, searching for the speaker. But I was alone.
“Go to her. She’s dying.”
One thought solidified in my mind. Sunday.
That was enough to send me running. I tore through the hedge, worming my way through thorns and bramble without care. Fuck the Blackthornes and their fucking labyrinth. I wasn’t going to waste time when she was in danger. They were lucky I didn’t burn the fecking thing down.
It took far too long for me to get to her, precious seconds wasted. Where were the others? Why was no one protecting her?
The door to her room was wide open. Splashing came from the bathroom, and as I approached, all I saw was the next death I’d have on my hands.
“The abomination must not survive,” the hooded figure muttered, hate seeping from every word.
“That’s not for you to decide,” I snarled, gripping him by the head and twisting until I felt flesh tear and tendons snap. The bones in his neck separated, and his hold on Sunday went lax.
His body crumbled like a house of cards, blood pooling on the white tile floor. But I only had eyes for the woman lying so still under the water. I dropped the attacker’s head with a thunk and pulled Sunday from the bath, her skin still warm but her face deathly pale.
Setting her on the tile, I started counting out the compressions on her chest and then tipped her head back to breathe into her mouth. I was on my second set when the footsteps sounded behind me.
“What happened?” Alek asked, fear making his voice tight.
“Sunshine?”
I ignored both of them, too focused on breathing life back into her. She couldn’t die. I leaned down to bring my lips to hers again, whispering, “Come back to me,a stor.”
“Where the fuck is Noah? He’s supposed to be with her,” Kingston snarled, his wolf slipping into the question.
“I’m right here,” Noah said, sounding as worried as the rest of us as he raced into the room with more Blackthornes on his heels. “I was already on my way back when I felt her fear. Is she going to be all right?”
A deep gurgle followed by coughing came from Sunday, and my heart started beating again. Rolling her onto her side, I stroked her back as she choked up the water that had nearly been her end.
She dragged in a ragged gasp of air and looked around from person to person, fear and mistrust in her eyes.
“Somebody get her a fecking towel,” I snapped, shielding her with my body.
Alek was the first to reach us, holding out his shirt. “Here, use this.”
I draped the fabric over her as I cradled her to my chest.
“I’m assuming this is the culprit?” Cashel asked, toe kicking the attacker’s severed head. “Or what’s left of him?”
