AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Five
I had wanted nothing more than to see my men all together again, yet now that it had happened…
It felt odd.
Grant—along with a new bruise spanning his left cheek—stood near the window of the large warehouse Kase had secured for our use. He walked the perimeter, adding marks on the floor and walls.
Kase sat near the corner, shadowed and keeping his distance. I had to assume it was because he’d rather people not see his condition, though that seemed foolish right then. With the excellent sight Troy and Hunter had, they could no doubt see right through the dimness.
Still, he’d shown, and that alone warmed me.
Troy paced, moving his gaze between Hunter, Grant and me, as unsettled as he always was by magic. Funny that a man who turned into a wolf would so hate anything out of the normal, but he did.
No doubt it came down to him not liking the idea that creatures who seemed so fragile could kick his ass with magic.
“You ready for this?” Hunter asked when he walked up beside me.
“I’m not the one doing it,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, but you look the most nervous.”
I crossed my arms and gave him a withering glare. “How sure are you that this will work?”
“Assuming Lucifer isn’t lying? That it is her essence in that ring? It’ll work.”
“What do you mean by assuming?”
“Well, if I really wanted to fuck someone over, I’d put the essence of something really nasty into a ring like this. Imagine if I thought I was tracking something fluffy and cute, but someone sticks in the essence of a warden in it. I show up expecting a bunny and end up face to face with something that will kick my ass.”
I swallowed down sickness at the risk I hadn’t even known existed.
Hunter bumped my shoulder with his. “Stop worrying. If Lucifer wanted to screw me over, there are several easier ways to do it. I’d bet it really is Lilith’s trail.”
I nodded, trying to trust his opinion. “How long will it take?”
“Not long, I think. This isn’t the tracking I usually do, which occurs in the null space between the afterworld and here. This time, I have to start this hunt here, because she isn’t in the afterworld, so it’ll be…different.”
“I don’t like different.”
“I don’t either, but that’s where we are.”
I took a deep breath, then caught his arm. “What can I do?”
He peered down at where I held him, a curious expression on his face, as if my question confused him. He shook his head. “Nothing much. I’m going to track her in my smoke form because it’ll let me move faster and travel between the null and here. My regular body will stay here.”
“You’re just going to leave it here like luggage?” That unsettled me, reminding me of the dead bodies I’d seen far too often. I didn’t like the idea of Hunter looking like that.
“Yes, but if you want to take advantage of me, I’d prefer you wait until I’m back in my body so I can enjoy it.”
I cut him a sharp look, and he promptly wiped it away with a kiss. He slipped his fingers into the front of my jeans, just behind the button, to tease the skin there.
I bit down on his bottom lip harder than I needed to before pulling away, the threat clear. “Don’t be reckless, and hurry back.”
He smiled, despite the mark on his lip from my bite, as if he enjoyed the hell out of that claim. “Sure thing, shadow-girl. I’ll be back just as soon as I can.”
He moved away, going to speak with Grant, who had finished placing marks near the door.
Kase rose and walked closer, his steps slow. He remained near the edge, where shadows kept him in the dark. I took pity on him and approached.
