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“Hold your fucking horses.”
Frustration crashes through me that we haven’t found Meira anywhere in the woods.
When we started to go north, we finally caught her scent. But it brought us right to the back entrance to the settlement. And that meant one thing.
She’s been captured. There’s little other reason she’d be using that entry when the woods are crawling with Ash Wolves.
I wipe the trickling blood from my busted lip with the back of my hand. Lucien and I took out a small group of Ash Wolves we found searching the woods, and in all honesty, we couldn’t resist. The idiots were men we knew. Lowest of the scum in our pack, easily manipulated into being loyal to that traitor, so that small service to clean out our tribe was the least we could do.
Now we burst through the tunnels in human form. We wedged several boulders at the cave’s entrance leading to these tunnels, just in case anyone finds it.
I glance back. Lucien finally catches up, bouncing in the dark. He’s a shadow I easily discern with my wolf eyes… Partial transformation has its benefits.
“Had to make sure it was securely in place,” he murmurs.
Both of us frantically bound forward in the narrow tunnel, darkness chasing after us, and all I can think of is Meira.
“We rescue Dušan first, then the three of us bombard Mad. I’m tearing his head off.” I growl.
“Fine, I’m laying a claim on ripping out his spine. But on one condition.” Lucien doesn’t wait for me to respond. “He’s alive so he can feel pain. I want him to fucking hurt so much, it burns inside me with urgency.”
“That assmuncher is going down,” I bark. “Then I’m dancing on his grave. Well, actually, you can do it with your cowboy boots, seeing as how he hated them.”
His brow bunches up, eyes widening. “What the fuck? He hated my boots?”
“Bruh, he laughed about you to others. When I heard him doing it, I hit him so hard, I knocked one of his back teeth out. Never heard a word after that about your boots.”
“You’re a good friend, you know that? If there’s anyone I’d share my soulmate with, it’s you and Dušan.”
“Don’t get all soppy on me.”
Lucien laughs and pats my shoulder as he shoves himself past me, nudging me into the wall on purpose. “Hurry the hell up,” he mocks, but he keeps laughing softly.
I burst after him. We both know these tunnels like the back of our hands, every turn and every dip.
Once we reach the end of our passage, we enter the small makeshift area with a ladder leading up to Kinley’s place.
Wasting no time, I race up the steps and pause just below the closed trap door.
Placing my ear as close as possible to the wooden panel, I listen. Nothing. Not even vibrations to imply Kinley has visitors and they’re walking around.
When I’m confident we’re clear, I bang my knuckles twice on the horizontal door.
I glance back down to Lucien and he just stares at me, shrugging. Kinley rarely goes out, and I doubt she would with the chaos in the settlement.
Unease hardens in my gut at the idea that something happened to her. I can easily break through, except I want to make sure before I destroy this entrance.
Swinging back to the wooden panel, I take hold of the metal latch, ready to rattle it in case Kinley has fallen asleep.
The creak of wood echoes down here, and I release the latch, rushing back down, just in case it’s someone else up there. Another creak.
Lucien and I slide into the shadows around us when a female voice calls out, “It’s unlocked.”
Kinley. Relief washes over me.
I dart up the ladder and push open the panel.
In moments, Lucien and I are in her room, the trap door shut and covered by the rug. I search the whole house to make sure we’re alone.
