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“She is,” Gill states, smirking before looking at me. “Are you ready, sweets?”
“Do I have a choice?” I can’t help but ask.
“Not at all. I want to see the kind of woman my nephew chose. I miss him. I’m excited to see him again.”
“How do you know he’s going to come?” He doesn’t know I was talking to the witch and that I know she hides this place. If he expects River to come, there must be a way to break through. Either that or Gill will allow him to come.
“You are his mate; of course, he will come.” He looks down the line of cages. “No one will assist the human. If you do, we will kill you and every family member you have,” he threatens, his voice rising with every word. “Tonight, you will be hunted. I hope you make it to the morning. It would be a shame for River to find you dead when he comes for you.”
“It’s not quite a fair fight. I’m human; you have guns and know the terrain. That’s not sporty, is it?” I ask innocently.
“Don’t worry. We will give you a head start. Also, we will use dart guns for you. As I said, I don’t want to kill you the first night,” he says, shaking his head sadly.
“Thank you,” I say, my nails digging into my palms.
“You’re welcome,” he smiles pleasantly. “I must admit, you are taking this rather well. Why?”
“How will it change my circumstances to be upset?” I ask.
“A sensible woman for a change,” he chuckles, and the others join in. “I’m looking forward to seeing you later. Let the games begin,” he whispers.
I watch them retreat and try to keep my breathing steady. I will have to fight for my life like I’ve fought my wolves. I just can’t give in and submit as I did with them.
“Let the games begin,” I say quietly.
Chapter Seventeen
Kerian
River’s eyes are dead. When we discovered Ava’s disappearance, River dropped to his knees, screaming to the sky. We were just finishing up with the client when Bash called, panicked, telling us he couldn’t find her. Imagining Ava with his uncle broke River. I had to stop him from killing Bash. I know he would regret it. Bash would have taken the punishment, too. His face is carved in granite, but his eyes are tormented, saturated with guilt. It happened so fast that he had no indication that she would be taken from the clinic.
I pushed down my despair to keep River sane. I had to keep it together for him and Ava. Just imagining what Gill was putting her through made me sick. I prayed for the first time in many years for her to be okay and for us to find her quickly.
We went to her office and looked for anything to lead us to her. Her boss was a prick, bitching about us tearing up his office. His attitude changed quickly when River got in his face and demanded answers. The big baby cried. He sobbed out loud in front of all his patients and employees. After his display, he would be lucky ever to get laid.
We found Ava’s phone in the break room. She must have been taken out the back door. The doctor was useless—we wasted time going to him.
We were waiting for Bishop and Ryker to get to my office. They were scouting all night, and we have yet to hear from them. As soon as we have the location, we will get our mate back and kill all of those who participated in her capture.
“Why aren’t they here yet?” River growls. He’s pacing my office, his skin pale.
“Serenity said they are on their way,” I say, my voice raspy. I called Serenity. She is furious that her friend was taken. Even though she is pregnant, nothing will stop her from coming, too. We need all the help we can get. River isn’t thinking clearly; his judgment is skewed.
“He’s close,” Bash whispers. River looks at him sharply with a snarl. Bash is sitting stiffly and doesn’t make eye contact.
The second Ryker walks in, followed by Serenity and Bishop, River snaps.
“Where?” he demands.
“We don’t know,” Ryker confesses.
“What the fuck do you mean? You’ve been gone all night,” he snarls.
“We found nothing. We didn’t see anything remotely like the games.”
“How is that possible?” I ask.
“Maybe he took her farther away,” Ryker suggests. Serenity stands close to him, clutching his hand.
