He didn’t need to say any more than that. I was already thinking about the human back in our rooms. This world was already dangerous for her, and Locke was right. We needed to figure it out.
“Could the fae be takin’ our animals and sending them back through portals after corruptin’ them?” Asher asked thoughtfully as he began pacing and rubbing his chin.
I ground my teeth at the thought of the fae visiting our kingdom to corrupt our animals, but then I reminded myself that it wouldn’t entirely be a bad thing. If the fae arrived in Katakin, I’d finally have the opportunity to tear them limb from limb and get vengeance for my family. When the fae had attacked my old house, the House of Worzel, all those years ago, they’d slaughtered a dozen wolves, including my mother and sister. Raine had pulled me out of the depths of my grief and my guilt, but I was still angry. There hadn’t been a fae attack since then, but I knew they would be back. And I’d be ready for them.
Locke’s lips thinned. “It’s possible, but nothing so far has indicated the fae. I visited the farms, and aside from learning that at least three other buffalo were unaccounted for, none of the farmers had noticed anything unusual. Until I forced them to count, they weren’t even aware that any were missing.”
Locke began walking around the clearing, inspecting the trees and foliage, and Asher and I did the same. As Locke ran his fingertips over the bark of an old oak tree, he said, “If the faeare turning our animals into weapons against us, then this is much worse than I thought.”
“Though, if that’s the track of the poor animal that changed, doesn’t that mean the beast was normal here before it turned?” Asher said, pointing back in the direction of the deer tracks. “So, if the fae were involved, either they came here and hit the animal with magic, or maybe it wasn’t the fae at all?”
Locke turned his attention away from the tree he’d been inspecting and stepped to another, carefully moving from one shadow in the forest to another. Sunlight wouldn’t kill him, but it wasn’t pleasant either. “It may truly just be that the curse has somehow changed and it’s now affecting animals. Either way, I’d hoped we might find clues out here to help us figure out this mess, but once again, there’s not much here to go by. I’ll let you know when Garan informs me of the next attack. If the trend continues, we can expect more outliers over the coming nights.”
“If it’s the fae, then let them come,” I said gruffly, rolling my neck as I resisted the urge to shift.I’ll make them fucking pay.
CHAPTER 5
~ Raine ~
IawoketofindKade’s arm wrapped around me and his rough chin resting against the side of my face as he slept. He hadn’t been there when I’d entered his room hours earlier after Darian had taken me to the garden, and I wondered when he’d joined me.
The wolf shifter’s breathing was heavy, his short russet-colored hair shading his eyes, and I smiled as I ran my fingers over his arm. Realizing what I was doing, I dropped my hand as my smile fell away. Waking in his arms had felt too right. It had made me feel safe and warm, and that was dangerous. I couldn’t get used to feeling like that because it wouldn’t last. I’d be gone soon. Wouldn’t I?
I tried to imagine where my sister, Cara, might be, and for the first time, I wondered whether she would even want to leave. It had been a decade since she’d been taken, and Kade had said newbloods were often treated like queens when they joined a house.What if when I finally find her, she doesn’t want to leave?
When I arrived in Katakin, I’d been so focused on the idea of saving her that I hadn’t even considered the possibility she might be happy. Hope bloomed in my chest as I questioned whether my fear for her might be misguided, but it disappeared quickly. It was just as likely that she was stuck with monsters she despised and was being treated poorly. Either way, I had to find her and make sure she was all right. If I could apologize to her, maybe I could start to heal some of the damage between us.
Leaving Kade still sleeping, I dressed and exited the room to find Asher lying on his back on the settee closest to the fire and tossing grapes into the air to catch them in his mouth. He grinned when he saw me and tossed a grape so high into the air it almost touched the ceiling.
As it fell, I darted forward, catching it in midair and popping it into my mouth with a grin.
“Well damn, Sharachi, way to ruin a monster’s fun,” he said, but the crooked smile he gave me was downright panty-dropping, and I quickly moved away to grab my own plate of food.What the fuck am I doing?I scolded myself. He was a monster, and I was acting as if we were…friends.I was losing my mind. Somehow managing to contain my horrified expression, I plucked some cheese and fruit from the platter on the low table.
Turning, I looked for a place to sit, and my gaze landed on Locke who was standing at one of the higher tables against the far wall. He was scowling as he bent over a piece of aged parchment, and from the expression on his face, I could tell something was bothering him. My stomach dropped, though I couldn’t really explain why.
Before I knew what I was doing, I was moving closer to him and coming to a halt beside his table. His gaze tracked over the inked map, a long finger tracing along different routes through the city and moving out to a space marked as forest.A map.My heart leaped at the sight of it. I had no idea where Cara was, but I knew that map could help.
Though Locke must have noticed my arrival, it was only now that he turned to peer at me, his black gaze fixing on my face. My throat went dry as he stared at me, my gaze lifting to meet his.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
At the sight of the map, I’d almost forgotten the whole reason I’d moved closer to him, but now I remembered the concern in his intense features as he had stared at the parchment.
He opened his mouth to speak, and all he said was, “One night left,beautiful.You’d better hope Asher and Darian can get that pretty little body of yours to turn. If not, then you’re mine.” Without waiting for a reaction, he completely dismissed me and turned his attention to Asher. Tipping his head up, he gestured to the washroom door. “Kade and I will be heading into the city tonight, so you and Darian will be on your own. When Kade wakes, tell him to meet me at our usual spot.”
I narrowed my eyes at the vampire.I liked Kade, and even Darian was growing on me, but Locke was still the same ass who’d chosen me back in the clearing on my island.
“Will do, brother,” Asher said before tossing another grape into his mouth.
Holding my tongue, I watched as Locke snatched the map from the table, folded it, and slid it into a pocket on the inside of his coat. I thought of the tunnels that wound through the mountain and the sprawling city beyond. I would find a way to get my hands on that damn map.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I watched as Locke strode from the room and shut the door behind him. Even after he was gone, I stood staring at the door, my stomach still feeling hollow, and it took me a startling moment to realize that it was once again worry that twisted inside me. But I couldn’t be worried for that asshole Locke, could I?
I thought of his serious face, his furrowed brows and set jaw. Something bad was happening. I’d known it when his father had surprised us with a visit not too long ago, but now I was doubly sure. Was Locke in trouble? Perhaps we all were.
“You’re goin’ to wanna actually eat that,” Asher said from where he still lounged on the settee, his gaze fixed on the plate in my hands, and I gave myself a mental shake before turning to him. Without even bothering to ask him why I grabbed a piece of squishy red fruit and shoved it into my mouth. These monsters were many things, but so far, they’d proven they weren’t liars.
“Takeaseat,Sharachi,”Asher said. He was sitting up now, and he patted the empty space beside him on the red-velvet settee, a roguish expression on his handsome face. I frowned at the nickname but didn’t comment. It didn’t bother me as much now that I knew what it meant.Sharachi.The name of one of the seven devils they believed in—the one who was most known for seduction and war. I wasn’t trying to seduce anyone, but war? Well, I was all right with that.
