Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“Too bad,” Solomon echoed, and then he shifted.
It wasn’t graceful. It wasn’t elegant. But it was effective. His body folded and reformed in a rush of motion, landing in the snow as a solid, grey wolf with long legs built for endurance.
Caidrik didn’t argue again. He ran. The shift tore through him in a familiar rush of pain and release. Bones cracked and slid. Muscle reknit. His center of gravity dropped as he hit the ground on four powerful paws and surged forward without breaking stride.
The forest swallowed them.
Snow sprayed behind him as he ran full out, lungs pumping, heart slamming. The air cut cold and clean through his chest. Branches snapped beneath his weight. The world narrowed to scent and sound.
Mine. Slate. Cold iron.
He reached the abandoned mine in minutes and skidded to a halt, nose low. Nadia’s scent hit him like a blow. Fear. Cold. Blood. It wrapped around his instincts and squeezed hard.
She was here. And not alone.
He circled fast as Solomon and Taryn fanned out. Luca’s scent was present. Fresh. Sharp with stress.
And another.
Caidrik froze.
That one he knew.
Ravencall.
A growl ripped out of his chest, low and lethal. He snapped his head toward Solomon.
Solomon stilled, nostrils flaring. He caught it too.
Luca was the Alpha of the Ravencalls. The bastard had taken her.
Lights flickered in Caidrik’s vision as his adrenaline surged. He spun and took off, tearing through the trees, tracking Nadia’s scent with brutal focus. Rabbits scattered. A deer crashed away through brush. The forest blurred past as he angled left, then right, correcting with instinct.
The trail changed, and he smelled oil, rubber, and exhaust. He skidded to a stop on an icy road streaked with dark stains. So they’d taken her by vehicle. Good. He launched forward again, much faster in wolf form.
The road narrowed into a trail and then widened again. Snow thickened the ground as dusk crept in, with the sky dimming through the branches. The other wolves’ breathing grew ragged behind him, but he didn’t slow.
She had to be alive.
He didn’t allow any other thought.
The cold deepened. He should’ve spent the last two months teaching her to fight and not just letting her get acclimated. Fear for her clawed harder throughout his entire body.
So he ran faster.
Chapter 20
Nadia gasped as the hood was ripped off her head.
Firelight slammed into her eyes, bright and violent, making her blink as heat washed over her face. She tried to move but only rocked the chair she was sitting on. Freezing metal scraped against the icy ground. Flames roared in front of her, wild and uneven, throwing sparks up into the snowy air.
Her head throbbed. Her neck burned.
She sucked in a breath and turned her head.
Luca sat to her left, bound to a chair identical to hers. His face was split and swollen, blood dried dark along his jaw and temple. One eye was already purpling shut. His jacket was torn open, and his chest rose shallowly as if every breath hurt.
He’d fought. Hard.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice raw.
“Yes. Are you?” His chin dipped, then lifted again. “You were out forever.”
Her stomach dropped. She blinked, trying to piece together how she’d gotten there. The mine. The slab. The dart. Darkness. Now fire and snow and pain. “I don’t remember,” she said. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know,” he answered quietly. “I was out too. Tried to fight. They hit you with more darts than me.”
That explained the ache in her neck. It felt bruised deep to the bone. She tested the ropes behind her back. They were thick and tight with no give. Her wrists were numb. She glanced down and saw her ankles bound to the chair legs with the same heavy cord. Her pulse started to race.
Movement flickered beyond the fire.
Three shapes stepped forward, their outlines wavering in the heat. The firelight caught a male with pale hair and a sharp profile.
Nadia inhaled slowly, carefully, and sorted through the scents riding the air. Her breath stuttered. “Ravencall?” she asked.
“Yes,” Luca said, his voice bitter.
She turned toward him. “But you said you were Ravencall.”
“I am,” he said. His gaze lifted past her, locking onto the tallest figure. His voice hardened. “Merritt. This is treason.”
The man circled the fire, his boots crunching on frozen ground. He moved with easy grace, and long white hair hung loose down his back. When he stopped in front of Nadia, he crouched, resting on the balls of his feet, pale blue eyes intent.
“You shot me,” she said, her memory partially returning.
“Yeah, about that.” He leaned closer. “I’m Merritt. Sorry about the darts. I misjudged how many to hit you with.”
“Am I supposed to say thank you?” Nadia snapped. “I’m tied to a chair.”
His mouth twitched. “You’re alert. That’s good.”
“Merritt,” she said flatly. “I’ve never heard of you.”
“That just changed.” He straightened slightly. “You’re Nadia Nightsom.”