“Soleil and I were close once.I loved Meredith.I still love her, despite everything.But there’s something I love more.”He adjusted the satchel on his shoulder.“Our family, Jason.What would Dad say if I crumbled and left our sister in danger?And what kind of alpha would I be if I let the pack down?”
“He’d say you were human.”
Silas swatted a hand between them.“I’m not human.I’m a werewolf, and I’m the alpha.I’m not going to give Alex the satisfaction of knowing he got the best of me even for a minute.”
“But shit, you’re only one wolf.Anyone else would be crushed.Sometimes we don’t choose these things.”
He paused, blinking at his brother.“It hurts.It does.Meredith is my mate.”There, he’d said it.
Jason inhaled through his teeth.“You’re sure.”
He nodded once.“I planned to seal the deal before this happened.I still can’t believe she’d betray us.”
His brother’s hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed.“Are you sure you can do this?What if you have to face her?What if you have to end her?”
“I’ll do what I have to do.”
Jason shook his head.“I’ll back you up, and then I’ll be there for you… after.”
The water was getting a little deep for Silas, his mood drifting toward self-pity, so he was relieved when the door opened and Nickelova stood fully dressed at the threshold.
“We’ll need a car,” she said.“I feel the amulet from a distance.”
“It’s not in the city?”
“No.”
“Let’s go.”Silas began to walk away.
“I can’t leave the room, Einstein,” Nickelova said.
Jason laughed.“Oh, that’s my fault.Grateful told me to…” He removed a red cloth from his pocket and scrubbed the threshold near her feet.He’d barely cleared a six-inch patch when she leaped over his head and bolted down the hall.
Silas squeezed the heart inside his bag.
“Ahhh.”Nickelova froze, arching her back as if she was in pain.Reluctantly, she limped back to his side.
“You will stay close to us, Nickelova,” Silas commanded.“You will not try to escape or call attention to yourself.”
Her eyes stared, empty and hateful, toward the window.
“Come on.We’re wasting daylight.”
Silas keptan eye on Nickelova while Jason drove.The dragon fae directed them onto the highway and out of the city.It was a good thing the Ford Transit had a full tank of gas.
“You’re sure this is the way?”Silas asked from the passenger’s seat, the dark fae’s heart securely in his lap.
“The dragon-scale amulet calls to me.I’m sure.”
Nickelova’s tightly crossed arms didn’t fill him with confidence in her, but she had no other choice than to tell him the truth.He’d made sure of that.
“There’s only one town in this direction—Red Grove.”They’d already searched every inch around Laina’s cabin.
She shrugged and stared aimlessly out her window.“This is where I sense it.”
Silas scanned the horizon for anything unusual.They passed Monk’s Hill Cemetery and Grateful’s house, continuing through the tiny town of Red Grove.Nothing.A few miles past Laina’s cabin, they were officially in the middle of nowhere.
“It’s here,” Nickelova said.
