If you’ve ever seen a haunted house at closing time, you know the vibe: all the performers are tired; the lights are flickering, and nobody really wants to be there. That’s what Maltraz’s fortress felt like now. The door to my room hung open, the dungeons half-abandoned. I could hear demons packing up, bickering in the hallways, ready to bolt at the first sign of a lost cause.
Adramal and Nazek were the only ones who stuck around. Nazek had a nervous habit of counting something in his head—tapping his fingers against his thigh, muttering numbers under his breath. Adramal stood watch by the door, arms crossed, eyes never leaving me.
I took inventory: two guards, both distracted, chains still loose on my ankle. I waited until Nazek drifted to the far end of the hall before I whispered, “You know they’ll kill you if you stay. Finn doesn’t do mercy.”
Adramal didn’t flinch. “If I run, Maltraz will catch me. If I stay, your mate might. I pick the lesser death.”
I leaned forward, ignoring the ache in my shoulders. “Help me, and I’ll vouch for you. My Alpha will listen. Finn might even let you live.”
He stared at me, unblinking. “Why would you bargain for a demon?”
“Because you could have killed me, but you didn’t. That has to count for something.”
Nazek crept back, eyeing Adramal with suspicion. “What’s she saying?”
Adramal shrugged. “She wants to make a deal.”
Nazek snorted, spitting a gob onto the stone floor. “She’ll promise you heaven, then sell you to the first wolf who asks. Don’t be a fool.”
But Adramal kept looking at me. “You mean it?”
I nodded, once, as serious as I’d ever been in my life. “You help me. I help you.”
He seemed to consider this, then stepped away as if the conversation was over.
I didn’t have time to worry about whether he’d go for it.
Because right then, the whole world shook.
It started as a low rumble, barely enough to rattle the chains. Then the ground heaved, and a sheet of dust fell from the ceiling, coating everything in fine gray powder. The torches along the hall guttered, sending the whole dungeon into a flickering, strobe-lit chaos.
Nazek let out a shriek, running for the stairs. Adramal went still, eyes wide.
From somewhere far above, I heard the first howl. It was low, long, and beautiful—pure wolf, full of anger and promise.
The mate bond exploded in my chest, white-hot and impossible to ignore.
“They’re coming,” I breathed, more to myself than anyone.
Adramal spun on his heel, unlocking my wrists and ankles with a key he’d hidden in his belt. He pressed a finger to his lips, then jerked his head toward the door.
“If you want to live, you stay put. If you run, you’ll get caught in the fighting and die.”
I rubbed my raw wrists, every muscle screaming to run anyway.
“Why?” I whispered.
His face was stone. “Because I gave my word. And because Maltraz will kill us both if we’re caught.”
The footsteps on the stairs got louder—boot heels and claws, shouts in languages I didn’t recognize. The walls trembled with the weight of violence.
Adramal shoved me back into the chair, looping the chain around my leg so it looked like I was still locked down. He stood behind me, arms folded, projecting the air of a bodyguard on loan to a very unpopular VIP.
I heard Nazek scream. The sound cut short by a heavy, wet crack. Then another howl, closer this time, echoing off the stone.
Adramal’s hands tightened on my shoulders. “Don’t move until you see Finn. Not before.”
The power in his voice was old, older than anything I’d felt from a wolf. For the first time, I wondered if Adramal had ever been anything else.
