“You are everything she says,” Cadel murmurs.
I shiver under his gaze and reach for him, but he steps back and moves into the darkness, searching. He disappears and returns a few minutes later with something in his arms.
“What is it?” I ask curiously.
Cadel frowns. “I’m not sure, but I can smell the scent that is on that scarf on this object.”
I move closer as he sets it down. It’s a wolf, a huge black wolf carved out of wood.
I reach out and run my fingers over it and find a hidden section. I find the trigger and depress it.
“Mum liked things like this,” I say absently, biting my bottom lip.
Another piece of paper falls out. Her writing is clear. I turn it over and unfold it.
“Unleash the wolf.”
Cadel flinches and turns back, staring at me. “What?”
His reaction startles me. “Does that mean something to you?”
He licks his lips. “I, no.” He shakes his head. “No, it means nothing.”
I hand the note over, and he looks at it, his eyes getting darker and darker. He passes it back.
“You keep it.”
Alex sticks his head in. “We have to go now.”
The urgency is clear in his tone.
I shove the wolf and the scarf onto the floor, hiding it, and we rush out onto the street.
“Hey!”
I whip my head around and stare at the joyful expression on the pledge’s face. He shouts louder, drawing the eyes of his friends. It’s a small group of them, but enough that they could cause a lot of trouble.
“Run!” Alex shouts needlessly.
We bolt. Cadel stays close to me, guiding me and keeping me in the shadows. It takes me too long to realise his game. He’s using his massive body to protect mine, and I’m both frustrated and grateful.
And then he’s not there.
I skid to a stop.
“Get her out of here!” Kendric shouts.
I’m lifted up, my arms locked to my sides as Willow grabs me and runs, leaving Cadel back there, alone. Sophie tries to stay close, but, within minutes, another black-robed group cuts us off again. We have to head deeper into the city while she doubles back. Kendric is just gone.
“Let me go,” I snarl.
I struggle and finally get a decent kick in, breaking his hold on me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he shouts and backhands me.
My head whips to the side. It hurts, not badly, but it shocks me.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. You just…you just have to understand it’s a situation, and I’m panicked. I don’t want to die of torture; is that so wrong?”
