“Okay.”
Poppy seemed strangely calm. I had a brief anxious thought that he’d been drugged. “Seriously, are you all right?” I asked. “You’re pretty relaxed for a hostage.”
He stopped and met my gaze. Seeing them up close, his eyes gleamed bright and clear, without a hint of intoxication.
“I’m calm because I knew you’d come back, Violet,” Poppy said gently.
His words flung an arrow straight into my heart. My sweet wolf never doubted me. He’d put a mountain of faith in me—faith I wasn’t sure I deserved.
I couldn’t let Poppy down ever again.
“I’m here,” I promised, kissing his knuckles in a sudden burst of affection. “Now let’s get the hell out of here.”
Poppy flushed, but stuck close as I led him to the busted window. My pulse skyrocketed. In a few minutes, we’d be gone from this wretched place.
The coast was clear. I vaulted through the empty window, helped Poppy through, then double-checked the surroundings again. It was dark and silent.
“Can you smell anything?” I whispered to Poppy, knowing his wolf’s nose was sharper than mine, even in human form.
He quietly scented the air. “No. The trails are at least ten minutes old.” He paused. “Was Sorrel here?”
“Yeah. I’ll explain later. Right now, my priority is getting you somewhere safe.”
“Is he okay?” Poppy asked, brow furrowed in concern.
“Rorik walked him back to the barracks.”
The mention of Rorik relaxed Poppy. I figured they were friends, or at least that Poppy trusted him with guarding his brother.
“Okay,” Poppy said. “We’re not going to leave him behind, right?”
I faced him. “Trust me, I want Sorrel out of here as much as you do, but if we get caught now, it’s over. Let’s get you to safety first, and then I’ll rescue Sorrel. Promise.”
Poppy’s eyes gleamed, reassured by my promise. “Thank you.”
I led us in the opposite direction Konrad had gone, hoping to avoid him. We sneaked in silence towards the edge of the territory. I barely dared to breathe until we were far from clan grounds. Finally, we crested a low slope that sprawled out into a flat field.
Poppy nudged me, then pointed to a blur in the distance. His whisper was quieter than an evening breeze. “There’s a secluded nook there, in a thicket beyond that stream. Nobody knows about it except me and Sorrel.” He smiled wistfully. “We played hide and seek there once, back before he got a crush on Konrad...” His smile faded as he faced me, somber and determined. “We can stay there while we wait for a chance to save him.”
I nodded. He knew this area better than I did, and I welcomed an opportunity to catch my breath. Now out of range of any prying eyes, we shifted into our animal forms and quickly crossed the land to Poppy’s hiding place.
Our journey took an hour on foot. True to his word, Poppy sniffed out the subtle crag in the thicket. The mouth was narrow, but the space opened up inside. It was too tight for my dragon form, but it’d suffice for two men.
When we squeezed past the mouth and stood together in the cool cavern, I took Poppy and crushed him against my chest. It finally felt safe enough to hold him.
“Thank you,” I murmured. “For trusting me.”
Poppy nestled his face against my collarbone. “Always.”
I ran my hand down his bare back. “It’s chilly in here. Take my jacket.” Before he could refuse, I stripped and put it on him.
He nodded gratefully, then murmured, “Your body is warm. It helps to be close like this.”
A fluttering sensation flowed up my spine. I held Poppy as near as physically possible, but it still wasn’t enough. I wanted to take him into me, to cradle his precious, fragile body inside my ribs where he’d always be safe...
The feeling was so intense that I shuddered. Never before had I experienced such an emotion, so vivid and wild it was almost painful.
“Violet?”
