At this point, it was even a struggle to lift my legs high enough to wrap around his waist—even at his lowered height in front of me—so there would be no ‘hopping.’ I groaned in pain. “I’m going to be so sore tomorrow. This is not how I planned for my evening to go.”
“I’ll get you some ibuprofen before I take you back to your hotel,” Wolfe stated kindly. “There won’t be any here since we don’t need it.”
I muttered, “Show-off.”
Wolfe and Poppy started racing down the stairs now.
“Ugh. Even worse. You guys were holding back for me.” Bounce, bounce, bounce went my body against the stone wall that apparently Wolfe was made of. “I’m like the kid picked last in gym class. This is rather mortifying.”
Wolfe snorted under his breath. “You’re human. We don’t hold it against you.”
“Poppy’s only a mate, and she’s keeping up.”
“I’m a soldier in the Corporate Army,” Poppy justified herself. “I work hard to be this good.”
Wolfe turned his head and whispered loudly enough for me to hear, “She can’t really keep up with me. I still have to slow myself down right now.”
“Definitely a show-off.” My lips twitched.
I turned my head and kissed his cheek softly.
His cheeks pinched in a smile under my lips. “Stop that, or I might actually fall.”
“Really?” I asked, sliding my lips down to his jaw. I bit softly.
A huff, all wolf, puffed out from between his lush lips.
“We’re almost there!” Poppy cheered in front of us, completely oblivious to my antics. “This had better work, and work right, or I am going to slice that motherfucker up into strips.”
I blinked. “You are talking about Joshua, right? And not Cassander?”
“Of course,” the redhead stated seriously. “But it is smart that we’re going to do this at Theron’s house. Once Cassander regenerates and wakes up, we may need Theron if Cassander isn’t…Cassander.”
Wolfe said, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
We finally stopped on flat ground.
But I didn’t ask for Wolfe to let me down. I wasn’t entirely confident I could walk right now, my legs aching severely. Fuck the ibuprofen. I’d break out a bottle of whiskey and drown the pain away.
We headed down a large hallway where it veered off into multiple smaller halls. Wolfe and Poppy walked side by side, taking the same path, and stopping in front of a solid, gray door. Inside, the temperature instantly dropped.
Rows and rows of chambers for individual dead bodies to be stored, each one with its own sealed door.
“Yeah, I take back my question from earlier. I actually don’t want to know why Theron has this place,” I murmured, wrapping my arms tighter around Wolfe’s shoulders. “This is creepy as fuck to have below your home.”
Wolfe’s grip on my thighs tightened. “I suppose it is, but Theron has lived many years. He likes to be prepared for every instance he’s had in the past. Our king doesn’t make the same mistake twice.”
“Which one do you think Cassander is in?” Poppy wandered up and down the rows, not opening any of them yet. “You would think Theron would have labeled these.”
“I’m sure they aren’t all full.” Wolfe twitched his nose.
“I don’t know. Cassander was working a lot lately.”
Wolfe’s nose twitched again. “Maybe I can sniff him out.”
I pointed a finger to the very first chamber. “Try that one first. I could see Theron leaving the first spot open for family, just in case.”
Poppy and Wolfe must have agreed because they both walked toward it. Wolfe leaned forward with me still glued to his back. I hung on as he leaned left and right sniffing at the chamber’s edges.
