He took a sharp right, and she stayed closer, not trusting the way the darkness swallowed distance.
“Do you know how to use a diamond drill?” she asked.
“Sure,” he muttered. “How hard can it be?”
“All right,” she said. “Fair enough.”
When he decided to stop and drill, she’d move out of the way. She didn’t know much about mining, but messing with the earth deep underground felt like a great way to cause a cave-in.
The walls grew darker as they went, the stone taking on a denser color. Blue-gray shifted to charcoal, then nearly black where moisture had soaked deep into the layers. She reached out again, fingertips brushing the surface. It wasn’t smooth anymore. Subtle lines ran through it, clean and tight, like pages pressed together.
“Wow,” she whispered.
An old timber support came into view, cracked and bowed, its base half-buried in rubble. They were definitely deeper now.
“Are you sure this isn’t a good place?” she asked.
“Not yet,” Bulwark said. He ducked his head and stepped down into a small round chamber. Nadia followed, nerves jangling, and stopped short. The space opened up just enough to feel intentional. Smooth rocks. Scuffed floor. Old marks where carts or crates might’ve rested.
“Oh,” she said. “This must’ve been a staging place.”
Bulwark nodded and straightened, stretching his back. “Yeah. Maybe now’s a good time for you and me to get some things straight.”
Her shoulders tightened. She planted her hands on her hips as he turned to face her.
“I want you to lose the attitude,” he said. “I’m done with that.”
She blinked. “Are you joking? So much for an apology. You tried to kill me.”
“Yeah, but if I really cared whether you lived or died, you’d be dead,” he muttered.
Her chest tightened. “You stabbed me in the back. What kind of guy does that?”
He shrugged. “Someone under orders. I was hired and promised that once I helped Raya take over Jackson’s pack, she’d help me take over this one. Simple.”
Nadia’s jaw clenched. “Raya is dead.”
“I know.” His gaze didn’t waver. “She turned on Jackson and tried to kill several people. She died as a result. I don’t work for her anymore. Now I’m going to lead this pack.” He moved toward her.
She backed up. “What are you doing?”
“Just seeing if we’re compatible.”
Before she could react, he grabbed her arms and lifted her, too easily, pinning her against the smooth slate wall. Cold stone pressed into her spine.
“Hey,” she snapped, kicking at him. “Knock it off.”
He crushed his mouth to hers.
She bit his lip hard.
“Whoa.” He jerked back, shock flashing across his face. “Do that again,” he said darkly, “and I’ll smack you.”
The mine felt very small all of a sudden.
“You’re responsible for my safety,” Nadia spat, struggling as she tried to wrench herself free. “Remember that?”
“I am getting you out of here safely,” Bulwark snapped back. “They didn’t say anything about what condition you’d be in.”
