Yet he was leaving the safety of the village for people who would hand him over to Parrish if he asked nicely.
Nic snorted at that thought and almost fell on his face when he stumbled on a thick tree root.
Not everyone would do that.Tamsin would probably fight Parrish to the death to defend Nic.Devon might try, and Ryan would try for Devon.Nic didn’t think Rowan and Clay would give up easily, but if they had to choose between him and the safety of the village, they wouldn’t hesitate to choose the village.Nic would agree with them.He didn’t want people to get hurt because of him.He wasn’t more important than an entire village.
He paused when he reached the shield.He couldn’t see it, but when he focused, he could almost feel it.He knew where it was, something that didn’t make sense since he wasn’t a Vila.He suspected it was due to his bond with Tamsin.He hoped they’d have the opportunity to explore everything the bond would give them eventually, but that would depend on whether or not Parrish caught him tonight.
Nic had to make sure that he didn’t.It wasn’t only his safety at risk, but also Tamsin’s.They were bonded.Tamsin might be peacefully sleeping right now, but if something happened to Nic, he’d be able to feel it.That was the last thing Nic wanted.The thought was almost enough to get him to go back home, but he reminded himself that if Parrish had his way, something much worse than feeling Nic’s pain would happen to Tamsin.No, whatever happened, no matter how much it hurt, this was the right thing to do.
Nic sucked in a breath and stepped through the shield before he could think better of it.Nothing happened.He felt a little ripple on his skin, but it didn’t even tickle.He wanted to see if he could go back into the village, but he didn’t dare, so instead, he continued walking, knowing it was for the best.He’d have all the time in the world to find out more about the shield and everything that came with it once he was back with information on Parrish.For now, his full focus had to be on what he was about to do, not on what-ifs and missing his mate.
He’d wanted to take the car, but his hadn’t made it to the village, and he hadn’t been about to ask Tamsin if he could borrow one.That meant he was on foot, but that was okay.He also had paws.
He shifted as soon as he was out of sight of the village and shook out his fur.He’d always felt like being a wolf shifter was a bit boring, but right now, he was glad for it.He was fast in this form, which meant that he’d get to wherever Parrish was hiding more quickly.If he was lucky, Parrish hadn’t moved yet.He might not have since he thought he was invincible.Nic wasn’t entirely sure that he wasn’t, but he’d find out soon enough.
He took a moment to orient himself since the only time he’d visited the village was as a prisoner, but once he did, he started running.It was a necessity, but his wolf was also happy.It had been a long time since he’d run like this.Parrish didn’t allow anyone to waste time, including when it came to playing around in their animal form.For him, the animals were made to kill and maim, not to play.They weren’t shifters.They were Kudlaks, and for him, that meant that they were predators.
Nic had learned that quickly when he was a child, and he still wasn’t quite over it.Hopefully, he’d have the opportunity to grow out of that fear and allow himself to play around with his mate.He couldn’t help but wonder what Tamsin would think of his wolf form.
He hoped to find out eventually.
He slowed down once he reached the area in which Parrish and the others were probably hiding.Parrish had found a house—Nic preferred not to think about how Parrish had managed to find anemptyhouse close to the clan—and had decided he’d live there.Everyone else had to find their own accommodation, but Parrish didn’t care where they stayed as long as they were there when he needed them to be.He needed fighters, soldiers, but he didn’t really care about them or what they did when they weren’t with him.
The lights were on inside the house.Nic’s mouth went dry, and he told himself not to panic.He knew Parrish.He knew the house, too.He knew which steps he shouldn’t put his foot on and which window creaked when opened.When he’d lived here, back when he’d first befriended Devon, he’d learned all the ways not to make himself heard by Parrish.He remembered them, and he was going to use them against Parrish.
The Kudlak wouldn’t know what hit him.Nic might not be able to do anything against him on his own, but he wasn’t on his own anymore.He knew that whatever information he could find, Rowan and Clay would use it against Parrish.If things went the way they should, in a few days, all of this would be over.Nic would be able to relax and focus on making his mate happy and getting the clan to accept him.Parrish would be a memory of the past that no one would remember.To get there, though, Nic needed to do his part, and he would.
“Well, well, well.Look what the cat dragged in.Or should I ask what theKrsnikdragged in?”Parrish drawled from somewhere behind Nic.
Nic briefly thought of running, but it wouldn’t help.If anything, it would make things harder.Parrish loved hunting.He loved it when people were afraid of him, and he knew that Nic was terrified.
Nic clamped down on the bond between him and Tamsin.He didn’t want Tamsin to feel him, not yet.He didn’t think Parrish would kill him right away, which meant he had at least a few hours, possibly a few days.He could let Tamsin sleep the rest of the night before letting all of his fear and panic leak out.Nic was sure that Tamsin would come and find him.He’d know that Nic wasn’t here because he wanted to be.
What about the others, though?What about Clay and Rowan?Would they agree to come and rescue Nic, or would they abandon him with Parrish?If they did, what would Tamsin do?
Nic hoped he wouldn’t come for him, but he wasn’t a hundred percent sure, and that scared him more than Parrish ever could.
* * * *
TAMSIN JERKED UP INTOa sitting position, blinking at the darkness of his bedroom.His heart was racing, and for a second, he wondered if he’d had a nightmare he couldn’t remember.His nightmares were never pretty, considering what he’d lived through, and he felt the same sense of fear gripping his chest and making his heart race that he usually felt when he had one.
He reached sideways for Nic.Even though they hadn’t been intimate yet, they’d started sharing a bed almost immediately, and Tamsin loved the comfort of it.He needed it now more than ever.He suspected that Nic knew, too, even though he wasn’t saying anything.
It wasn’t because he hadn’t heard Tamsin wake up.It was because he wasn’t there.
Tamsin blinked at the empty spot next to him.The bedroom was dark, but that didn’t mean anything.Nic also had problems sleeping, so he was probably downstairs, not wanting to wake up Tamsin.Maybe Tamsin had been woken up because he wasn’t there.
Or maybe it was because of the fear he could feel coursing through their bond.
It was a little muted, but not enough for him not to feel it.It didn’t make sense.Tamsin tried to think of reasons Nic would have to be afraid like this inside the house, but there was nothing.Maybe Nic had a nightmare?Maybe he hadn’t wanted to wake up Tamsin and had left the bedroom when he’d woken up.If that was the case, Tamsin wanted to find him.There wasn’t much he could do to fight nightmares, but he could comfort his mate.
The floor was cool under his feet, but he didn’t care.He left the bedroom, turning every light on as he moved through the house.He listened as hard as he could, hoping to hear a sound that would tell him where to look, but there was nothing but the silence of the night and the humming of the appliances once he reached the kitchen.Nic wasn’t here, or anywhere Tamsin could see.He wasn’t in the house.
Nic wasn’t in the house, and he was terrified.Just a few hours ago, he’d been talking about finding Parrish.He wanted to prove that he was on the clan’s side and that he’d do everything he could to defeat Parrish.He’d offered to sacrifice himself to get information on Parrish.Rowan had told him to wait, but something told Tamsin that his mate had decided he wouldn’t.
Tamsin rushed out of the house without putting on his shoes.He was pretty sure he was going to feel the pain in his feet tomorrow when the adrenaline was gone from his body, but right now, he couldn’t feel any of the rocks or debris he ran over as he made his way toward Rowan and Clay’s house.He didn’t care about anything but Nic and the fear he could still feel.
Luckily, there was a light on in Rowan and Clay’s living room.Tamsin only had to knock a few times before the door swung open, revealing a blinking Clay dressed in pajama pants and a loose t-shirt.“Tamsin?”
