My skin goes cold.
Jag doesn’t leave trails.
How did he sneak onto the island undetected?
If he went through all this trouble to see me in the middle of the night…
Something’s wrong.
I look back at Wolf.Still asleep.
The thought of Jag getting anywhere near him ignites a bloodthirsty dread inside me.If I wake him, it could lead to a fight.Last time they fought, weapons were drawn, and bones were crushed.
Last time they were together, Wolf had a breakdown.
No, I won’t wake him.Not yet.
After a quick sweep of the closet and bathroom, I slip into the hall, locking the bedroom door behind me without a sound.
The rocks bite into my palm as I follow the next dark shape on the floor, then the next, collecting them, one by one, down the stairs.
On the ground floor, I pause.
Silence.Nothing stirs in the shadows.No creak of floorboards.No phantom shift of air.
Where is he?
The faint trail of rocks snakes through the living room, catching the moonlight in small, cold glints.I follow it, palms clammy, and set the pile on the armchair.
The last rock sits at the front door.
My stomach drops.No way in hell am I stepping outside without Wolf.
As I turn back, a hand slams over my mouth.
I throw an elbow, a hip, and my nails come out, clawing and fighting with all my strength, but the grip is iron.My breath strangles beneath the hand as a muscled arm locks around my waist and wrenches me around.
My back hits the door, and a rigid body pins me in place.A body I recognize before I see the eyes.
Jaguar-gold and hellfire-red melt into a metallic amber gaze that watches me carefully, warning and burning with every reason I should scream.
And every reason I don’t.
Jag lowers his uninjured hand from my lips and ducks his head, leaning in, bending close.His cold nose grazes my neck, inhaling deeply before moving my hair.
Then he straightens and gives me an unfathomable look.
A chill runs through me.Fear, yes.But something else.“What?”
“You smell different when you’re awake.”
“You’ve been watching me sleep?”
“Since you were a child.”
“That’s—”
“Sick?Yeah.I’m fucking sick, Little Bird.”
