“Marin, look at me.” He found himself emulating Morgan. “We are not leaving without you. There are a few more people we need to find. All of you are going with us, I promise.”
Nodding, she let go of his arm. “Thank you.” Her voice barely reached his ears, but her weary, tear-filled eyes shared the same message.
Touching her head gently, he stepped away. The need to hold his mate and soul-daughter now became a clawing need inside him.
Striding over to Cass and Sev, he clenched his jaw. “We need to get them out of here immediately. What’s the plan for your prisoners?”
“Lock them up downstairs and leave them.” Cass’s words caused panicked shrieks to emit from the gagged men. “We’ll send someone to collect them as soon as we can. I’m not hauling them back alongside the kids. If they don’t survive that long, so be it.”
“Good.” He understood the desire to question them, but they didn’t have the luxury of time. “I’m going after Celina, Brenna, and Opal. You cleared the keep?”
“Yes, it’s clear.”
“They must be somewhere else in the compound then.”
“Daya’s on her way down to help us with these four. Connor will back you. Go get our girls, Rodric.”
Rodric gripped her arm in thanks, overcome by the soft statement of claiming from the warrior. She’d accepted him and Brenna without pause into her tight circle of protection.
Letting the Hunter come to the surface of his mind, he gave his instincts free rein with one directive. Magic rose in a rush of power, completely unhindered by his fear and reticence for the first time.
Chapter 31
Hazylightfloatedinfront of Celina in the dusky colors of sunset. Tiny particles of dust and dirt spun and floated in a suspended dance, blinking in and out of her vision as she stared across the empty room. The movement made the dizziness swamping her mind so much worse. Groaning, she squeezed her eyes shut before reopening them. More golden-brown shimmers appeared.
A tingling sensation struck her hands when she tried to flex them. She’d had to stop pulling on her restraints as the blood slowly drained out of her hands and arms, afraid of damaging wrists she could no longer feel. No magic, drugged with intoxicating fruit, and fully restrained, she didn’t need to add to her problems.
Scanning the room for the hundredth time produced nothing useful, but it did give her mind something to do other than worry about the absence of sound from the child in the next room. She’d answered all his questions, but he’d still occasionally knocked on the wall anyway. By the end of the session, he’d more than proven that his power and control over the inhabitants of the fortress was absolute.
Before he left, he’d gagged her, wiping away the tears that had leaked from her eyes.Do you know what I’ve learned over the years?he had asked, his voice deceptively conversational.Captives function better when they know their place. You’ve shown you’ll be easily controlled through the children, but you still need to learn that your place, your existence, is whatever I wish it to be.He traced the line of black around her neck, reminding her that he’d taken her freedom.I’ll be back to finish your lesson after I dispose of your friends.
After her ravaged emotions had settled, she’d forced herself to focus on practical things. Rodric and the others would find her; she just had to hold on. Her ragged breathing was still a work in progress, and even muffled by the gag, it was loud to her sensitive ears. Between that and straining to hear any indications of the battle outside, she was quickly driving herself crazy, so looking for tools to escape was a desperate alternative. Every footstep or voice had her freezing in anticipation. Was the team already infiltrating the site? Were they actively engaged with the soldiers yet?
Worst of all was the thought that if someone was injured, she’d be unable to save them—a scenario recurrent from her nightmares.
Come on, Celina. Think.There was no way to know what was happening out there, so she was on her own.
A scrabbling sound drew her attention to the high window letting in the dimming light. If the team hadn’t already begun the raid, they would be any moment. Dusk didn’t last very long, so they would make the most out of it. Soft muttering sounds were amplified to her sensitized hearing. What in the world?
A tiny paw came from below, hooking over the ledge, followed by a second.
Blinking still blurry eyes, she focused on the opening in time to see the tips of pointed red ears pop into view. Next came a furry little head, nose leading the way through the window.
“Jed!” she squealed around the gag muffling her voice.
Rooloo!The osa’s response almost sounded like a little hello.
Jed scurried into the room, pausing to look at her before walking straight down the wall and hopping to the floor. She’d seen him climb trees straight up and down the trunks, but never thought about the stunning dynamics of such movement until he scaled the stone wall in front of her. Jed’s excited whooping matched his bounce as he ran to her, broadcasting energy that said he’d just won the hardest game of hide and seek ever. Hopping up, Jed braced his paws on her legs and gave her a considering look.
How did she explain to the osa that she needed help? She tugged at the ropes binding her wrists tight, making as much movement as she could. Jed’s eyes snapped and focused on the movement before looking back to her. Making pained, whimpering noises, she tried to convey in the simplest sounds that the ropes were hurting her. Jed made a questioning sound, tilting his head. She continued the universal sounds, letting the fear, pain, and sorrow she had buried release in a wave of energy.
With a sharp, decisive noise, Jed jumped off her lap and scurried around behind her. Craning her neck as far as she could, she was able to see him rise to his full height on his back paws and reach for the bindings.
Nimble paws tugged at the ropes, loosening them a smidge, but not nearly enough to free her. Another wave of distress escaped as her sudden hope diminished. The ropes were too tight for his paws to manage.
Giving a hunting growl, he attacked the bundle of knots, front paws sprouting claws she’d never seen before.
Stunned, she watched as he shredded the knots with his claws. She could feel his thick, wiry fur on her fingertips occasionally as he worked. Latching on to the last piece of rope with his teeth, he bounced back, shaking his head as if the rope were live prey in his mouth. Another hop and tug, and she could feel the strands splitting as they stretched. One last muffled, satisfied growl and the rope pulled free, sending Jed flying backward. Scrambling onto all four paws, he bounded around the chair and jumped, landing in her lap with a thud.
