Max grabbed me by the shoulders. “Do you think I don’t want to rush in there and get them?” He looked at me, then Talis, then back to me. “He’s going to kill them anyway. And you, if you go in there alone.”
I knew he was right. Tombs had probably killed the other four victims and tried to kill Callum and Blake. It stood to reason he had every intention of killing Rys too. But logic and rationale had taken a back seat. “I don’t care if he kills me, we need to get Rys and Axel out of there.” I rubbed my chest, the ache back now and way worse than before.
Max shook me gently until I reluctantly met his gaze. “And how do you think Rys will feel if you sacrifice yourself for him? You’re bonded, Mase. He can’t live without you, any more than you can live without him.”
“So what do we do then?”
“I don’t know.” Max sighed, letting me go to run his hands through his hair. “But you’re not going in there on your own.”
I’d never felt so fucking helpless in all my life.
RYS
I’d never felt soangry in my life.
The need to shift was unbearable, and I was all but crawling out of my skin as I tried and tried and tried to call my wolf to the surface but failed. Each. Fucking. Time.
I couldn’t remember why I felt such rage, and it didn’t matter.
“So much blood,” a voice whispered close to my ear.
I snapped my head to the side to find a knife held out in front of it, blood dripping off the blade. The scent was familiar…
Pack, my wolf whispered.Hurt.
The knife disappeared, but the scent of blood lingered. I breathed in deep, following it until my gaze landed on a heap in the corner.
And anger burned through me anew.
“The one who did this is coming,” the voice whispered. I heard the words, but I couldn’t shake the anger enough to concentrate on what they meant. “Kill him,” it whispered, and I understood that. The roar I let out shook the room.
Time passed, but it could’ve been seconds or hours, I had no idea. Sweat coated my face and ran down my back as I struggled against the chains holding me. A low whine escaped when I failed to shift for the millionth time.
I was aware of people in the room with me. I knew them but couldn’t remember how. Didn’t care. They kept their distance, so I ignored them.
No room in my head for anything.
I drifted in and out of a daze.
Weird images filled my head and I couldn’t work out if they were real or not.
Then the mood in the room changed suddenly and my focus narrowed in on the door.
“He’s here,” the voice said. “And he’s alone.”
Muted laughter. “Always was too fucking trusting.”
Someone was coming up the path.
Closing my eyes, I shut out the voices and searched for the scent.
Faint at first, getting stronger by the second.
Pack.
Family.
Agitated.
