“She tried to be back sooner, but convincing some of them to come with her wasn’t easy.”
I don’t take offense to that.
He continues, “But they showed up, and that’s what matters. And Stephanie’s been tracking through the eastern ridge. She swears she can smell the magic that took Rowan, but?—”
“But it vanishes.” I finish for him, crossing the roomwith a force that has my boots scuffing the floor. “Same as every fucking time before.”
The air is heavy, thick as wet wool. NightShade used to thrum with life: the steady pulse of magic, a sense of peace for those looking, a place of rest. Now it’s hollow, an echo chamber of nightmares and decisions that won’t unmake themselves.
“She’s alive,” I add, the words more a threat than a reassurance. “I’d know if she wasn’t.”
Elias exhales through his nose, but he doesn’t argue. “No one’s saying otherwise, Cade. We’re just?—”
“Not fast enough.”
He looks away, muttering something that sounds a lot likeyou’re not helping either.
He’s probably right, but I don’t care.
The wolf under my skin paces, coiled and hungry, snapping at the edges of whatever restraint I pretend to have. Every time I close my eyes, I see her—Rowan’s mouth parted in shock, the flash of darkening colors in her eyes before she took that man’s hand and disappeared.
I should have been faster. I should have run for her. I should have…done my fucking job.
This is my fault.
I’m her mate, and I didn’t keep her safe.
A sound tears out of me before I can choke it back—something between a snarl and a howl. The walls absorb it, trembling faintly with the echo.
Elias doesn’t move. “Taren’s vitals are stronger. She should wake any moment. Maybe we’ll?—”
“Why didn’t you start with that?” I cut him off again, hard enough that my voice catches in my throat.
I don’t wait for him to answer. I shove past him, almost running Liz down in the corridor. She’s wrapped in leather and fury, eyes like polished knives dripping with crimson. Vampires are most dangerous when they’re pissed, and this one is well past that.
“Did you find something?” she hisses, not going for subtlety. She hasn’t been tearing the place apart the way I have, but I don’t mistake that for her being less angry. If anything, her demeanor is colder—more methodical.
“Taren’s almost awake,” I say, not slowing. I can’t stop to plan or explain. Not now.
I need answers. I need to get my mate back.
Liz falls into step behind me. “I’ll come with you.”
Part of me wants to tell her to stay behind. This could blow up, and I don’t want anyone else bleeding because of my mistakes. But something in her expression tells me she won’t be kept out. She’s hungry for the same things I am, and I don’t doubt for a second she’ll mind if more blood has to be shed to get it.
We move fast.
The manor’s quiet in the way that means it’s listening. The halls that used to purr with voices and laughter are now still. Every step sounds too loudly against the marble floors.
Liz walks beside me, her strides short but precise. She doesn’t speak, and I’m grateful. The silence between us feels safer than words right now.
We descend the staircase, my hands barely touching the edges where my claw marks have scarred the railing. The first floor is worse—toppled over statues, scattered vases, and broken tiles from things being thrown to the ground. Ishould feel bad for the wreckage I’ve left behind in my wake, but I don’t. Not in the slightest. NightShade should be up for the task of repairing itself once I’m gone.
I glance around. Iris and Archie are here somewhere—neither of them okay. Hell, the ferret can’t even change back to normal size. But for the most part, the four of us have given one another space to do what we each do best.
I know Iris has been on the phone a lot. Archie has been attempting to track Rowan’s trail by scent and the odd connection they share. All while Liz and I have opted for destruction in our own ways.
Something that isn’t likely to stop now unless I hear what I need to once Taren fully wakes.
