Chapter Twelve
Savannah was lying on something cold and hard. Her stomach was roiling and her head throbbed.
What the hell had happened?
The pull of the moon…it was gone. She must have been unconscious all night long. Panic sent her heart racing. Where was Austin? Where was Roy?
Austin’s voice echoed above her, sounding very far away. “Savannah. Talk to me. Say something.”
She groaned into the floor.
“Something,” she muttered.
“Oh good, you haven’t lost your ability to smart off at the worst possible time.” She felt his hand on her arm. “Here. Sit up.”
She sat up slowly and looked around the room.
Cold fear settled over her like an icy fog. They were locked in the concrete cell. She could see daylight through the tiny slit of a window. And Roy was pacing back and forth on the floor in wolf form, ignoring them completely.
They were in the middle of nowhere. Nobody knew where they were, no help was coming. Roy was going to notice them any minute now and tear them to little pieces.
“They drugged our food,” Savannah groaned. “Bastards.”
“Damn it. I’m an idiot. I should have seen it,” Austin cursed. “They were arguing with us about coming here, they were telling us to go anywhere but here, but then all of a sudden they welcomed us with open arms. Of course. Because they did some checking around and heard about the bounty. They decided to take it for themselves.”
He helped her climb to her feet. Her knees were shaky and her throat was dry. She was trembling all over as she leaned against Austin, and he hugged her to him.
She closed her eyes, resting her head on his broad chest. Slowly, the dizziness faded. Their situation was grim, but somehow, being here with Austin was keeping her from full-blown panic.
Savannah flicked a glance at Roy. “Why isn’t he attacking us?” she whispered.
Austin shrugged. “Who knows why he does anything?” he murmured. “I don’t think evenheknows.”
She frowned in thought, trying to brush aside the cobwebs in her mind. “Well, the fact that they locked us in here with a shifter who’s known to be feral pretty much means that they want us dead. If he doesn’t kill us, they’ll kill us themselves.”
Austin nodded grimly. “I know, so we’ve got to plan accordingly. When they open the door, we stand to the side. They’ll barrel in spraying silver bullets. I heal very quickly, so you’ll stand behind me. I’ll send a wave of power at them and force them to change. I’ll try to clear a path for you. I want you to run straight for the woods. Roy will go after them, too. No matter how calm he is at the moment, once they come in shooting, he’ll attack. That will help distract them, give you time to get away.”
He glanced at Roy. Roy was still ignoring them completely.
“No,” Savannah said. When Austin started to argue, she shook her head. “Don’t try to take away who I am,” she said. “Running like a cowardly bitch while my mate fights to the death? That’s not me.”
“Your mate? I had no idea you felt so strongly about Roy.” Austin smiled grimly.
She managed a laugh. “Now who’s being sarcastic at the worst possible time?”
He bent down and kissed the top of her head. “We’re so alike, with our obnoxious, asshole sense of humor. It’s like we’re meant for each other.”
She leaned in to him.
“If you stay by my side and fight, you’ll probably die.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “But if I run into the woods and leave you behind to die, then surviving’s not worth it.”
“You understand I don’t have a future, right? We have no future either way. So you’d be sacrificing yourself for nothing.”
Savannah felt anger rolling through her. This again? Roy seemed to pick up on her flare of anger, because his ears flattened against his head, and he growled.
Austin went stiff and stared at Roy.
