Page 35 of Resurgent

"I don't know how long we'll be gone. The last hunt turned up nothing."

My stomach sinks.

The last one...They hadn't found tracks, blood, or even a den. Just...Nothing.

Almost as though the bear had simply...Vanished.

Matt glances toward me, and I know my face has gone pale—I can feel it.

Korr continues, "Classes are cancelled for the remainder of the day. No one is to leave their barracks, which means neither of you steps foot outside of the house. Understand?"

"Yeah."

"If anyone knocks..." His voice hardens. "...you do not answer the door unless you hear my voice."

Matt's eyebrows pull together.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Silence.

Then—"Get a pen. I’m giving you the gun safe code.”

Matt's expression turns, and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him look so much like one of the King’s warriors as he does now, meticulously transcribing Hunter’s lock dial directions.

A beat passes.

“I’ll call when we’re back. Take care of each other.”

And the line goes dead.

Neither of us moves. Neither of us speaks.

Ding.

The microwave’s cheerful little chime slices through the silence, absurdly bright against the tension strangling the room.

We both blink, the sound pulling us from our frozen state.

Without wasting another second, we split up—me rushing to get my gun from Lin. At the same time, Matt gathers enough weapons and ammunition to outfit a small armory, piling everything onto the kitchen island.

I begin pacing: three steps toward the living room. Turn. Three steps back toward the kitchen. My pulse pounds so hard it feels like it’s trying to outrun me, every nerve screaming that standing still is the worst thing I could possibly do.

Matt doesn’t say a word. He just watches me, equally trying to process everything Hunter said, his phone still tightly clutched in his hand.

Outside, deep in the trees behind Korr’s house, Tyr lets out a low, thunderous roar.

“Breathe, Little Faren. Nothing’s making it anywhere near you tonight.”

Chapter thirteen

Annalise

The front door opens sometime before dusk, and Matt and I instantly pop up from our spots on the couch and rush to the entryway. Hunter’s jacket is dusted with dirt and leaves, and his boots are carrying half the forest in with him.

“Well?” Mattey asks impatiently.