Page 49 of Wolf Trial

Whatever he heard in my voice, he sighed instead of laying into me. I wondered if he knew a single harsh word would break me right now.

“Follow that path,” he muttered, his stare harsh as it travelled over me, seeing every smear of dirt that clung to my leggings. “Verne and Leander are on their way.”

Panic seized me by the throat, and my common sense was crushed to dust. I lunged after him, grabbing the sleeve of the dark jacket he wore. “Don’t.”

His thumb and forefinger grabbed my chin, tightened until it hurt. “Having an attack of conscience? Don’t want me to walk into the trap you’ve set? Worried I’ll slaughter all your killer friends?”

“I don’t want to be alone,” I replied quietly, and it cost me to say it aloud, to admit it to him of all people.

Lainsz’s mouth thinned, eyes unreadable and so pale they were pure ice. He dropped my jaw like I’d burned him and muttered, “Stay behind me. If you get in my way, I’ll kill you, no questions asked.”

I didn’t thank him; I was terrified but I had some pride to cling to, so I followed him in silence as he patrolled the path and the dark clusters of trees between the cottage and the academy on the hill overlooking us. There was no sign of anyone, but Lainsz grunted as he paced the spot where I knew I’d been watched.

“Someone was here,” he confirmed, making my stomach flip then twist into a compact knot. “Not a vampire. Could be a twin or a human.”

I let my breath out in a rush and it shuddered, betraying how afraid I was. Ideally, I’d never let this prick know my fear, but right now he was my comfort blanket. My scowling, murderous, muscly comfort blanket.2

“Can you tell if they’re from the academy?” I asked, creeping closer and daring to meet his eyes. While it was nice to not have to crane my neck back to make eye contact, the sudden severity of those piercing ice blues made my heart stutter, and I glanced away.

His reply was biting. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” I snapped. “I was human until fucking yesterday. I know about as much about a wolf’s range of smell as I do about the surface of your seven—fucking—moons.”

The very corner of his mouth flickered, and I saw red at him laughing at me. “Are you having a meltdown over the moons?”

“Yes!” A prolonged, week-long meltdown. “Yes, I fucking am. Who needs seven moons? That’s—that’s a shocking display of excess.”

Now he was definitely laughing at me. I moved to shove him, or punch that derisive expression from his face, but my wrist was caught in a firm grip, and I jumped at the brush of lips to my knuckles.

“What happened?” Verne asked, tucking my hand into my side.

Lainsz smirked at Verne, then rolled his eyes at Leander as he strode closer, his hand moulding to my cheek and taking me by surprise. “Your mate,” Lainsz sneered, “threw herself at me, wailing like a fucking banshee.”

“I did not wail,” I argued, each word bitten off. “I may have cried, silently, but there was no wailing involved. Dick,” I added for good measure, ignoring the tight hurt in my chest at the your in ‘your mate.’ “And there were extenuating circumstances. Someone was following me. And I was burned by silver this aftern—”

I blinked, and Verne was so close I could see every individual fleck in his brown eyes. “Lainsz, Leander, do a sweep of the forest and check for intruders.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with—” Lainsz tried to argue. Verne’s growl cracked through the forest and I jumped—and Lainsz nodded, falling silent.

He and Leander slunk into the shadows, the latter with a lingering glance at me. I found Verne watching me with an unreadable expression.

“Come with me,” he instructed, and I reluctantly followed, feeling like I was in trouble.

CHAPTER 28

SADIE

Ibit the inside of my lip as I sat atop the island in the wolves’ cottage kitchen. This kitchen was like something out of my dreams, the cabinets dark jade green, the counters made of the same wood as the natural beams on the ceiling. Amber accents were picked out in the long rug between the island and the utensils that sat in jars on the windowsill. Even though it was freezing outside, this kitchen was warm, inviting. Like everything else about the cottage was inviting, even if one of the wolves who lived here hated me.

“It doesn’t hurt,” I said, glancing out the small picture window as Verne moved from cabinet to shelf to cupboard, getting together ingredients for the world's most disgusting recipe. The herbs, plants, and the pestle and motor that waited while Verne got down a glass vial from one of the highest shelves, didn’t inspire a confidence that this thing was going to be palatable. “The burns, I mean.”

“It will hurt if the silver reaches your heart,” he replied in the same stony, non-nonsense tone he’d used since the wood. Lainsz and Leander hadn’t returned yet, so it was just the two of us and this awkward silence. Verne didn’t look at me as he spoke, but there was wrath in his voice when he asked, “Who poisoned you?”

I sighed, not wanting to admit it. But when Verne turned to face me, I muttered, “It’s my own fault. I didn’t exactly mean to, but when you’re a wolf in hiding and your lessons involve turning water into silver…”

I shrugged, helpless, a little caustic.

“If you’d remained here,” he said, “this wouldn’t have happened.”