Chapter fourteen

Sucking in a breath, I wake with a start, jumping to my feet. The world spins around me for a moment before it settles, and I dust myself off as I glance up and down the hallway. I struggle to recognize a single thing about where I am. How far did I run in that fog? How much time have I lost sleeping here?

Finally awake, sleeping beauty, my wolf snarls.

I glare at the world before me, hating that I'm grateful to hear his voice. "Thanks for showing up finally. Better late than never, right?"

He scoffs, and I take a few minutes to gather my bearings. The mate bond is strong in my chest, but Adara's scent still evades me.

With the mist cleared, I take a glance in front of and behind me down the stone hall. I don't know how far into the castle I've gone, but I can't see the door I came through any longer, and both directions look equally unfamiliar. I flex my hands, staring down at my fingers, curling and straightening them a few times. There's no pain, not even an ounce of discomfort after the injuries Aramin inflicted with her stolen magic. With a relieved sigh, I rub my fist over my chest, hoping the mate bond will lead me to Adara, and as much as I want to run at full speed in whatever direction it tells me to go, I don't feel like getting trapped in another distraction.

Walking as I follow the bond's pull, the hallway curves before branching left and right, candles lighting each direction. I curse under my breath when the mate bond seems to want to pull me forward—with only the wall before me. I take a step down the hall to the left, planning to walk a certain distance before doubling back. Maybe there's a door or it'll curve around again somehow to make the mate bond's forward pull make sense.

Footsteps sound behind me, and the hair on the back of my neck stands. I stop, turning to look over my shoulder at the brown wolf snarling behind me.

"Where is she?"Rathmann steps forward, his claws scraping against the stone floor.

Shaking my head, I scoff and turn to lean against the wall. "I should be asking you the same question. Adara. Jaz. Hell, even the bird. Seems my list is a bit bigger than yours." I snap my fingers. "Oh, right, there's also that lying bitch you've let boss you around."

"Disantollo, I'm in no mood for your godsforsaken games! WHERE IS SHE?" His lips curl back, baring all his teeth, saliva dripping onto the floor.

I heave a long sigh, masking my face into feigned pity for the poor fool that let Aramin trick him into thinking she was worth something. "The redheaded bitch I banished?" I raise a brow, not missing the way his gaze darts around the space as if looking for her. "Dead."

His eyes snap to mine and bore into me.

"Did you actually think she loved you back?" A dark chuckle rumbles from my chest, and yellow swallows the last bit of brown in his eyes, his wolf consuming him. "You're just as pathetic as the rest of the idiots she slept with."

Breathing hard, he flicks his tail. Once. Twice. His muscles quiver, then he lunges at me, jaws snapping for my throat. I wait until the last second, then throw my fist into his ribs, knocking the wind from his lungs as I duck down, letting him crash into the stone wall behind me. He twists, grunting as his shoulder makes contact, and uses his back paws to shove off it toward me.

"I'll kill you," he breathes, his paws hitting both my shoulders and knocking me back into the opposite wall.

A chuckle rumbles deep within me. "You're faster than I expected you to be, but you'll never be fast enough to kill me. Even Aramin knew I was better than you."

He snarls, breathing hard. "After everything you've done, I'll dance on your shallow grave and paint your whore mate in your blood before I kill her too."

My wolf spikes through me, rage flaring at the mention of Adara, knowing she isn't safe when she's out there alone. With Monique. Fur tears through my skin, claws bursting from my fingers, but I shove my wolf down just enough. I won't give him the satisfaction of a true alpha challenge.

Twisting, I drag my claws up his stomach as his teeth graze my throat, a howl of pain ripping from him. I thrust my elbow up into his jaw, his teeth cracking as they snap together, and shove him off me.

"You will never," I growl, pressing hard against his throat with my forearm, my other hand digging my claws inbetween his ribs, puncturing his lung, "get near her again." Yanking my hand free, I punch him once in the face, bones crunching beneath my knuckles.

"Gideon!"

My head snaps to the side, Frank's panic-laced voice pulling my attention away. Images of Adara hurt and bleeding in his arms steal through my mind, but it's Rathmann's laugh that drops a weight in my gut.

His teeth sink into my forearm, white hot pain exploding from wrist to elbow as the bone splinters. I shove my arm hard into his mouth, jolting his broken nose and forcing him to release. I grip his throat with my good hand, grunting as I throw his body down the hall. He lands on his side, sliding over the tile floor until his back thuds against the stone. Footsteps come from behind me as Frank stumbles down the hall and around the corner. Blood—metallic and tangy—fills the air, coming from more than just my arm.

Rathmann smiles, his teeth smeared red and his nose twisted at the wrong angle. He struggles to his feet, swaying with each labored breath. He takes a step, his front leg giving out, and he barely catches himself before falling.

It's not her, my wolf says, and he's right. The mate bond isn't pulling me in the new direction, but still toward the stone wall.

"What, Frank?" I snap, keeping my eyes trained forward and refusing to make the same mistake twice. Blood runs down my arm as it hangs at my side, each drop making a small splat as it drips onto the floor.

"M-Mila…" Frank's voice cracks. "I…"

"Go." I ball my hand into a fist, letting my nails pierce my palm. The pain keeps me focused.

"But Addy—"

"GO!" I roar, my voice echoing around the hall. "You're useless when she's hurt. Just go!" Clenching my jaw, I grit my teeth, knowing if I were to shift, my injuries would heal faster, but Rathmann would get the satisfaction of knowing how hurt I am.

Frank brushes past me to move down the hall, away from the standoff, and it's then that I finally get a small glimpse of him. Shoulders hunched, a deep gash in his upper back along one shoulder blade gushes with each step, and one leg drags behind him. Blonde hair hangs over his arm, blood matting it to Mila's pale face and leaving a smeared trail in their wake.

"Aramin's work." Rathmann nods toward them, pride evident in his tone. "I'd say she got caught in the hall of toys."

Glowering at him, I ask, "Hall of toys? Is that full of all the sex toys she used, or did she not show those to you?"

Humor drains from his face. "Hall of death toys. Spikes, mace clubs, shotguns, knives. Her particular favorite was a wooden stake. I'm sure she was hoping your bitch would be the one to find that special treat, though I'm sure she won't be alive much longer with the rest of the surprises Aramin left."

Growling, I shove the worry for Mila from my mind, forcing myself not to think of how Adara is doing when Frank couldn't protect Mila while right beside her. What does that mean for my mate when she's on her own? Are there any other halls like that, riddled with harmful surprises Aramin left behind for her?

Focus!my wolf snaps.

I shake my head to clear it, narrowing my eyes at the swaying wolf before me. "If anyone won't be alive much longer, the fates above know it's you." Using my wolf's speed, I launch myself toward him, dropping my shoulder as I make contact with his side—the same one that had my claws buried in it just moments ago. I relish in the yelp that comes from his mouth.

His back paws kick as he tries to twist away from me, but I don't have time to play this game any longer. Adara could be in danger. Frank and Mila need me. Jaz and Kaylus…

"Where are they?" I growl, half a second from letting my wolf's snout lengthen to tear out his throat. "Where are Jaz and Kaylus?"

Rathmann just laughs, struggling uselessly beneath me. "Your bitch will never get that bird back."

I raise my fist, slamming it into his side over and over, knuckles coated in his blood. He groans beneath me, his breathing weak. Letting my wolf shift completely, I lean over him, making him stare into my eyes. "I hope you find that bitch in hell, and she fucks everyone but you."

Anger flares in his yellow gaze, but he's too weak to fight me off. I latch onto his throat, locking my jaw and hearing the crunch of his windpipe in my ears. With a twist, I jerk back and spit it onto the ground. Blood coats my jowls and makes a trail on the floor as I limp down the hall in the direction of the mate bond's pull.

I'll be damned if anyone keeps me from finding her, and I can only hope that Jaz and Kaylus are both safe, along with everyone else.