Chapter 21

TWENTY-ONE

Tara

I wake up with a start, the cool cave air sending goosebumps racing over my flesh. Why am I awake? I'm exhausted. Laying still for a moment, I realize that something's off, even though I can't quite place what it is. Nothing outwardly seems wrong.

But something is.

The cave's quiet except for Garrick's soft breathing next to me. The sunlight filtering through the distant cave opening lets me know the sun is setting. It's all beautiful and relaxing, and yet I'm lying here feeling tense.

And then I remember why. My wolves will find me if we don't leave soon.

My wolves. Who I'll never see again. My whole chest aches in a way I've never experienced before, a way that makes it hard to breathe, and I feel tears sting my eyes. I blink them away, willing myself not to cry for men who never cried for me.

Turning to my bear, I run a gentle hand along the stubble along his cheek, admiring his high cheekbones and the gentle curves of his face. Even in sleep, he looks sweet. Lovable and cuddly. He'll make a good husband. We'll have a good life together. But we have to fix this curse first.

"Wake up," I whisper softly.

He groans and rolls over.

Smiling, I give him a little shake and raise my voice. "Garrick, wake up! We have to go."

Movement catches my eye, and my head swings back to the entrance to the cave. I'm about to tell Garrick that something is wrong when they suddenly appear. My wolves. Or, more so, the wolves that aren't mine.

I quickly sit up and gather the blanket around my naked body, my heart pounding. Somehow, I don't know what to expect. Will they be angry we ran? Relieved as long as we're still fixing the curse? What's about to happen?

Garrick yawns and stretches his arms in a way I'd find cute any other time, but right now every muscle in my body is tense. "What's wrong?" he asks me, mid-yawn, but when he turns and sees the wolves, he's immediately alert.

The tension in the cave ramps up. The sunlight streaming in behind them makes it hard to read their faces as they stand, like shadows of themselves against the bright light, but I don't think they're happy. Nor are they reacting with the anger they did the first time they saw Garrick and I together.

At least not yet.

"We left for a reason," Garrick tells them slowly, his words measured as he reaches for his clothes. "We don't want a fight, but I will give you one if you want one." His last words hold a warning.

Arlys takes a small step closer to us. "We don't want a fight either. We just want to talk."

As they inch further into the cave, and into the shadows with us, it's easier to read their faces. To no one's surprise, they're all scowling as they look from me to Garrick. It's the second time they've found us naked together, and clearly they're not happy about it.

"Talk about what?" I ask, my voice a little too high.

"Just talk. It's important," Rinan says.

I shift, uncomfortable. Should I be dressing in front of them? I feel uncomfortable at the thought.

"It's really important and won't take long," Drogo says. There's the typical gruffness to his voice, but also something else. A humbleness that's unexpected.

Actually, they all seem humbled. And upset. But I have no idea why. What's going on with them? My chest aches for reasons I don't understand. I don't like to see them hurting.

"You don't get to waltz in here–" Garrick starts to stand up.

"It's okay," I tell Garrick, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But I want to clean up before we talk."

It's true. I do. Partially because I know they don't like Garrick's scent on me, and partially because I want to buy myself a few minutes to think. Even if, when this conversation is done, Garrick and I are still going to want to travel alone, and I'm still planning on leaving the wolves behind. No matter how much it hurts.

"I'll come with you," he says, moving as if to rise.

I shake my head. "I can go alone."

"No," Garrick says, and there's a finality in his words that I don't like.

"No?" I repeat, surprised.

He gives me a little squeeze, and I get the feeling he's about to give me bad news. "They're going to have you fix the water, then kill you. So I don't trust them within an inch of you."

"Kill me?" I repeat, shocked. Out of all the things I thought he'd say, that wasn't one of them.

"Like hell!" Rinan shouts, looking wounded and angry. "We'd never hurt her!"

Garrick's arms tighten around me. "I heard you discussing it after you caught us together in the hot spring."

All three men look genuinely surprised before Arlys seems to come to some kind of realization. "Oh, no, Rinan was joking. Trying to explain to Drogo that we couldn't keep running away from our relationship with Tara."

Garrick studies them for a moment before his grip loosens. "Logic told me you weren't capable of it, but my emotions led me to protect my mate at all costs."

Some of the tension fades from between them.

"Understood," Rinan says, followed by a little nod.

It's strange. I don't like the idea that they were even joking about something like that, but deep down I don't think they could really hurt me. My heart might be a fool, but it's sure of it.