Page 89 of The Girl in the Forest

“The guards are human, poorly trained,” Grayson continued. “Wait until the one by the door is down, go in. Don’t worry about the others. Wolves will find them. But don’t think that gives you extra time. In and out.”

“Don’t you trust Mace’s training,” I taunted, because for someone who was so sure I’d be fine, he was running through a long list of commands.

Grayson scowled down at the meat he was still cutting; I thought it must be mush by now. “I trust him. He gives you five minutes to get in and out. But no matter what, leave at the four-minute mark. Searching for her only risks discovery, and one girl isn’t worth losing a team.”

The house was small, with a kitchen and living space, two bedrooms, a hall, and bath. Front door. Back door. One steep flight of stairs down to a dirt and stone basement. A storage closet concealed the stairs; the door might be locked and I’d have to break through. Mace said three human guards, hired thugs on rotating shifts. At night, one would check the perimeter every hour. The other two disappeared and were presumably sleeping or indulging in other things.

During practice, Laura and I had gotten in, resisted the obstacles, and pulled a heavy, padded dummy figure out in less than six minutes. I thought adrenaline would help cut that time down to under five. Still, a shudder dried my mouth.

“Use every skill you have.” An Alpha command. Grayson’s jaw ticked, but his voice softened to a purr in my head. “Syphon the energy. Burn it down if they find you, Bedisa. Better a dead girl than losing you to vampires.”

“Would you burn it down, knowing she was hiding somewhere?” I challenged.

His eyes flamed with a blue fire that licked across my skin. “Yes.”

I wasn’t sure if I could live with his protection, his anger, not if it came from the obligation of the kings and a fated mating bond. But if it came from his heart… then I would take it.

Cherish it for what it was.

Even if it only lasted a moment.

CHAPTER 27

Grayson

“She can do this, Gray,” Fallon said. She stood at my elbow. We were in the living room at the watchtower house, watching as Noa talked with Anson Salas, the Alpha of Carmag.

Noa was radiant, wearing another red gown that reminded me of the Night of the Beacons. Diamonds glittered around her throat and at her ears. The luxurious dark hair I’d fisted in my hands two hours ago, while my cock plunged deep inside her, was now swept up off her nape, fashioned into an intricate knot. And all I wanted was to pull the pins out, grip with my fingers and hold her in place. Refuse to let her leave.

“I know she can.” I’d viewed the same surveillance tapes Fallon had, taken from the cameras Mace mounted inside and outside his replica. Noa solved each problem, battered her body and got up again. Laura kept close to her side, and seeing the two of them work together brought a new respect for Laura’s courage. I read a hint of revenge in Laura’s expression, and realized she needed to act for the same reasons Noa did, in utter defiance against bullies, those who preyed on the weak.

I glanced back at Fallon. Her blonde hair was down tonight, with one side drawn back and anchored with a glittering diamond clip. She wore a black evening gown. Her stunning sexuality was on display, what she downplayed when fulfilling her alpha duties. Mace had a hard time focusing on the man he was conversing with—Elijah Stone, Anson’s chief military advisor.

Anson hadn’t come alone. After learning the purpose—or the presumed purpose for our meeting—he’d wanted Elijah sitting in on the threat discussions and building an alliance. I’d wanted that discussion too, along with Mace, but the primary purpose was a distraction, the role Fallon had to play.

“You don’t have to do this,” I told her. “If you’re interested in Anson, don’t do anything he’ll find unforgivable.”

“Noa deserves this chance.” Fallon raised her champagne glass and sipped. “She never could ignore an injured wolf—just ask Laura. Levi. You can’t expect her to let a faille suffer. She identifies too completely with the underdog. That’s why she ran when she was sixteen. She couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”

“I can’t let her go blindly into danger because she feels sorry for the victim,” I said, forcing the tension out of my voice.

“Noa isn’t going in blindly. Her faille senses will alert her to threats. You watched her during those practice sessions. She’s smart. Facing the witches was far worse than this, and she’s learned more than you give her credit for—”

“I give her credit.”

Fallon arched an eyebrow. “As far as your protective streak will allow you to go. Part of you still sees her as the girl who drove into Sentinel Falls looking for protection. You want her to remain innocent, safe, when this is as much her destiny as yours.”

My fingers tightened on the glass I held, and Fallon gently brushed my hand.

“Why won’t you take her sigil?”

“I won’t chain her to a fate she can’t control.”

“I don’t think she sees it that way. You’re half a circle right now. Out of balance. Don’t you feel it, the need for completion?”

My teeth snapped together—gods, hadn’t I fought that need every hour? Through every breath and every soft sound she made when I was deep inside her? Blood pounded through my veins with an unrelenting impotency. A grasping need to reach out and hold on, claim her entirely.

All that I was—all I had been—changed the moment she turned and looked at me with defiance in her eyes. Without her, I was dust, lost in the wind. I feared the thought that I would lose her. I’d burn down everything for her.

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