Page 98 of Veil of Shadows

My stomach twisted as I hovered behind Jax.Training? Being bred? What in the realm is happening down here?How I wished I’d been able to demand more answers of the semelees.

Jax didn’t move a muscle as we waited to see which way the males went. Not that it mattered. If whoever was ahead happened to venture our way, they’d spot us immediately. The tunnels were too narrow to hide anywhere. But I also knew Jaxcould coat us in illusion magic at the last second, hiding us from view.

Footsteps finally drifted farther away, and then the males speaking grew quieter.

My heart thundered.

Jax crept forward, his steps silent. The only sound I heard was my own breathing through my mask and that constantdrip, dripfrom the water.

Jax took off again, moving swiftly now that we were in the clear. Moments later, we reached the third intersection, and a branch of four new tunnels appeared. Moans came from down one, banging from another.

Jax was about to continue onward, but I reached out and grabbed his waistband. He stopped and peered over his shoulder at me.

I closed my eyes. Something about this intersection felt different from the others. I paused, sensing the magic around us.

“It’s this one,” I whispered.

He cocked his head, knowing damned well that we hadn’t reached the fourth intersection yet, but this one felt right.

“You’re certain?” he asked, speaking just as quietly.

I nodded. “The third one must have been cloaked. It’s this one.”

He inhaled sharply and turned left. The tunnel cut steeper downward, and the moans ahead increased.

Every fiber in my body turned on high alert, and it felt as though my heart would leap into my chest. Behind me, the others crept silently, so quietly that I looked over my shoulder several times just to ensure they were still there.

The tunnel abruptly ended, and a huge cavern emerged. Jax’s breath sucked in, and I nearly squeaked.

Torches flickered higher up, dimly lighting the huge space. A huge circular room lined with solid doors waited. Thumpscame from behind the door nearest me, as though whoever or whatever was in it was banging its head against it. Moans came from another. Scratching sounds emitted from one farther down. But the rest were silent.

“Stars and galaxy,” Bowan whispered so quietly that I almost didn’t hear him.

Jax inhaled sharply but let out a frustrated growl, and I couldn’t help but wonder if whatever magic contained this space was masking scents too.

But this cavern looked exactly as the semelees had shown me. “He’s in that one.” I pointed to the sixth door, and within seconds, we were all surrounding it.

Lars and Phillen immediately covered our flanks, turning outward and watching the entrance to the cavern.

Jax grabbed the door handle and shoved.

The door didn’t budge.

He shoved his shoulder into it, and the door creaked but still refused to open.

“Let me try.” Before he could attempt muscling his way through it again, I whispered the most powerful unlocking spell I knew.

Potent lorafin magic swirled around me, billowing the air around my mask and clothing.

An unclicking sound followed, and the door opened.

Jax’s eyes crinkled in the corners, and I knew he was grinning at me, but before any of us could celebrate, an alarm blared.

My breath sucked in just as Jax shoved the door fully open.

A male with antlers appeared on the other side, sitting on the floor. Dark hair covered his head. Muscular arms were visible in his thin tunic. He sat upright, legs sprawled out in front of him, his back to the stone wall, but he didn’t move. He didn’t even flinch at our violent entrance.

Jax’s entire body tensed. “Bastian?”

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