Page 54 of Bite of Vengeance

“PARA is going to retaliate once they find out we took her,” Pax said as I turned onto a small road.

“We already warned everyone in Deadwood. They should all be gone by morning.”

Deadwood would be the first place they hit since it was so close to Project Hope. Knowing that Impulse and our house was about to get destroyed bothered me more than it should. I’d considered that place home for more than a year. It was where I met Kali.

“How much longer?” Warner spoke up. “We’ve been on the road for hours.”

“Where are we going?” Keeva asked, suspicion still thick in her voice.

“We’re nearly there,” Pax replied before lowering his voice. “If it hasn’t been destroyed.”

I had the same worry. We’d found this place years ago and hadn’t checked on it since before we arrived in Deadwood. Though, it was so far from everything that I doubted it had been disturbed.

The sun was high in the sky, and it gave me a bit of relief that Amaros couldn’t try to search for us until sundown. He was old enough that he could stand to be in sunlight for a few minutes without being harmed, but even he didn’t have the power to walk in the sun like us Shadows. Something he’d always wanted but could never have, and I always had a feeling he was jealous his sons had that ability.

Warner was leaning away from the window, his lips pressed tightly together. He was still so new that the sunlight was only irritating to him and not deadly. Keeva didn’t look bothered at all, which wasn’t a surprise since she was a Shadow. I was still curious how far she was in her transition but hadn’t risked asking her anything. She was still on edge, and it was clear she didn’t trust me and Pax. One wrong word, and she’d flee.

“I’m sure they parked in the woods.” Pax glanced at me. “If the vehicles aren’t there, it means they went somewhere else.”

“They’ll be there.”

My voice held confidence I didn’t feel. I had no idea if they’d be there. But theyneededto be. I’d been away from Kali for far too long, and I would lose it if I didn’t see her today. I was sure Pax had doubts, but he didn’t voice them as I veered off the dirt road and into a field. It wasn’t long before I spotted the vehicles from my father’s property through the trees.

Relief swept through me, and I pressed my foot down on the pedal, tearing through the overgrown field until I found a wide enough opening through the trees. Pax cursed under his breath when I cut the wheel, jerking the truck to the side.

“We need all the cars we can,” he grumbled. “Don’t wreck this one. You’ll see her in a couple minutes.”

I ignored him as I pulled beside a small sedan. It had been days, and I didn’t want to wait another fucking second. I hopped out of the truck and began striding across the large field. In the distance was a fallen barn with rotting wood. Tilting my head, I listened, trying to catch any voices. All I could hear were the birds and waves crashing. I blew out an aggravated breath as I got closer.

Stepping over the broken wood, I stopped in the dead center of the wrecked barn before crouching down and swiping away the brush. A shiny metal hatch door came into sight, and I grasped the handle, letting out a curse when it didn’t budge. Closing my fist, I pounded on it twice before standing up. A second later it cracked open, and a Shadow stuck his head out.

“Hey,” he shouted when I grabbed the edge and yanked the hatch open.

“Move,” I gritted out.

Recognition hit his eyes, and he glared at me with loathing, not moving a muscle. “Fucking Kane. You shouldn’t even be here with us?—”

“I’m going to say it one last time before I make you move,” I warned, my voice deadly. “Get out of my way.”

“You’re lucky that she?—”

I didn’t give him a chance to finish as I jumped into the tunnel, knocking him off the ladder. He let out a yell as he landed on his feet, his hands clenching into fists. I could hear Pax behind me, but I didn’t wait as I moved down the narrow tunnel. The walls were a silver metal, the same color as this entire underground area, and I was sure it used to be shiny decades ago when this was all new. The dim lights flickered constantly, threatening to go out. Inside the tunnel, I could hear almost everything. The musty scent was vastly different from when we found this place years ago. Back then, it was still being lived in.

My stomach unknotted when her voice broke through the noise. A second later, her scent invaded my nostrils, and I inhaled deeply as I upped my pace. Pax followed me as I ran through the maze of tight tunnels until it finally opened into a massive room. The closest Shadows grew silent when they saw me, but I paid no attention to them as I scoured the room for her.

Finally, I spotted her near the back of the room, talking to Viggo. She was glaring at him, her hands on her hips.

“PARA isn’t our biggest concern,” she was saying heatedly. “Your father is. We need to stop him…” she trailed off, her back straightening. A smirk tipped up my lips when she whipped her head toward me. She sensed me somehow, whether it was my scent or the invisible band that connected us. Relief filled her eyes, and she opened her mouth, but my brother spoke up first.

“Thank fuck,” Viggo grumbled, giving Kali a push toward me. “Take her. I amneverfucking doing babysitting duty again. Do you know the shit she put me through?”

Pax replied to him, but I was already crossing the room, my eyes locked on Kali. My chest swelled with something I couldn’t identify, but I never wanted to let this feeling go. Her eyes were locked on me.Only me.Not behind me where her best friend was. Or her long lost twin.

“Zan—”

I slammed my lips to hers, silencing her words. She opened her mouth, accepting my kiss without the slightest hesitation. I nearly groaned from how fucking good she tasted. It was worth it. Every single damn thing I’d done. Being away from her only cemented the fact that I would do anything for her.

A noise close to me had me cracking open my eyes, and I lashed my arm out, catching the throat of the Shadow who was creeping close. Kali pulled away from me, and I scowled, focusing on the asshole who interrupted us.

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