Page 34 of Wrath

None of us moved.

“Everything is shit right now, isn’t it?” I said.

“Yeah,” they both answered.

Again, none of us moved.

I blew out a breath, scrubbed a hand down my face, and then reluctantly rolled away from Ryland.

It was time we faced the music.

What, exactly, had happened when we were gone?

ELEVEN

Z

We followed Ryland to the tent we had been first brought to when we arrived at the camp.

The spindly fingers of dawn clambered upwards in the sky, tearing at the veil of night. The result was a patchwork of lavender and obsidian, interspersed here and there with fading stars.

The camp was unnaturally silent—almost too silent. I strained my ears, listening for the sound of laughter or fighting or even the warriors waking up for the day.

But there was nothing.

Bash glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, and I wondered if his thoughts headed in the same direction as my own. A muscle thrummed in his jaw.

I placed my hand on the small of Ryland’s back and pushed up on my tiptoes to whisper, “Why is it so silent?”

Ryland barely glanced at me when he answered, “Because there’s hardly anyone here.”

My unease ratcheted up a dozen notches, and a strange type of tension seeped into my muscles. My shoulders felt as they hadwhen I dangled from the ceiling, only for an entirely different reason.

The three of us slipped into the tent and immediately came face-to-face with my other mates.

Devlin reached me first, grabbing at my waist and burrowing his head in the crook of my neck. His heart beat erratically against my palm, which had found its way onto his chest.

“Z…” he breathed reverently, air stirring the golden curls near my ear.

“Can someone please tell me what’s going on? Before I go insane?” I gently pulled away from Devlin to face the rest of the room.

Mali was there, her face pale, but the bruises that once covered her had now healed, at least somewhat. Instead of dark purple, they were a yellowish shade of green, barely noticeable against her tan complexion. And beside her stood B, his lips thinned and his arms folded. Davia sat next to him.

I didn’t see Turner, which probably shouldn’t have pleased me as much as it did. I wouldn’t say Ihatedthe pompous prick, but…

I strongly disliked him and often envisioned skinning him alive.

Ryland led me to a seat at the table—conveniently located at the head. He claimed the one to the right of me while Bash slid into the other.

”Explain. Now.” I balled my hands into fists and placed them on the table.

Wary glances were exchanged before Davia cleared her throat. “I don’t know where to start.”

“The beginning?” Bash drawled, reclining backwards.

But I knew his indolence was just a front. I could see the tension lining the muscles in his neck and shoulders and the keen way his eyes surveyed the assembled group.

“What the fuck happened to you two?” Lupe exploded.

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