Page 4 of Wicked Fate

When our eyes connected, I hoped like hell he understood what I wanted—for him to state his opinion because I trusted him to put aside his personal feelings and make the right call.

The sheen vanished from his eyes, the golden flecks warm as he gave me a tight smile. “Even though it’s the last thing in the world I’d want to do, Sun has a point. I agree with my pack, I think we should stay here and work together.”

My chest expanded uncomfortably from how much I loved this man. I hated that it’d taken me so long to see him for what he truly was—remarkable underneath that hard exterior. I nodded my head and linked with Briar,Please tell them I agree with Ryker’s decision.

I love the way you two work together, even in a situation like this.Briar’s approval pushed through our bond, causing my chest to ache more. Then she turned her attention to Kendric, Gage, and Xavier. “She agrees with Ryker.”

A quick breeze hit my face, and the overly sweet scent of vampire made me want to gag.

Raven.

“Fucking hell,” Ryker snarled, and Kendric took off.

I spun around to see what the commotion was about...and stopped dead in my tracks.

CHAPTERTWO

Iblinked, hoping like hell that Raven had cloaked herself and, if I just stared harder, I’d see some sort of shadowy iridescent presence there.

All I saw was a swirl of orange and yellow leaves by the huge, bare oak tree. No sheen, no glow.

Nothing.

The vampire bitch had escaped.

As the leaves settled back on the mulchy ground, her scent began to weaken as the wind from her vampire speed stilled.

“She ran.” Briar’s hands fisted at her sides, and her eyes glowed.

Kendric’s long legs pounded the earth, propelling him forward in human form as he ran after the woman who’d not only broken his heart but likely caused lifelong emotional damage.

I charged after him. My legs throbbed, but the cool air eased some of the agony, and my adrenaline fueled me.

The warm, strange magic strengthened inside me, and my pace quickened, helping me close the short distance between Kendric and me.

The snap of branches and curses behind me told me the others had taken off too—Ryker, Gage, Briar, and Xander. They were all in human form and just as injured as Kendric and me. However, their injuries were all upper body, while most of mine were on my legs, each step feeling as if I were being punched in the gut over and over again.

Wait up,Briar linked, her panic swirling through our link.

I can’t, or she’ll vanish.

Her frustration charged the bond, and I heard her tell Ryker what I’d said.

He growled, and his footsteps quickened. “Of course she fucking did.”

Great, both of them were furious with me, but lately, that seemed par for the course, so I narrowed my focus on the trail Raven had left behind. If she got away, the answers she had would disappear with her.

I passed Kendric, who glanced down at me like he might try to grab me. I prepared to jump away, but then his lips pressed into a hard line, and he rasped, “Get her, but don’t risk yourself.”

Grateful that he hadn’t tried to stop me, I pushed myself even harder, the warm magic spiraling through me and surrounding my wolf.

My sense of smell heightened, and my focus narrowed further. She’d zigzagged, slipping through underbrush like a shadow, trying to cover her tracks, but I was locked in on her scent.

Trees blurred around me, and agony throbbed with every step. Still, I pushed harder, letting my anger fuel me. Raven had used the chaos, the dead, and the dying to slip away like the coward she was.

All that talk about protecting us? Bullshit.

A low branch smacked my shoulder, but I ducked and kept going, paws flying over twisted roots. Her trail veered left, moving deeper into the woods where the now rising moon’s light barely touched the ground. The scent grew stronger. She was close. I could feel it—hear the frantic rustling not far ahead.

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