Page 11 of Bryce

She cracked a smile, albeit a brief one. “Fair enough.”

“Thank you.” He rolled his eyes in my direction before giving Martina one final squeeze and murmuring something into her ear which I supposed was meant to comfort her but only made the tears in her eyes roll down her cheeks.

I had to look away. It was far too personal a moment for me to witness. Unfortunately, I happened to look straight at Isla.

The emotion on her face gave me pause. Rage? Anger? Disappointment? All of it at once? It all but took my breath away, especially when she shifted her gaze my way and the emotion deepened.

If only I could go back in time then, in that very moment. If I could wipe away the months that had passed us by, each day which had pushed us farther apart. Days I had put between us. Days in which I could have done something, said something.

Even if I’d told her we had no future, it might have turned out better than simply pretending nothing ever happened. How was I to know I’d ever see her again?

My lion cared for none of this. He wanted action. He wanted to be free. He hadn’t been this restless in a long time.

I looked at Logan. “Are you as ready to jump out of your skin as I am?”

He snickered while adjusting the straps of his pack. “What do you mean?” Nothing ever seemed to perturb him, which was likely a large part of the reason why he had Mary’s full confidence. As did I.

Though I tended to be a bit more volatile.

“Never mind,” I muttered, then turned my attention to the team leader. “Ready when you are.”

He nodded. “Let’s move out.” Yes, easier to get it over with quickly. Martina would fret and fear for him, but she would do less of it if he made it back soon. I cast a look her way, over my shoulder, and gave her a small wave which she didn’t return.

“How long have you known?” I couldn’t help but ask, the two of us walking ahead of and downwind from the others. The chances of them overhearing the question were slim, especially with Leslie chattering on about something. Logan must have cracked a joke, making her laugh.

“Only a few days,” Gate murmured. “It’s still quite early.”

“Hence the discretion.”

“That, and…” He looked over his shoulder to be certain before continuing. “She’s human.”

“And?”

“And, neither of us knows what that means for her or the child.”

“Alina and Jasmine—”

“Are not human,” he pointed out, knowing what I had in mind before I finished speaking. “They are of the fae. I hear that one of the newer mates in Scotland is half-dragon, half-witch.”

“Really, now?”

“And as fierce as they come. Was a mixed martial arts fighter in her former life. Little wonder, though she cannot shift. She has no dragon.”

“It sounds as though she’s perfectly healthy.”

“But her mother was a member of the coven.” Gate glanced at me. “Not the average human. And there is still no telling what happened to her after the birth. She is dead. Whether childbirth was the cause or not, we have no idea.”

“I see.” It pained me to see him this way, especially when we were speaking of Martina. Martina was Mary’s pride and joy, in spite of the way they’d butted heads over the years. Much of that was the result of Mary’s insistence on sparing her the details of our lives, our business.

I could understand that impulse. All too well.

I clapped him on the back with a smile. “Cheer up. There is plenty of time, and you and I both know that Mary would never allow anything to happen to one of her own. If she can pinpoint the location of two remote compounds in the middle of the Appalachians, she can see to her daughter’s welfare.”

He didn’t appear half as convinced as I sounded, but I knew there was nothing more to be said. Not just then, and not if we wished to remain undisturbed.

“How many miles are we expected to hike?” Leslie asked. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you, though it would be much easier to fly.”

“And much more dangerous,” Logan chuckled. “Unless the idea of getting shot down in mid-flight appeals to your sense of adventure.”

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