Page 22 of Sold Wolf Slave

Chapter 8 - Will

I leaned over the table, scribbling on some papers as I tried to take notes on everything that had happened so far, including everything Kendra had told me. I wanted to plot out logical next steps.

That would have been infinitely easier if I could actually focus. I couldn’t stop thinking about Kendra. More to the point, I couldn’t stop thinking about last night, and how terrified I had been when I had woken up and discovered her missing. I’d been frantic, my wolf pacing in agitation, wanting to go after her. My mind had raced, running over every scenario that could have happened, dwelling on all the bad things that could possibly happen to her. It had taken all my strength to stay rational enough to get out and chase after her. And once I’d caught her, that relief that she was okay, along with the infuriation that she refused to tell me the truth about anything, had swirled inside, constantly distracting me. All I had been able to think about since getting her back home was all the things that could have gone wrong, and how much danger she had put herself in.

It unsettled me how much I kept thinking about her. Something about her made everything else go out the window. Nothing seemed as important when she was around. It was like she sucked all the air out of the room with that piercing stare and the borderline haughty expression she got whenever she was annoyed. She kept entering my thoughts, distracting me, making my job here harder because it wasn’t just about the mission anymore. It was also about keeping Kendra safe, a woman who seemed determined not to let me keep her safe in the first place.

She was distracting me. She was making it impossible to focus on the job without thoughts of her lurking at the edges of all my thoughts. It had never happened to me before. It wasn’tsupposed to happen to me. I had always been the one who focused on the mission above all else. And now…

I shook my head to clear it, scowling as I forced my attention back to the papers in front of me.

The shower started overhead. I tried to shut out the noise, not wanting to think about what Kendra was doing in there, how she wasn’t wearing any clothes. It was hard not to imagine what she looked like.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I needed to focus.

We knew Cain was around the center of town. It seemed like he had a couple of places where he would see people. Some large room, Kendra had mentioned, without going into too much detail, and probably an office for more private conversations. If he were as ruthless as Kendra said, no wonder she didn’t care for me all that much.

That was the other thing about Kendra. I wanted her to like me. It wasn’t just that I had this overwhelming need to keep her safe. I had to want her to trust me on top of it. I couldn’t explain why. It just—

I snarled, ducking my head and rereading the line I had just written that I had already forgotten.Stop thinking about Kendra. Stop letting her into your head. She’s just part of a mission.

Only it didn’t feel like that. After all, if it were just for the mission, I wouldn’t have followed her all the way to the fighting pits. Something had drawn me to her in a way no other woman had ever done. I was curious about it. About her.

Once again, I shoved the thoughts from my head. It didn’t matter what it was about her. That mystery could wait until another day. I had other things to focus on.

A knock sounded on the door. I stiffened, all my senses on alert. I hadn’t expected anyone. Had someone seen Kendra alone the night before? Or was it something else? Had I somehow managed to blow my cover?

Then came the second round of knocking, this one in a strange, musical pattern—one that I knew from years of reconnaissance and safe houses. My shoulders relaxed as the fight-or-flight senses subsided. Pushing myself away from the table, I moved down the hall. As I did, a second round of knocking in an identical pattern filled the air. The knocking was to the tune of “Happy Birthday.”

Relief washed over me at the sound, and I actually broke into a grin. I grabbed the knob and pulled, already knowing who I would see.

Chris and Nolan stood on the other side of the door.

“Thank God,” Nolan said. “I was worried the guy who pointed us here was bullshitting us for fun.”

“You all right?” Chris asked, looking me up and down. His eyes lingered on the bruise on my temple.

“Had worse. Come on in.” I jerked my head and let them inside.

They filed in, both of them looking mildly bewildered as they took in the massive house. Nolan sniffed, his brow furrowing, and I wondered if he smelled Kendra.

“How the hell did you find me exactly?” I asked.

“We poked around and asked about any Viking-esque newcomers. Someone pointed us here,” Nolan said. “I was kind of hoping that we would get an actual Viking instead of you, but beggars can’t be choosers, so I guess we’ll have to make do with you.”

“What happened?” I asked. “How did you guys get in?”

“When we got back to the rendezvous point, you weren’t there,” Chris said, giving me a look that could generously be described as mildly annoyed. “So we followed your scent.”

“Until it randomly vanished in the middle of nowhere,” Nolan added.

“So we staked out the area to see if you came back or if anyone else showed up. We watched a couple of shifters wander into the clearing.”

“At which point, they disappeared,” Nolan added. “So we wandered into the clearing with our arms out. We looked like idiots, by the way. At some point, we hit the portal because something jerked us into it.”

“And then we wound up in this spooky underworld area,” Chris finished.

“Spooky seems a little unfair,” Nolan mused. “Yeah, sure, it’s creepy as all get out, but if we dismantle the whole slave trade economy, it’s got some promise. I think it could stand a bit of redecorating, maybe improve some of the infrastructure, and add some public transport, but I think it’s got potential. Think of the property values.” He fell silent when both Chris and I gave him exasperated looks. He shrugged. “I’m just saying.”

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