Page 73 of Gemini Hunted
Jae lunges in and rips out the monster’s throat in a spray of bright arterial blood, then tips back his wolfish face in an eerie howl.
Chills race over my skin and goosebumps swarm down my arms.
But Mallory just squeezes her werewolf’s bristly shoulder—with zero fucking fear—and urges her bloodstained monster gently to his feet.
Under her tender hand, the two stumble toward the tunnel.
Now that the path is (temporarily) clear, it’s way past time for me to get Neo to safety.
“Hey, baby,” I call down to my fated mate, who’s staring in astonishment at the sight of innocent Mallory wrapped fearlessly around her big bad wolf. “You gotta vamoose. Into that tunnel. I’ll cover you.”
My bookworm gazes up at me, wide-eyed with trepidation. He’s no fighter… like,at all…even though he’s been begging us nonstop to teach him. But his alphas (including me, if I’m honest) have all been kinda dubious.
None of us want him hurt.
Now’s the exact moment I realize teaching Neo to defend himself is a common-sense good idea.
You know, assuming we make it outta this mess alive.
I swoop down to land next to my guy and grip his thick biceps, quivering with nervous tension under his Academy blazer. “It’s okay, baby. It really is. Go with Jae and Mal. I’m right behind you.”
My bookworm sucks in a breath, then gives me an earnest nod, coupled with one of those trusting wide-eyed looks through his glasses that guts me.
Every. Single. Time.
Gently I stroke a comma of soft magenta curls away from his anxious eyes. From the depths of my worried heart, I summon up a smile for him.
His own sweet smile blooms in reply.
My heart does backflips in my chest when he smiles. It always has, and it always will.
“I love you,” I tell him quickly, before something else gets in the way. “I don’t say it enough, baby—to any of you—but I really do. You’re half the reason we all even work as a polycule. Now you gotta haul ass, okay?”
Happiness shines in his big green eyes. More than any of my guys, Neo loves to be praised. He soaks up every syllable like a sponge.
“I love you too, babe. A lot!” He lunges in to kiss me—one of his soft sweet kisses that tastes like mint and bookworm. Then, hoisting his backpack over one shoulder and our makeshift cat carrier over the other, Neo ducks out of the circle and trots obediently toward the tunnel.
Within a few steps, the shadows swallow him up.
Worry for him grips my chest like a heart attack.
Literally. I’m so freaking worried for him and all my guys I can barely breathe.
With my lips still warm and tingling from his kiss, I shoot back into the air like an Avenger and try to get my bearings in the unnatural dark. Yeah, I’m worried about Neo. Worried about the guys who are MIA. But my biggest fear at this exact moment is something else.
I haven’t seen Lucius or Vasili since they split.
Plus I don’t even hear Xhev’s distinctive nails-on-chalkboard scream anymore. I’m praying nothing happened to Zephyr. Way beyond thisdomus,Max’s distant bellows are pretty much constant.
Filled with rage.
But somewhere much closer, lost in a shadowy maze of pillars and water, a twist of shredding pain claws at my mating bond and clings like an anxious hand.
Is that a hyena whining in agony… or a wolf?
“Zarina Selene Gemini.”Vasili’s arctic voice, crackling with a Compulsion spell just to get my attention (the jerk), spins me toward the portcullis with a gasp.
I fucking hate being Compelled and that snake knows it. Even so, hearing his voice, a shot of genuine relief spurts through me.
