Page 109 of Savage Sacrifice
“How?” Minnie blurts, and I don’t miss the way Blaze turns to his mother.
“Care to explain the matter to them, Mother? Since you’re so helpful,” Blaze grumbles, but there’s no real anger in his voice. If anything, it looks like Beatrice is hiding a smirk on her lips at his outburst.
“I can rectify this,” she states. “But first, how about we address the elephant in the room. Like, why is he chained up?”
“He thinks it’s for the best,” I admit, toying with the hem of my hoodie, worried someone is going to be mad at me for following his command.
“He doesn’t seem himself,” Minnie breathes, eyes fixed on the man in question.
“I don’t think he is,” I whisper, admitting the painful truth out loud.
He rears his head back, mask on full display as he bares his teeth. “How wonderful of you to talk about me like I’m not sitting right fucking here.”
“If you opted to acknowledge our presence, then maybe we wouldn’t,” Blaze grunts, and Asher laughs, but it’s filled with anything but humor. It’s more like the sound poisons the air.
He tugs at the restraints, the clanging of chains making my back stiffen. “Leave it to the vampire to face off with me while the wolves do nothing.”
His words hang thick in the air, continuing to poison those around him.
Minnie clears her throat. “Yeah, there’s something dark in there.”
“Come closer and you’ll find out,” he snarls, but before anyone can leap to Minnie’s defence against the growly man before us, he slumps forward, his tension under the restraints easing as he almost goes limp. “Can you all leave?” he whispers, his voice soft. “It hurts,” he adds, making my heart thunder in my chest.
“What does?” Beatrice asks, sympathy in her tone as she rubs mindlessly at her chest.
“Fighting against myself,” he says with a weighted exhale, and I shake my head.
“I’m not leaving you,” I insist, and his eyes meet mine. Still black, still lost, but still Asher.
“It’s safer.”
I sink my teeth into my bottom lip. I don’t want that to be the answer. It can’t be. I refuse.
Sensing the turmoil thickening around us, Wylder claps his hands, gaining everyone’s attention.
“How about we split up, find Sian, and recapture Bryony,” he offers, and the others nod as though it’s a good idea.
“Then what?” Tatum asks, stuffing his hands in his pockets, and Wylder shrugs.
“I don’t know, but something tells me we’re close.”
Glancing around the room, my instinct is to dig my heels in, refuse to leave Asher like this, but the reality is, we are closer. We only have one more coin to change. I don’t know what willhappen then, none of us do, but there’s only one way to find out, and it all rests on Wylder’s shoulders.
“Okay,” I breathe, and Wylder blinks at me in surprise.
“Okay?” he repeats, and I nod.
“It’s time for us to figure out your sacrifice. It’s time for you to guard the light.”
37
BLAZE
Lincoln is the last through the basement door, closing it behind him as we all look to one another for answers and direction.
“Are you sure he’s going to be okay down there on his own?” Polaris asks, worrying her bottom lip. I can see her pain, feel it deep in my bones, but standing here and cuddling her over it isn’t going to solve the situation. She needs action. She needs all of this shit fixed, and that’s what I’m here to do.
“He’s not on his own, Beatrice is with him,” Minnie reminds her, linking her arm through Polaris’s as she rests her head on her shoulder, offering her the comfort I can’t.
