Page 56 of Nick
Right.It was a smart move.
“Bronx and I are coming with you,” Ryker said.“Vincent has crossed too many lines.It’s time we stopped letting him believe he can control everything and everyone.”
Bronx stood beside Ryker, nodding once.“It doesn’t matter if tradition says one pack shouldn’t interfere in other packs.Vincent has gone too far.”
It was the most Sarah had heard the Moonstone shifter say at one time.
“Thank you,” she managed to get out.
One by one, the members of the Sunburst Pack began to shift, until their own small pack stood arrayed before Sarah and Nick, ready to stand against whatever awaited them on Sunburst Mesa.
Together, Sarah and Nick gripped hands, watching as the miniature pack—Ryker and Bronx at the forefront—raced toward the mesa, their bodies moving with grace and power.
As the last wolf disappeared into the desert, Sarah felt Nick’s grip tighten.They may have been heading into a battle full of danger, but they were far from alone.
Sarah slipped into the passenger seat of Percy’s car.Nick slid in behind the wheel and headed down the road.
As the car neared the base of Sunburst Mesa, Sarah’s gaze drifted to the towering rock formations silhouetted against the night sky.As she stepped out of the car, the mesas loomed over them, imposing and unyielding.
Sarah’s pulse hammered in her ears, the relentless throb almost drowning out the sound of the car door slamming shut.
Nick was beside her in an instant, his strong arms reaching for Sarah before she could protest.
“I can walk,” she said, though her legs felt like they were made of water.
“Not fast enough,” he replied, lifting her effortlessly into his arms.
The ascent was steep, the rocky terrain unforgiving underfoot.But Nick maneuvered the path easily, every step sure and steady.Sarah buried her face in his chest, inhaling the familiar scent that clung to his skin.
“Almost there,” Nick said, his breath warm against Sarah’s ear.She could feel the tension in his body.
When they reached the plateau, the crowd of shifters waiting for them silently parted, allowing them through.Nick carried Sarah to the front of the crowd, then dropped Sarah to her feet, holding her until she was steady.
Then he fished Percy’s keys back out of his pocket.Without a word, he hurled the set of keys through the air.They spun, glinting briefly in the sunlight before landing with a metallic clatter at Vincent’s feet.
The sound fractured the heavy silence.
“Percy’s dead.”Nick’s voice was a low growl.
Vincent’s cold eyes flickered down to the keys, then up to stare into Nick’s unwavering gaze.For a moment, nobody moved; the tableau was still as a photograph.
Then, like a nightmare stepping out of the shadows, Karla emerged from behind Vincent.
Her hand gripped Javier’s small arm tightly enough that Sarah could see the white of her knuckles even from a distance.Javier stumbled slightly, his tousled hair obscuring his face, but his mother’s eyes filled in the blanks of his expression—terror mixed with defiance.
“Javi!”Sarah’s voice broke at the sight of her son.She took an involuntary step forward, but Nick’s arm shot out, holding her back.His body was rigid, a barrier between her and the wolves who had taken her child.
“Let him go,” Nick demanded, his tone deceptively calm, but Sarah felt the undercurrent of rage humming through him.
Karla merely smirked, her lips curving into a cruel smile as she tightened her grip on Javier.
“Mama!”Javier’s voice pierced Sarah’s heart sharper than any blade.
“Shh, baby, it’s okay,” she called out, every instinct screaming for her to rush forward and shield him with her own body.“We’re here now.”
But they were all trapped in Vincent’s twisted game, at his mercy until they could find a way to tilt the balance of power.
Sarah’s gaze never left her son, but she could feel the malicious smile on the alpha’s lips.
