Page 77 of Hunted
“Thank you,” he whispered in his halting, blunted tones.“I owe you a life, bubak.”
I swallowed hard, uncertain what to do with this blatant outpouring of gratitude, or the way he was hugging me like my mere presence didn’t cause terror.He shuddered, then stepped back, still gripping my upper arms.His citrine eyes met mine and he pressed his forehead to mine in some formal gesture before finally freeing me to sign.“I am glad you are unharmed as well, beautiful nightmare.”
I cleared my throat uncomfortably as I felt my cheeks heat up, not quite sure what to do withthat.Robin stood behind us, her eyes narrowed, and her entire body covered in ash and dirt.Her gaze swept over Sadavir, took in his proximity to me, then landed on me with a weight I really didn’t like.
“Are we all whole and accounted for now?”she asked, her husky voice brisk and no-nonsense.
Ruya stood next to Josh, clasping the vampire’s hand as if she’d never release him.“Minor injuries left,” she said, tilting her head as she reached out her magical senses to check on us all.“I can fix them as we move.”She swung her sightless gaze back toward Robin.“What do we do now?”
Robin shook ash out of her long hair and squared her shoulders.“Now,” she said easily, as if her light tone could disguise the fury radiating off her.“We abandon the nest,” she said, spinning on a heel and heading down a side tunnel, a ball of flame held in her hand to light the way.“Safehouse.Now.”
I glanced back at the warded metal door that stood between us and our home, then followed her into the dark.
Chapter 26
Ruya
The tunnels swallowedus whole.
I didn’t realize how many layers of noise lived inside The Fox until they were gone—the hum of heating and electricity, echoes of argument, laughter, and conversation, clinking dishes, and the occasional grunts or smacks from the training room—all replaced now by the muffled sound of ragged breaths and footsteps on concrete and old stone.
I was used to being blind, but usually I could at least see blurred colors, light and shadow.Now all of that was reduced to complete blackness and the occasional dim source of light—mage lights periodically spaced along the rough walls or held in Sanaka’s hand, the wavering blur of orange light that was Robin with a hand full of dragon fire.
I tightened my grip on Josh’s hand, not willing to let him go.We had almost lost him for good.I had felt his death song rising up in me.He was fine now, healed by my magic and his own rapid vampire healing.But still, I clung to him, and I suddenly realized I was squeezing his hand so hard it had to be uncomfortable, all the anxiety and stress from the last hour or so finding an outlet in that one small point of contact.
Josh didn’t protest.He never did.His aura flickered now and then, a constant rippling like black water to my senses, hidden things in the depths.I whispered to him softly.“You’re safe now.I’ve got you.”
His only reply was the subtle twitch of his fingers.Not quite a thank-you.Not quite a refusal.Just Josh, quietly suffering some internal torment, quietly enduring.Sadavir was quiet too, a solid presence behind us, his steady alpha aura silently promising fierce protection and love—I hoped Josh felt it the way I did.
Robin stalked ahead of the group, her fire leading us all through the dark twists and turns of the tunnels.She hadn’t spoken since we’d started moving, but her steps never faltered.I had never been in the tunnels before, and I needed Josh with his dark-friendly vampire senses to guide me around the occasional fallen stone or broken section of floor.But I trusted Robin to lead us.I knew she had probably memorized every crack and crevice in the city’s bones decades ago.It was just how she was.
The rest of us followed silently, including the curse breaker, who was now conscious and ambulatory, after I’d healed his concussion.
Dusek lagged near the rear, only his strong aura letting me know he was there.To my already impaired eyes he was invisible, nothing but more blackness in the dark.I wanted to talk to him.I had been able to sense something building in him for a while now, and this attack had strengthened the feeling.There was a quiet storm in him, held just barely in check.But there never seemed to be a good time to corner the reclusive bubak.
I noticed that Sanka stayed near Dusek, unconcerned about the ripples of fear his aura produced.I frowned to myself, even more curious what had happened back there in the halls of The Fox.Then I vividly recalled feeling the pain and death of every cultist we’d encountered in that visceral way of my healing and banshee magics...and thought maybe I didn’t want to know after all.
