Page 42 of Curses and Casualties
We climb out, Scarlett needing Ethan’s support to stand. She’s shaking now, constant tremors that seem to come from somewhere deeper than muscle and bone.
Inside, it’s all soaring ceilings and modern art, everything in shades of gray and white. A woman in a severe navy suit greets us with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Mr. Erikson will see you shortly.”
We wait in tense silence. Beside us, Scarlett sits rigid, her hands clenched in her lap. The temporary relief we gave her is clearly fading. I can see the strain returning to her features, the way she keeps taking controlled breaths.
“We could try again,” I whisper to Ryan, but Scarlett shakes her head.
“Save it,” she says through gritted teeth. “I have a feeling I’ll need it more later.”
“He’ll see you now,” the woman announces, gesturing toward a door I swear wasn’t there a moment ago.
The door opens onto an office that’s all windows and wood, forest views that should be calming but feel like they’re watching us. And behind a desk that’s more art than furniture, stands a man who makes every hair on my body stand on end.
Magnus Erikson is tall and lean, moving with the controlled grace of someone always ready for violence. Dark hair pulled back reveals sharp features that would be handsome if not for the haunted look in his pale gray eyes. This is a man carrying ghosts.
His gaze sweeps over our group with clinical detachment.
Until it lands on Scarlett.
The change is instant. His eyes flash brilliant gold—not amber, but a metallic gold I’ve never seen in a wolf before. He staggers backward, one hand flying to his chest as if he’s been shot.
“No,” he gasps, face contorting with what looks like genuine pain. “That’s impossible. It’s bound. It can’t?—”
Scarlett makes a strangled sound at the same moment, her hard-won control shattering. She doubles over as if something just hooked into her ribs and yanked with brutal force. The careful composure she’d maintained evaporates instantly.
“Security!” Magnus’s voice cracks like a whip. “Get her out. Get her off the property. Now!”
Two guards appear instantly. I reach for Scarlett, thinking maybe Ryan and I can ease her pain again, but the guards are already moving. Ryan steps protectively in front of her, and I feel Kane surge inside him, ready to defend. But when Ryan tries toshift, nothing happens. He strains, face twisting with effort, but remains stubbornly human.
Ethan lunges toward the guards, his own attempt to shift meeting the same invisible wall.
“What did you do to us?” I demand, reaching for Luna and finding her muffled, distant.
“Dampening field,” Magnus says through gritted teeth, still gripping his chest. His eyes keep flicking to Scarlett with something between terror and desperate hunger. “You can’t shift here.”
“We’re not separating,” Ryan says firmly. “My pack stays together.”
“Not this time.” Magnus’s voice is flat, but I catch the way his knuckles are white where he grips the desk. “She leaves, or you all leave. Choose.”
“Why?” Ryan demands. “What’s so dangerous about Scarlett?”
Magnus’s jaw clenches so hard I hear teeth grind. “That’s not your concern.”
“Like hell it isn’t. She’s pack.”
“Then protect her,” Magnus snaps. “Get her away from here. Please.” The last word sounds like it’s torn from him.
“It’s OK,” Scarlett says quietly, though she’s still gripping the doorframe. “I’ll wait outside. You guys get what we came for.”
“Scar—” I start.
“It’s fine, Georgia.” She manages a weak smile, though her eyes remain fixed on Magnus with confusion. “Whatever this is, I don’t think he’s going to hurt me. He looks more scared than I am.”
As the guards escort Scarlett out—gently, I notice, not touching her unless necessary—Magnus visibly relaxes, though tension still radiates from every line of his body.
“Now,” he says, voice carefully controlled again. “Let’s discuss why you’re really here.”
Chapter 18
