Page 63 of The Enemy to the Living
After what feels like an age, he picks up. His tone is terse. “Quinn? Look, I’m kind of in the middle of something right now.”
Tears sting my eyes again. Fuck, I don’t—I will my voice steady. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have called.”
“No, I…” I hear his footsteps moving. “Is everything okay?”
My mouth twists and I dig the fingers of my free hand into my thigh, forcing my voice to be a little steadier. “No, yeah, it’s all—I’m fine. Sorry. I’m feeling better now. That’s all I’m ringing for.”
Asher is quiet for so long that there’s a second where I think he’s hung up. “Quinn.”
I press my free hand to my mouth and swallow down another sob. I can do this. I can do whatever I need to do alone. “I’m fine,” I say once I’m sure my voice won’t entirely betray me. “Sorry for bothering you while you’re working.”
“No, it’s—”
I hang up before he can finish the sentence. My phone clatters onto the tiles when I let go.
I can’t be a lone wolf; I already know that. I can’t go back home. I can’t stay here.
And any other pack will have to know I can’t shift, won’t they?
My phone lights up, vibrating against the floor. When I see Asher’s name on the screen, I kick it away.
I’ll do my fights. Keep my wolf.
And then, that’s it.
I don’t care where I end up. I just can’t stay here.
Chapter Twenty-One
Asher
Whenmythirdcallto Quinn’s phone goes straight to voicemail, I tighten my grip so hard on my phone that the case cracks. Vlad peers over at me, expression entirely impassive.
“You seem concerned about the wolf.”
What the fuck am I supposed to say to that? I stick to nothing, clenching my jaw so tightly my teeth ache. Of course I’mconcerned about Quinn. I’m pretty sure he won’t do anything foolish, and I’m pretty sure his pack are looking out for him in their own way, but that doesn’t mean anything in the face of all that I’m feeling.
“Asher?”
“Leave it alone, Vlad.” I settle against the wall, keeping my gaze fixed firmly ahead. I’ve brought Vlad here. Maybe I can convince him to let Maurice take my place? Might be for the best, anyway; he’ll have a better idea of who the vampires going inside are than we do.
Not that there are many vampires tonight. Mostly fae, coming in ones and twos, and I haven’t seen another wolf, either.
I really hope the twins won’t ask Quinn to fight tonight. I don’t believe what he said on the phone; not a word of it. He’s not fully healed, and something has happened, something that had his voice sounding all hollow and haunted.
I also can’t count on keeping my cool if I see Quinn arrive. I already know I’ll do my best to follow him inside. And that’s the one thing the Huntsman told us specifically not to do.
“If we capture the twins and send them back, you know that will void any deals they have made on this side of the veil,” Vlad says, apropos of nothing.
I glance at him sharply. “What?” No, I don’t know that. It’s why I’ve been planning to kill them.
He shrugs.
“Doesn’t count for the Huntsman, does it?” I say. “He comes and goes all the time.”
“With permission. We revoke it when we send the fae through. All their bargains become nothing again.”
I frown. “How do you even know that?”
