Page 187 of Bitten & Burned
Gods, it was her.
And she was hurting.
She was calling me.
Not with words. Not even with the bond. Not exactly. But Ifelt it, thrumming under my skin, pulling on every fraying nerve I had left.
I didn’t even think. I moved.
Boots. Shirt. Weapons.
“Wait, what are you doing? Where are you going?” Thalia asked, following me around the apartment like a stray dog.
“To find her. To save her,” I bit out.
“Where is she?” Vael asked.
“Where do you think?” I bit out. “I don’t know for sure, but my money’s on Drummond.”
“I’m coming with you,” Vael insisted.
He’d slow me down. I knew he loved her, too, but I had to run. I couldn’t keep a slower pace for him.
“No, Vael. Stay here. With Thalia. And Fig. Send word to the others. At Halemont. As quickly as you can… rent a homing bird or?—”
Thalia interrupted. “I have a homing bird. I’ll send whatever you need. What do I say?”
“I’ll compose a message,” Vael said. “Go, Quil. Go save her. Please.”
Thalia was nodding, and I was bolting out of the apartment. I shut the door, but I didn’t bother with the damned lift; I took the stairs, all the way down to the ground floor. I hopped over a railing, scaring the shit out of one of Rowena’s neighbors, but I couldn’t stop. I had to keep moving.
I burst out onto the street and sniffed the air. The scent was faint. But it was there. Sickly sweet on top of that scent that was undeniably her. Floral. Tart. Spice.
Rowena.
Even in the city, I could still pick her out.
I could still find what was mine.
Rowena was mine.
And I was going to find her.
Twenty-Nine
A GOOD HOUND
Caer Voss, Sol, Verdune
29 Ebry, Year 810
QUIL
My feet poundedthe pavement as I tore through Caer Voss. I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe—my only thought was to find her.
So long as she wasn’t in my arms, I wasn’t okay.
Her scent lingered in the air, fainter than it had been in her apartment, but still hers. Distinct. Unmistakable.
