Page 48 of Zeke
Forcing himself to set her down, he stepped back even though every instinct screamed at him to keep her close. He held her as she found her footing, and he had to bite back a growl at the loss of contact.
The tracks appeared again where the trail curved upward, and he forced his mind back to the present. Multiple ferals moving through the canyon, their prints clear in the mud. He started to rise, his mind already drifting to Michelle’s warmth behind him. He took half a step before some primal part of his brain locked his muscles. Dropping back to a crouch, his gaze snapped to the tracks.
What the draanth?
His nostrils flared as he sorted through the information. Ferals had a particular smell—rage and wildness and that thread of legion that marked them as infected. These tracks carried that scent, but different. Thicker somehow, layered with something he couldn’t identify.
There were smaller prints mixed in with the larger ones. Youngsters, based on stride and depth. His shoulders tensed. Feral children were rare… most who went feral young didn’t survive. But these tracks suggested at least two juveniles traveling with adults. And they weren’t hunting. Hunting packs spread out, doubled back to check for prey. These ferals were traveling together, adults protecting young, moving toward some destination.
More threats to Michelle. That should have pissed him off, but the possessive current in his blood only grew stronger. She needed his protection. She was his to guard, his to keep safe.
They climbed higher, following both the feral tracks and the path Kraath and Raaze had taken. Trees thinned as elevation increased, giving them glimpses of the valley below.
The forest sounds faded gradually. Birds stopped calling. Insects went quiet. Even the drip of melting snow seemed to pause, leaving only their breathing and the shift of leather as they moved.
Every instinct screamed danger. Between one heartbeat and the next, Kraath and Raaze vanished from sight ahead of them. Not hidden—gone, like they’d never existed.
His legion responded instantly, armor flowing down over his forearms. Thick, black armor plating covered him from fingertips to elbows, every edge sharp enough to part flesh from bone. He stepped in front of Michelle, making himself a wall between her and whatever watched from the trees.
“You might as well come out.” The words emerged as a snarl. The sound rolled through the forest like thunder, carrying promises of violence to anything that threatened what belonged to him. “I know you’re there.”
Michelle's pulse went crazy the second Kraath and Raaze appeared through the trees.
Not because they'd found them—though that was awkward as hell. But because Zeke went full predator mode right in front of her. Black armor spread down his arms like spilled ink, and his shoulders bunched tight enough to snap steel.
Holy shit. The growl rumbling from his chest made her bones vibrate.
"Well, well." Raaze's voice dripped amusement. "Look what we found."
She stepped sideways through the slush, keeping Zeke's bulk between her and the other two. Her boots squelched in the mud, probably loud enough to wake the dead. So much for stealth.
Kraath's gaze dropped to her leg. To the torn leather where Zeke had cut her pants away from the cast and his eyes narrowed, tracking over the black shell covering her calf.
"Interesting." The word carried weight. "Legion armor? His symbiont casts for you?"
Her muscles locked up.
Shit. She hadn't thought about what the cast might reveal. Now that he'd pointed it out, she felt its warmth against her skin… a phantom pressure that reminded her of Zeke's hands on her body. Heat crawled up her neck.
Great. Just what she needed. A blush.
"She's mine." Zeke's voice was pure possession, and her stomach did this weird flip thing that was half heat, half unease. "My responsibility."
"How sweet." Raaze's grin was all teeth. "Baby feral learned to share his toys after all."
"Watch it," Zeke snarled.
Kraath straightened, already moving past the tension like it bored him. "We should keep moving. The tracks are fresh, but this terrain won't hold them long."
They fell into formation… Kraath leading, Raaze behind him, and Zeke keeping her glued to his side like she might evaporate. The foothills rose around them, all wet stone and pine smell. Her leg throbbed with each step, the cast helping but not fixing the deep ache in her bones.
"We're tracking northeast." Zeke's tone carried an edge. "Garrison's southeast."
"The ferals are heading deeper into the mountains." Kraath didn't turn around. "We need to ensure they're not gathering in large numbers."
She caught the way Zeke's jaw tightened. He didn't buy it any more than she did. But calling Kraath out would mean admitting they'd been following him.
Yeah, that conversation would go well.
