Page 97 of Mortal Blood
“Getting colder by the moment, isn’t it?”
Smug asshole. He was right though; I was out of options and we both knew it. Cole needed me, neededJax, and Jax needed to be back at the pack. We were in no state to fight, and even if we had been, we didn’t have time.
“Alright! I’ll do it. I’ll come with you. But not now.”
“Oh?” He arched a brow, sounding amused. Asshole.
“Let all four of us go back to my pack, unharmed. I need to know that Cole is going to be okay, and my mom will be safe there. Let us all go, and give me long enough to get everything settled, and then I’ll go with you. Willingly.”
“Nice try. But ‘long enough to get everything settled’ is a little vague. I’ll give you three moons to get your affairs in order. Not a day longer.”
Three months. It was longer than I’d dared to hope. I swallowed. “Done.”
I felt the weight of the deal settle around my shoulders, and hoped this wasn’t going to come back to bite me. I also hoped I could get out of here before Ezekiel had time to consider mywording too closely. Because no way in hell was I agreeing to whatever arranged marriage he thought could get him the most power.
“Well?” I said, glancing anxiously at Jax and then my mother. “Open the portal. Now. Or did you intend to go back on the ‘unharmed’ part of the deal?”
“Oh, I’ve no intention of jeopardizing our little deal. And Iwillbe collecting. Three moons.”
He touched his hand to the ring on his finger, and a portal sprang into existence.
“Go,” I called to Ling. “Get Jax back to the pack.”
She didn’t wait for me to ask twice, grabbing Jax and turning him to the portal. The pain eased from his face as soon as he started moving, as the pack magic recognized that he was no longer fighting the summons.
“Come on, mom. Time to go.”
Without waiting for her to respond, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hurried her towards the portal. Ezekiel’s voice followed me.
“I’ll be in touch,” he said. “Soon.”
I ignored him, and stepped through.
Chapter Thirty
The packlands wereeerily still as I emerged from the portal. No wind rustling the leaves, no kids playing in the streets. No guards racing to challenge us. The only sound was the harsh rasp of Jax’s breath as he recovered from fighting the summons. Something was very wrong here. We needed to find Cole.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, looking around uneasily.
Jax recovered quickly, shoving himself to his feet with a pained groan. “We have to get to the moon circle,” he said, his voice rough but urgent. “Whatever Cain’s planning, it’ll happen there. That’s where the rest of the pack will be.”
I wanted to ask what exactly he thought was happening, but one look at the tense set of his shoulders had the questions dying on my tongue. It wasn’t like any empty reassurances could help me now, anyway. Instead I glanced at my mom, who was wandering slowly along the path, gazing vacantly around. I hurried to grab her hand, pulling her along as we set off after Jax.
He set a brutal pace through the empty town, his long strides eating up the ground. Doors on buildings swung open, interiors dark and abandoned. Items were strewn haphazardly outside some of the homes—a shoe here, a bag there, as if dropped in a frantic rush. Unease trickled down my spine. They’dallbeen hit with the pack summons. Ling had said an alpha challenge or an execution…but which was it?
Mom stumbled, her steps growing increasingly unsteady and confused. With my hands full keeping her moving, I couldn’t press Jax for more details. It was probably for the best. We passed through a perimeter fence and the trees opened up toreveal the broad, circular clearing. My breath caught at the sight of the entire pack gathered, their bodies silhouetted by the late afternoon sun. Low rumbles echoed from the mass of shifters—some in human form, some wolf—as they focused on the standoff unfolding at the circle’s center.
Cole stood tall and resolute, jaw clenched as he held himself with commanding poise. He was alive. But I didn’t have time to feel the relief that was flooding through me at the sight. Because facing him was Cain, face contorted with fury and hatred. My heart stuttered in my chest at the violence leaking from him. An alpha challenge, then. A fight to the death.
I had to get to Cole.
I started forward but Jax grabbed my arm, halting me. “Wait,” he said under his breath. “You can’t interfere. I’ll go.”
Frustration boiled up inside me, but I swallowed it down and nodded. Sharing an anxious look with Ling, I watched helplessly as Jax slipped into the gathered shifters.
He moved easily through their masses—I don’t think I’d really appreciated just howbigthe pack was until now—and arrived at Cole’s side. A flicker of relief passed over Cole’s face as his eyes locked onto his friend, and Jax spoke quickly in his ear. Cole’s gaze swept over the gathered crowd, and then found me. I gave him a small, encouraging smile, and he dipped his chin in response.
And for a moment, just one moment, I believed that maybe things would be okay.
