Page 67 of A Wolf's Treasure
The sun was high in the sky when one of her escorts nipped her on the thigh, making her jump to the side where another one nipped her arm. She’d been trying to reach out to Duncan, to feel him so she would know he was still alive, so it took her a second to realize they wanted her to stop. And another few to comprehend what was happening.
By this time, Ryanne was bleeding from multiple wounds. As soon as one healed, another was created until most of her body stung with every shift of her clothing. She’d pulled inward, concentrating on her connection with Duncan and not the physical pain she was in. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t feel him.
He was cut off from her.
Ryanne refused to acknowledge what this most likely meant. If her father was in his head, perhaps he’d set up some type of barrier between them so she would believe the worst and it would distract her. After all, that would make her easier to kill, wouldn’t it?
With effort, she pulled herself back to the here and now, wincing with the pain she was only now feeling. Thomas’s wolves were restless, waiting for the nod to attack from their leader.
Four wolves against one injured Faerie. The odds were not in her favor. But that was exactly what she was counting on.
Even though she thought she was prepared, the attack came from nowhere. One second, the wolves were shifting their weight back and forth while the largest one nipped at their haunches and made little sounds, egging them on.
And then they were on her.
Blue light flew from her fingers, and she managed to knock away the one in front and to the side before she was slammed into from behind and long, sharp teeth sank into the meat between her shoulder and neck. The only reason she wasn’t immediately beheaded because she had twisted her body around as soon as she felt him hit her.
Ryanne refused to scream. She absolutely refused to give them that. It would only make it worse for her. And she needed to keep her wits if there was any chance at all of surviving.
So, she laid still while the wolf on her back chewed on her shoulder. Through her hair, which she’d never put up before she ran, she watched the others pace around her head, waiting for their turn.
A growl sounded somewhere to her right, and chaos erupted around her. What was going on? Were they fighting amongst themselves?
The wolf on her back gave her a shake, and she gritted her teeth, pushing aside the pain. He released her and she immediately rolled to her back, feeling a stick dig into her side as she reached out and grabbed each side of the wolf’s head. Blue fire shot into his skull. He barked at her through bloody teeth, sharp cries that eventually got fewer and farther between until his eyes closed and his heavy weight listed to the side.
Ryanne let his body drop beside her, then sprang to her feet, blue light buzzing around her fingertips.
The sight that met her eyes was not what she’d expected.
Two new wolves had joined the fray and were making short work of the three smaller wolves. As she watched, a black wolf—the largest of them all—turned his eerie white-blue eyes on her. He stared at her for a brief second, then tossed his big head and dove back into the fight.
It was the alpha. Cedric.
She had no idea who the other wolf was, but she wasn’t going to wait around to find out. Duncan needed her.
Running full speed, she made it back to him in record time, only slowing after she’d cleared the waterfall. Stepping lightly, she kept her back against the wall, listening for any sounds as she approached the cave.
But there was nothing. Panic overtook her and she slammed her hand over her mouth to keep from giving away her presence.
Logic told her she was seeing an empty cave. Her heart told her he was still near.
Had the prince moved him? Taken him somewhere else?
Was he…?
No, she wouldn’t even think it.
Carefully, she stepped into the light. Her entire body trembling with fear and fatigue, she scanned the room, hoping for a clue. A scuff mark on the rock. Something.
What she found was far more.
Duncan kneeled alone in the middle of the room, arms straight out, held in midair by invisible threads. His head was up and his green eyes were wide and dark with terror, his mouth twisted, frozen in a silent scream. Sweat covered his face and neck and dampened the hair on his chest.
Quickly, she looked around. But her father and sister were nowhere to be seen. Still, she didn’t move, but waited, searching through the connection they shared by blood.
They weren’t there. Perhaps they knew Cedric had shown up and ran.
Ryanne ran across the cave to him, fully expecting her father to appear any moment and snatch her away from him. When she finally made it to Duncan—what felt like years later but had been only seconds—she fell to her knees in front of him and took his face in her palms. “Duncan. Duncan, can you hear me?”
