Mated to the Chaos - Georgette St. Clair Page 0,34

her hands spread at her sides, couldn’t hide the faint tremble in her limbs. She was maintaining the sphere for now, but she couldn’t do it forever. It was draining her, and Carlo didn’t like to see his mate pain.

It didn’t matter if he’d claimed her or not.

Gritting his teeth, he seethed, “Why didn’t we port directly in the first place?”

“We all can't port directly into each other's homes. We can port closely and then get deeper. I could have gone straight to the door in one jump, but I'm also trying to hide my presence as best I can. I’m hiding behind Kallan’s magic, and by doing so, it limits what I can do.”

Carlo nodded at Nanshe’s explanation.

“We have to take the stairs, or the port.” Kallan looked pointedly at Carlo. “I don't think it's a choice between which one we're going to do; we do one or the other.”

“Port it is,” Carlo finally agreed. “Because I want to get out of this goddessforsaken place as quickly as possible.”

“Finally, you have some sense in your head,” Kallan returned.

Carlo clipped the Fae on the shoulder in retribution for his smartass response, but he couldn't say the Fae was wrong.

Nanshe, make this as painless as possible.

“I'll do what I can.”

Nanshe lowered herself to the ground, pulling closer to the center of the men. “Everyone grab on to me and hold on tight.”

They did as she commanded, and then she lifted her head and screamed.

Carlo was worried about his mate, too worried to be afraid when the portal suddenly opened underneath them and they dropped through the hole.

He gripped her. “Are you okay?”

She said nothing, and the Chaos ripped away whatever response she tried to give. Before he could take his next breath, they were already sliding across the onyx floor in a room with a huge archway with glittering runes across it. But they didn’t glow or have the same power Carlo felt from Torin’s.

“They're not active,” Nanshe mused. “They're not holding anything. Where's Asherah?”

Carlo’s gaze swept the room. “She’s not here, and there aren’t any enemies either.”

What the fuck is going on?

Chapter Eleven

Thick blood from the battle with the Hollows dripped from Carlo’s hands hanging loosely at his sides. They had come ready for war, yet their charge was nowhere to be found. It confused him. Why had Skuld’s beasts attacked if Asherah wasn’t there? She could be somewhere in the Tower, but Carlo had a feeling holding someone with that sort of power wouldn’t be easy. It would make sense for Skuld to put her back in the rune-enchanted room after taking her away. There was no way the Norn would know they had the power to come already.

Right?

“She won’t know I am here; I’ve hidden myself. She doesn’t even know I’ve left my tower or gotten involved. The future won’t show her that skill. I–”

Nanshe’s sudden choke alerted Carlo she had information she couldn’t provide.

“Don’t worry about it, mate. We will have to deal with the intricacies of your powers as we go.”

This entire situation was getting hazier by the minute.

Carlo was used to his wolf being able to attack a known enemy and go at them without having to worry about what he was going to do, or what it would look like. Now, it seemed the threat was constantly doing things that made no sense, and he had no idea what to expect.

Kallan moved around the room, touching the archway with hesitant fingers. “There should have been something here if Asherah were truly captive. But where would she be? Where would the Hollows have taken her?”

Those same questions were going through Carlo’s mind, and he wasn't quite sure he had any answers either.

Nanshe moved deeper into the room. “I can't see what is happening. The only option I have is scrolling to the past to see if there may be some hint.”

Carlo was confused. “Nanshe, how does the past affect what is going on right now? I know you said the past repeats, but that doesn't mean people's exact actions will be seen in the past, right?”

Nanshe shook her head. “I know it seems confusing, but often things that are done in the future can be seen through hints in the past. It's just about scrolling through and finding what I can help with or what I may be able to see. There is no guarantee, but what can we lose by trying?”

Well, that was true, and Carlo couldn't argue with that.

Teague stepped to Carlo’s side.