of an animal slinking through the undergrowth, the sigh of the river. The constant buzz and click of the bugs made for a sort of odd symphony and from a distance came the yowling growl of a panther. Overhead, through the thick branches of trees, he saw the moon shining fitfully as it dove in and out of clouds that washed across the starry sky. He turned and could see just the barest hint of Teresa’s campfire, looking like no more than the tip of a fallen star in the blackness.
His mind filled with her, he cursed silently and refocused his concentration on his surroundings, searching for the source of his unease.
Then he found it.
Dropping into a crouch, he pulled his knife free of its sheath and spun around with a snarl. Every muscle coiled, every cell on alert, his gray eyes narrowed dangerously, Rune muttered, “Come forward and die.”
“Nice moves, man,” a familiar voice answered lazily. “Thought for a minute you were going to let me get the drop on you.”
“Finn.” Rune muttered his friend’s name and straightened. His muscles remained taut with tension, though. Why was Finn out here? He was supposed to be in the States, watching over his witch. Since he clearly wasn’t … could that mean that Finn was the one responsible for Elena’s murder?
That thought tore at him. Hell, he didn’t want to think any of his Eternal brothers would turn their backs on their duty and honor. But finding that Finn had turned would be an especially hard thing to bear. The Eternal had always been one of their strongest, fiercest warriors. Driven by his own personal sense of honor, he was the one most of them called on for backup whenever it was needed.
To lose Finn? Unthinkable. But Rune couldn’t risk Teresa’s safety, so until he knew for sure one way or the other, he would watch his own back and keep his fellow Eternal far from Teresa.
Finn walked in slowly from the darkness of the surrounding jungle, as if a shadow had come to life. Dressed in black head to toe, he blended with the night so thoroughly that he seemed a part of it. He wore his black hair cut military short and he had enough weaponry strapped to his chest and thighs to outfit a small militia.
Despite Rune’s doubts, he was glad to see his friend again. It had been more than a year since the last time they’d worked together, to free witches from an internment camp in Joliet, Illinois.
“You son of a bitch, what’re you doing here?”
Finn ran the flat of his hand over his brush cut, then shrugged. “Talked to Torin. He says there might be trouble out here. Eternal type of trouble. Hopped in my Gulfstream and here I am.”
Rune chuckled in spite of the situation. Nothing Finn liked better than taking up his newest toy, the Gulfstream business jet. He’d even built a runway of sorts near the cave Rune and Teresa had stayed in. The nearly forty-million-dollar price tag hadn’t slowed him down a bit, either. Money wasn’t a problem for any of the Eternals. And for Finn, cash just made it easier to indulge his passions. He enjoyed flying as much as he relished a good fight, which was saying something.
“So,” Finn said softly, “you want to tell me about this? When I spoke to Torin he said you were going to call. Put me on this search. You never did. So what’s going on?”
“Yeah, I should have called. Got busy,” Rune admitted on a grunt of self-disgust. He’d been so wrapped up in Teresa and the Mating, he hadn’t made that phone call.
Finn grinned. “So your witch is keeping you busy, huh?”
“You could say that.” Rune shook his head and looked out over the surrounding jungle again, though he deliberately kept his gaze from the direction of his and Teresa’s camp. No need to point it out to Finn—just in case. He could only hope the other Eternal wouldn’t notice the spot of brightness in the black. “What about you? Why’re you here? Aren’t you supposed to be keeping an eye on your mate?”
“My witch has got a couple weeks before anything happens. The magics are rippling around her, so I know it’s almost time,” Finn admitted grimly, “and I was going stir-crazy. Hate cities, man. You know that. All those damn humans crawling around.”
Rune gave him a sharp look and Finn caught it. At first, insult rippled across his craggy