The Wolf's Surrender - By Kendra Leigh Castle Page 0,81
just...break. Slowly, she did as Bane had once instructed her. But this time, it was no man she sought.
Almost instantly, she felt herself surrounded by inky darkness. It was hard to hear anything in the sudden cacophonous burble of snarling and wailing and hungry moans, hard to understand a single coherent thought through the murky veil. Still, that vast and shadowy collective seemed to sense her all at once. Cold sweat broke out on her brow, nausea rolling through her stomach. But she had no choice.
“Who calls us?”
“I am Mia.”
“You are faewolf. You are the key. The fool has finally done his job.” The voice was deep, sonorous, and full of darkest pleasure. It was seductive, in its way. It would be easy to lose yourself to such a voice...but she had so much more to live for than whatever this thing could promise.
So she begged, though she knew it would be exactly what this creature would wish her to do.
“I don’t want to die.”
“Nor shall you. We will take your essence, give you ours. You will be perfect, changed. Our dark faewolf, free of your disgusting humanity.”
“No, please...”
“Fret not. We will let you kill him. The fool. He may be your first. Useless, weak thing he is. Come to us. I will lead you.”
After long and tortuous minutes, Mia opened her eyes. She felt as though she’d just gazed into an abyss. But she had done as she was told, because every second of her life had now become precious. What would Jeff do, she wondered, when the shadows turned on him? What would she do, when she could already feel how easily the Shadowkin could taint her, draining all the good away? Goddess above, what was she about to become?
She had a terrible feeling that death would be the better option...and not one she would be allowed to take after all. Not, at least, for long.
“Well?” snapped Jeff. “Did you speak to him? And don’t lie to me, Mia. I’ll know.”
“He said he’s preparing for the ritual,” Mia said softly. “But he told me where to lead you from here. And he said...” She hesitated, and Jeff pulled back his arm as though he were thinking of striking her again. Mia looked up dully, knowing there were likely to be more blows regardless.
“He said he’s ready for you to join them.”
Jeff lowered his arm, but his eyes were warning enough. “Damn right he is,” he said. “Lead us, Mia. And if you try anything, there are plenty of ways I—and we—can hurt you that won’t shed a drop of that precious blood.”
He turned from her, heading back to discuss something with the others in hushed voices. Mia didn’t care. In all her life, she had never felt despair like this.
Jenner, she thought, clinging to his memory like a talisman. And then, incredibly, she heard a faint echo of a reply. Probably it was imagined, Mia knew. But even so, hearing Jenner’s voice, even so far away, gave her back the tiniest shred of something she thought was gone for good: hope.
Hang on, Mia. I’m coming. We’re coming.
* * *
They ran in a mass, every member of the Blackpaw who could be spared. The wolves dashed through the trees in the fading light of day, the gold of the setting sun glinting intermittently off of fur that ranged from rich red to darkest black as it filtered through the forest’s canopy.
Jenner ran in front with Bane, his heart pumping hard from the adrenaline. His head still ached, but he’d been given something for the pain. And it hardly mattered, whether he hurt or not. All that mattered was Mia.
It had taken too much time to find the damned SUV. Jenner knew they were all deep in the woods by now, though why he couldn’t imagine. Fortunately, once they’d picked up the scent, following had become easy. Catching up, however...
He’d spent years fighting the Shadowkin that haunted the woods like malevolent ghosts, waiting to pick off the young, the sick, the weak who ventured too far alone. He’d seen what they could do to the minds of the vulnerable. And if he wasn’t quick enough, he would finally have to fight them in a form no Shadowkin should be allowed to take in this world. A form he had no idea whether he and the others could defeat.
Jenner pushed it from his mind, focusing instead on what was ahead. He tried not to think about the pale wolf running on