I twist to look behind me and up to the room in the inn I’d spent the night in with Jae, my chest hurting.
I clench my teeth. I’ve come this far and survived; I can’t let the fear paralyze me now.
Jae, please stay safe until I return. And Kaira, wherever you are, stay alive so I can find you.
When I turn back around, Crius straightens and lifts his chin back toward the town we’re leaving behind. “Your sister will be safe.”
“I guess,” I murmur. He shrugs, and soon only the crunch of foliage and grass accompanies our footfalls.
The silence between us adds to the trepidation building inside me. Except I shake those emotions away. To survive, I need to be on my game. Ragnar most likely thinks I possess lots of magic and that I will be their savior, but I can’t let them find out I am not the powerful witch they suspect. What they don’t know right now is what will keep me alive.
I’ve lived with lies my entire life, telling them to the Alphas of our pack. Sure, my undoing was my own ability coming to the surface in front of Martell, but that’s not going to be an issue here, now is it?
The farther we stride from town, the narrower the dirt road becomes, swallowed by overgrown wild grass and oaks with overarching branches flanking our path. We are alone out here with only a few birds chirping around us. I allow myself to believe there is still beauty in this world amid the chaos.
“Is there anything we should know about your magic, wolf girl?” Crius asks, pulling me from my thoughts. I give him a side glance, studying his face for sarcasm. Except he’s serious.
“That’s kind of a weird question,” I answer.
He raises a thick eyebrow. “I get it. You want to know about us first before you’ll open up.” He gives me a lopsided grin. “Okay, I’m game to play along.”
“That’s not really wha—”
“What you see in me is what you get. I’ll always be honest whether you like it or not, and well, not to blare my own horn, but I am amazing on the battlefield and in bed.” He smirks as his hand reaches down his body and gropes his groin.
Yeah, I can see who I’m dealing with when it comes to Crius.
Nikos fake coughs from behind us, murmuring under his breath, “You forget being fucking crazy, unpredictable, and a death trap for us.”
My breath catches in my throat at his words. Death trap?
Crius chokes out a laugh. “Ah yes, and next we have Nikos, the black sheep among us. He’s prone to jealousy and can’t get his dick up.”
“Fuck you,” Nikos hisses, his shoulders rising, fists curling. He drops the bag from over his shoulder to the ground, ready for war. The sides of his head are shaved, a tattooed pattern covering the skin on one side. The swirls match the ink running out from under his short sleeved top and crawling over his bulging biceps. His Mohawk is a deep chestnut brown and drawn into several thick braids, all tangled together into one big dreadlock reaching halfway down his back. Everything about him screams warrior, including those intense green eyes. He is someone that would terrify me if we crossed paths on a dark night, yet there’s something behind his gaze that intrigues me. A vulnerability, which has to be wrong.
Though I have no idea why Crius called him a black sheep. To me, it seems Crius is better suited to that title than the others.
I quickly step away from them, trampling through the knee-length grass, as neither seems to be backing down.
Crius holds his position, chest out. I’m pretty sure these two will kill each other before the witches get a chance. Fine by me, but I’d rather not be harmed in the process.
The air thickens, their chests furiously rising and falling with fast breaths. I grip the straps of my bag over my shoulders, unable to look away from the wreckage about to happen.
“Save it,” Ragnar barks, his words like a knife slicing through the air.
Both men fall back instantly, Nikos lowering his gaze, shadows gathering over his face as he collects his dropped pack. Crius looks around, making sure to catch everyone’s gazes, like there’s an unspoken understanding between them.
What is going on between these four? Am I making a huge mistake teaming up with them?
Crius clears his throat and turns to me, wearing a grin, then