Astrid came awake to a roar. Her lack of eyesight momentarily stunned her until she realized she'd been pulled from her drugged sleep.
But how?
Both she and Zarek should sleep for at least another day.
She could tell by the sounds and upright position of her body that she was no longer in her bed.
It felt like someone's car.
"Zarek?" she asked hesitantly.
"No, ma'am," a deep voice drawled in a thick Southern accent "Name's Sundown."
Her heart pounded. "Where's Zarek? Sasha!"
A hand touched her arm comfortingly. "Easy now, darling. Everything's going to be all right."
"Where's my wolf?"
By the way the air in front of her face stirred, she could tell Sundown was waving his hand about an inch from the tip of her nose.
"Yes, I'm blind," she said irritably. "Tell me where Sasha is."
"He's the furry thing at your feet."
She let out a small breath of relief, but that was only half her concern. "And Zarek?"
"We left him behind."
"No," she said, her heart hammering once more. "I'm not supposed to leave him."
"We didn't have any-"
Astrid didn't hear the rest of his statement. She was too busy trying to open the car door.
A strong hand pulled her back. "Whoa, little lady, what I'm doing here is dangerous. I've got to get you as far away from the cabin as I can. Trust me, if anyone can handle this, Zarek can."
"No he can't," she said, trying to stand up. "I have to go back to him. If anyone finds out that I'm not with him, he's dead. Do you understand?"
"Lady-"
She brushed away his hand. "Thanatos will be sent for him. I have to go back."
"You know about Thanatos?"
Astrid reached out, trying to find Sundown's mouth to feel for fangs.
He dodged her hand.
"Do you work for Acheron?" she asked.
"Do you?"
"Answer me. Are you one of his... men?"
He hesitated before he answered. "Yes."
She breathed a sigh of relief. Thank Zeus for small favors. "I'm Zarek's judge. If I leave him unchaperoned, Artemis will call out Thanatos to kill him."