was down by the river edge near Sharluff’s pen when Cam came by. She said she was looking for you. That you’d gone missing. I, ah, got worried, dropped my guard, and she must have zapped me. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Give her a sec.” Grif really did feel sorry for the male. Especially now that he knew exactly how crazy love could make a person behave.
At the thought of Nayla, panic threatened to drag him down. He fought it. If ever there was a time for control, it was now. “What happened here?”
Lana rubbed at her wrists. “One moment Cam was just standing there watching you, like me. The next, she pulled something from behind her back. She moved so fast.” Lana shook her head, tears gathering. “Sh-she knocked you out. Just a single tap from the glowing spear. I thought for sure you were dead. Nayla screamed and attacked.”
Grif’s pulse thrummed with pride and fury.
“Sh-she tried to protect you and me. But Cam was ready for her. She…” Lana’s voice broke, “she hit her too.”
Grif was glad he was already on his knees. Nayla was so much smaller.
Malin asked the question he couldn’t. “Was she okay?”
“I don’t know. She was still breathing, but she didn’t move.”
Thank the goddess they had not figured out how to get the stones working at full capacity. It had likely saved her life.
“I-I was so afraid.” Lana’s terrified voice jerked Grif from his thoughts. “Cam said she would kill me. Or she would tie me up and gag me if I didn’t fight.” She sobbed. “I-I froze.”
“Good” barked Malin.
“No.” Pain darkened Lana’s gaze. “I froze. Like always.” Shaking, she wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth. Grif stepped aside so Malin could step in. “I-I shouldn’t have just let Cam take her.”
Malin looked uncertain about what to do next. Grif gave him a chin nudge in her direction.
When Malin’s mouth opened and no words came out, Grif took over. “You kept yourself alive. You gave us critical info.” He assured her. “That is a fight in itself.”
Her tears spilled over. “You are so nice to me, even now. I should have believed Nayla. She knew her heart, and she knew you loved her.”
Grif chest squeezed so tight it was hard to breathe. “Love her.” There was no fucking past tense. “She’s strong and smart. She’ll stay alive until we get there.”
The recriminations, the regrets. His sister’s flat, empty eyes. They all threatened to drag him down. Splinter his focus. He refused to let them.
Instead, he drew on every ounce of control, every bit of his will, and let the monster inside him claw its way to the top.
He’d never been happier to be the ruthless bastard he was.
He might not have known it, but this was what he’d been training for his whole life. This was what gave his father’s beatings and his lessons meaning.
Except, thanks to Nayla, he also understood, in a way he hadn’t before, exactly what it would take to bring her home. Not just through his will, but through trust, teamwork, and love.
He knew exactly how to protect what was his. “Gather everyone. I’ve got a new plan. Together, we’re bringing Nayla and the missing females home.”
“Damn right.” Malin unsheathed his ax.
Grif might never love the male, but he definitely disliked him a little less.
“Did Cam tell you anything more?” He took his last chance to gather any intel he could.
Lana nodded. “She said she was done waiting. That it was past time for a reckoning. I-I don’t understand why she would just go off like this. She’d always been so quiet and calm.”
Grif had a pretty good idea.
46
Nayla woke with a vicious headache, the sound of Sharluff’s soft, worried growls in the backdrop.
Draped over her pet’s back, her wrists tied, it was almost as if she’d gone full circle. Except this time, the Other holding her captive was a lot smaller, though just as deadly.
Through slitted eyelids, she saw Cam holding Sharluff’s lead as her pet unknowingly guided them into danger. The towering Gazi-teno plants that lined the path a clear indicator they were almost to the pack village.
Sharluff had done what he always did when she was hurt. Bring her home.
Ice slid down her spine.
No wonder the female had been interested in getting comfortable with Sharluff. It had suited her plan.
“I know you’re awake.”
Nayla startled.
“I heard your breathing change.” Cam didn’t turn around or even pause. “People don’t think I notice such things, but