Page 72 of Ruined Wolfsbane

“No, I haven’t. Wasn’t she supposed to be in your class?” I ask slowly, wondering what the fuck is going on.

“Yeah, but she never showed up.” Xander rakes his hands through his hair as he paces my office.

Rory looks close to tears as Ronan tries to comfort her.

“Maybe she just needed a break from your ugly face,” I try to joke with Xander. It falls flat. “Let’s check with Kai before we lose our shit.” I’m the voice of reason right now, which is freaky. And concerning. I shouldn’t be in charge of anything, especially not being reasonable.

Jumping out of my chair, I march determinedly to Kai’s office. It’s imperative that I find someone qualified to be the adult in this situation. With the giant stick shoved up his ass, Kai is an excellent adult.

Xander, Rory, and Ronan trail after me.

Shoving open Kai’s door, I lead our little conga line to a very confused Kai. “You seen Pretty Girl?”

Kai looks at me like I’ve gone insane. “No, why?”

I look back at Xander, expecting him to fill Kai in.

Rory beats him to it. Voice thick with unshed tears, she explains, “I forgot my assignment in the car. Briar came to the parking lot to get it with me. She dropped a folder and told me to go to class without her. She never showed up, and I can’t find her.”

As Rory talks, the pit in my stomach grows. I don’t have a good feeling about this.

Kai pushes back from his desk and stands up when Rory finishes. “Have you checked the parking lot?”

“No. We thought she might be with you or Bastian, so we checked here first.” Xander’s worry for Briar shines in his eyes.

“Let’s check the student lot before we jump to conclusions,” Kai says evenly. If I didn’t know him so well, I’d think he is unaffected by the news. The tightening around his eyes and mouth tells a different story.

Striding purposely out of his office, Kai leads our not-so-merry band to the student lot. Students and faculty call out to us as we cut through the courtyard. We’re all too caught up in our worry to respond.

I don’t think Briar knows how many people she now has that would go to the ends of the Earth for her.

We slow down as we reach the student parking lot. As I’m scanning the area for any sign of Briar, Rory shouts, “There! That’s her folder!”

I’m the first to reach the teal folder lying innocently on the ground. I pick it up, and my blood runs cold when I smell rot and decay. A growl rumbles its way up my throat. “Patrick’s been here.”

“Are you sure?” Kai asks. I nod mutely in answer. It’s impossible to forget Patrick’s revolting scent. When I went with Briar to pack her bag, the entire mansion reeked of this same smell. “Fuck! He took her.” Kai looks like he’s seconds away from punching something. Taking a deep breath, he tries to rein his temper in.

Xander and I nod. We came to the same conclusion. That slimy son of a bitch has Briar.

“What are we going to do?” I force out through the fear choking me. I’ve stared down death over and over. I’ve laughed in its face as it tried to claim me. Yet I’ve never been as scared as I am now.

I can’t lose her.

We can’t lose her.

Briar has breathed life back into the three of us. We were just broken men going through the motions of life before her. Kai drowning himself in responsibility and work, always thinking of others before himself. Xander closing himself off to the world. Me fucking and fighting my way through my pain.

Briar’s given us something to live for. None of us will survive without her.

Xander grabs me around my shoulders and rests his forehead on mine. That’s when I realize I’m shaking. He’s always looking out for me, even when he’s hurting too. Fuck. Briar needs me to be strong, not the pathetic little boy Father Simon tormented. Clenching my jaw, I shrug out of Xander’s hold and force myself to get it together.

“We need to go after her,” Kai begins. I perk up because fighting is something I’m an expert at. And there will be a fight when we find Patrick. One we’ll win. “But we need backup. I don’t know who might be helping him. We need to call Dad.”

“She didn’t want us to talk to Dad about her,” Xander pipes up.

Valid point, bro.

Kai sighs. “I know, but what other choice do we have?” Also valid point, other bro.

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