Page 22 of Racing the Storm

I wanted him, desperately, but I wasn’t sure I’d survive it if something happened to Danyal.

When I came to from the last stretch of sleep, I realized we’d stopped. We were parked alongside what looked like an abandoned cottage, and there was no sign of Eduardo anywhere. Panic gripped me by the throat until I tuned in my hearing, and eventually I picked out his heartbeat from amongst a handful of forest animals that were nearby.

There wasn’t a single scent on the air that told me danger was nearby, so I let myself out and stared at the growing dusk. The sky was a gentle orange-pink along the horizon, and I breathed in the fresh air, trying to wake myself up before I went searching for the wayward human.

It didn’t take me long to find him. Eduardo was sitting on a stone stoop around the back of the house, his legs stretched in front of him, his face turned up toward the sky. His eyes were closed, but his mouth twitched into a half-grin that let me know he was aware of me.

His instincts were so Wolf, I couldn’t help but wonder if there wasn’t something he was keeping back.

“Do you feel more rested?” he asked.

I scrubbed a hand down my face, then lowered myself onto the stone beside him. “As much as I can be, I think.” There was a desperate itch in my bones to shift, but I knew better. Most humans who could handle Wolves only stayed on our side so long as we looked like them. The moment we became other, we became the enemy, so I stayed in my human skin.

“Paris is exactly two point five kilometers to the north of here,” he said.

I jolted. I’d had no idea—no idea that we had gone that far. How had I slept through the entire journey? How had I not felt it?

Doubt crept up on me, but I shoved it down with a steel-toed boot, not willing to let weakness prevent me from doing what needed to be done. “Is this where we should part ways?”

“No.” He sighed, then looked at me out of the corner of his eye. “I’ve called some friends and they’re going to ride with us to the compound. You’ll have enough time to get your mate out of that place—we’ll see to that. But Ivan Kasher…he’s mine, and I need help securing him.”

The chill in his voice struck me, and I was a strong Alpha, but in that moment, I was too afraid to ask. What he was saying made sense though—we did need help if Kasher had secured the place, especially if I wanted to get Danyal out alive. “Fine, but we need Zivko Kasher alive,” I told him. Misha’s father needed to survive, and he needed to be taken into custody.

Eduardo bowed his head once. “I understand. I can’t guarantee it, however. But we’ll do our best.”

“I don’t suppose you’ll explain anything if I ask,” I chanced.

He chuckled, low in his chest, and he shook his head in a way that reminded me so powerfully of Wolves that I wondered if maybe he hadn’t been raised by them. “I’m afraid not, but I’m hoping you can continue to trust me. Your cause is my cause.”

I believed him, the gods protect me from my foolishness, but I read nothing beyond honesty in his tone. “When do we meet them?”

“The moment it’s full dark,” he said. “It might be best if we eat something now, and then prepare your supplies. We’ll be heading into the city on foot. I know where we’re going, but we can’t let anyone see your eyes.”

I swallowed thickly. I knew that much, but I was prepared for it, and I was ready to protect Danyal at all costs. “That’s not a problem. I’ll…” I hesitated, wanting to grill him for more answers, but I had a feeling it would be useless. I let out a small sigh. “I’ll pack up what we’ve got.”

Most of the supplies we’d picked up on the way were going to be useless weight, so I shoved what food I could into the small rucksack, then filled the smaller pockets with ammo. The last thing I wanted to do was keep using human weapons, but it was the most effective method on the run. I had no idea what state Danyal would be in when I finally got him out of that compound, but I had to assume he’d be just as bad as Kor or Zane.

If I was lucky, he’d be able to run. If miracles existed, he could shift, and we could make time on four paws that we’d never be able to accomplish on two feet.

But, if things continued as they were, I’d be carrying a battered, lifeless—maybe even feral—body through the woods in hopes that I could make it to the caves before the humans were on our tail.

I let my heart take a moment to miss him—to be furious with myself for squandering what might have been something good and perfect simply because I was afraid. How pathetic that fear seemed in comparison to how I felt now. How petty and small.

My reasons were my own, and my grief and trauma would never fully heal, but Danyal had deserved a better Alpha.

No.

He deserved for me to be a better Alpha.

With a sigh, I shoved that thought away and focused on the mission. Checking that the guns were in working order, I strapped one to my side, one to my ankle, then tested the weight of the rucksack. It wasn’t enough to even begin to slow me down, so I set it aside, then turned away from the car and started toward the edge of the field, tuning my ears in an attempt to hear Paris.

The place was so unlike home, I felt a pang of sickness. Home had never been more than violence and survival, but somewhere along the way—after Kor had returned and filled us with actual hope—Corland began to feel safe. It began to feel like it had promise and purpose.

And I desperately wanted to be there with Danyal in my arms.

Pushing my fingers through my hair, I made a quiet promise to the gods, to the universe, that if I could do this—if I could save this—I would never waste another second with him lost in my past ever again.

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