Page 57 of Underworld

Silas smacks a hand to his face, and I can see the pink rising on his cheeks. Jax is laughing so hard that he tipped his chair back too far and is now on the ground, howling with laughter.

I can’t stop the bubble of laughter that slips through my lips as Silas mutters, “Gods and Goddesses help me if I ever find a woman like you.”

Jax stands back up, setting his chair straight. He wipes his face as he continues to chuckle, tears streaming from his eyes from laughing so hard. Finally, he sits back on his chair, reaching over to grasp the back of my neck. His smile is so wide as he presses his forehead to mine. “I fucking love you too, Seph.”

I grin as he lets go, and I look at the screens surrounding us. On one monitor, I see the meeting chamber where the guys are. The camera is positioned so most of the room is in view. I’m about to look at another monitor when I notice movement. I look back to find that Jace has shifted on his large throne to look right at the camera.

My head tilts, trying to figure out what he’s doing. I watch the lights flicker off, and the UV lights fill the room. His skeletal face is now on display, and I see the edges of his tattoo shift. Looking closer, I find that he’s smiling at the camera. He presses something on his throne, and his voice suddenly drifts into the room.

“Enjoy your time with the Hounds, My Queen. I’ll be coming for you after this meeting is over.”

I shiver at his words, and Jax snickers beside me. “It seems you have pushed our boss too far.”

I snort a laugh. “It’s just so much fun.”

Silas huffs another sigh as if he’s dealing with rowdy kids. “Let’s get back to work. We need to keep an eye on the monitors till the next shift takes over.”

I nod and return to watching the screens, Zane’s words echoing in my head. If the ache in my stomach is any indication, I also have a bad feeling that something will happen soon.

If only I had known how soon . . .

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Silas

Something is wrong. I stand from my chair, causing Jane to jump in fright.

“What the hell, Alpha?!” She presses a hand to her chest. I look at her briefly before looking back at the screens. Something is off. My eyes jump from screen to screen.

“What is it?” Jax asks, standing from his chair as well. He’s staring at the screens frantically, trying to figure out what I’m seeing.

That’s the problem, though. It’s what I’m not seeing. “Where the fuck are our Hounds?”

Jax looks at the screens, his brows furrowing. Then his eyes widen. There it is. He’s seeing what I’m seeing now.

Jane stands from her chair and asks, “What’s going on?”

Jax’s worried eyes meet mine as he answers her question, “There are absolutely no Hounds on any of these screens.”

Her brows furrow, “Isn’t the point not to be seen?”

“To our enemies? Yes,” I say. Fucking hell. “But to the cameras? We should be able to see everyone. These are the eyes of the compound, and we see everyone.” My eyes meet hers as I say, “Everyone, Seph.”

Her eyes widen as they flick to the screens, landing on her guys in the meeting room. “We can’t tell them while they are in the meeting.”

“We’ll go and make up some bullshit reason the meeting needs to end.” Jax grabs his weapons and looks at Jane.

She shakes her head. “You two need to figure out what is going on. You need to find our Hounds.” She removes one of the feathered knives from her hair. “I’ll head to them and tell them what's going on.”

I look down at the daggers she still has sheathed, then back at her with an arched brow. “Why are you using your knives instead of your daggers?”

She smiles at me. “They are small but deadly. I can fight better with these in close combat.”

I look at Jax. “You go with her and make sure she gets there safely.”

Jax nods, but Jane shakes her head. “No, the two of you need to figure out what is happening. You can cover more ground if there are two of you.”

I’m about to argue when she puts a hand on her hip and looks up at me with fire in her eyes. Well, fucking hell. Staring at me intently, she says, “That’s an order from your Queen, Alpha. Do you understand?”

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