Page 25 of The Serpent’s Shadow

“Fuck is right,” came a human voice.

I sat up once the wolf receded and shifted into Sven Torfen. I was surprised it wasn’t his pack with him; it was Grim Kollbjorn, of all people, changing from his bear into a human as well.

But the voice had come from the third participant, unseen until now. Magnus Feldraug staggered over from behind one ofthe longhouses. He nursed a bleeding thumb, which he sucked on.

Shadowshaping,I thought, recognizing the man’s mark from the first black wolf that had attacked me and distracted me from the real threats of Sven and Grim.

Magnus did not look well. He was paler and gaunter than usual, slightly limping. I wondered if casting that imaginary wolf had taken that much out of him. Purple bags were under his eyes. He looked . . . bloodless.

“You know the drill, Arne,” Magnus said, his voice raspy. His trench coat billowed in the early morning breeze. “Two ways to do this. One easy, one hard.”

“What the hell is going on?” I growled at him, moving my eyes from Magnus to the two naked shifters who stood in front of him like bodyguards.

“We’re going to have a little chat, iceshaper,” Sven said, punching a fist into his open palm. He cracked his knuckles and shot me a rictus grin.

My stomach soured.Fuck. This is why they’ve been avoidant and distant since Ravinica’s abduction. They’ve been scheming.

I couldn’t fault them for it. I was impressed they’d managed to keep their ambush quiet until now. If I was in their shoes, and cared about Ravinica as much as they acted like they did, I would have done the same thing.

I twisted my neck to work out kinks as I began to stand, then brushed myself off.

“Don’t try anything, Arne,” Grim said, towering over me.

By gods, the man’s cock was nearly level to my chest from his fucking height and the slight slope he stood on.

It was an envious position to be in, admittedly, and I had to force my eyes to his face. “Or what? You’ll kill me? Add a third body to the growing list, Koll?”

“I don’t need to kill you,” Grim said easily. “These other two want your blood just as badly.”

My heart sank. I was in deep shit.

I’d already told Kelvar most of what I knew. I wanted Ravinica back more than anything, which meant I managed to hide a few things from the Whisperer to try and keep her safe.

Part of me wasbeggingto release this burden weighing me down. “Then let’s go,” I said with a sigh. “Where are you taking me for this chat?”

Sven glanced over at Grim. “Eirik’s longhouse?”

Grim frowned and shook his head. “It’s across campus. Someone might see us. Also, I don’t trust Eirik to invite us in. He’s too rules-oriented.”

“True. The man is spineless.” Sven scoffed. “Interesting, that quality, considering Ravinica’s bullheadedness.”

Grim flashed a smile at Sven—a man I’d always thought was his mortal nemesis.I guess even enemies can become friends when they’re facing a mutual foe. Me.

“No,” Magnus said, his raspy, deadened voice nearly drowned out by the wind. It was going to be a gray day—even grayer for me, it appeared.

The coat-wearing dead man nudged his sharp chin over his shoulder, twisting the tattoos creeping up his neck. “We’ll do it in the iceshaper’s abode.”

“You think that’s safe with other people sleeping in the nearby longhouses?” Grim asked.

Flatly, without emotion, Magnus stared at me with his gray eyes. “We’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t scream.”

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