Page 74 of Ash and Roses

“You gave up on me.”

To my surprise, Rhett takes a step between us and puts a hand on Jade’s shoulder. “Come on, man. Lay off a bit.”

Jade looks as if he might want to take his growing anger out on his friend, but he pulls back. “I hope he follows us,” he grumbles and the words spark fear in me. I hadn’t considered Quinn coming after us, but I know in my heart that he will.

‘Quinn?’ I try to call to him, but there’s no answer.

“So do I,” Petra agrees, bending over as a pair of black and purple wings emerge from the skin of her back. It doesn’t stop there. Her hands sprout a layer of leather-like scales and the tips of her fingers morph into claws that could easily tear through flesh. For only a moment, I wonder if Jade can make himself look just as inhuman, but Petra’s continued threat keeps me focused on her. “I’ll kill him for what he did to my mate.”

Something illuminates in Jade’s eyes, and some of the anger in him melts away. “That’s right, I haven’t told you. Teagan is alive.”

“What?” There’s no way. I saw her with her throat torn open. She couldn’t have survived that. “Is she okay?”

“No,” Petra says, pursing her lips before Jade can answer. I want to ask more, but the heads of the four people in front of me all snap in the direction of Rosewood. “Finally!” Petra quips as she stretches a clawed hand.

Jade darts to my side with impossible speed as the sound of thundering paws hitting earth reaches me. Seconds later, Quinn bounds through the trees and skids to a halt only a few yards from us. Jade readies an arrow of fire, and Petra looks as if she’s about to hurtle herself towards the wolf, but I lurch forward and plant myself in front of the animal.

“Don’t you fucking dare!” I don’t give Jade a chance to answer before turning to face Quinn. He won’t risk hurting me, and although I don’t trust Petra as far as I could throw her, I trust Jade enough to keep her back. “Quinn,” I whisper. His gaze slips from mine and washes over the scene, stopping only when it lands on the two captives and the body that lays in front of them. His whimper morphs into a snarl as heartbreak turns to rage.

“Get away from it!” Jade is at my side in seconds—to protect me, I realize. But I’m not in danger. Even after everything, I trust the wolf in front of me more than the man at my side.

“He won’t hurt me, but you already knew that!” I push against Jade’s chest, meaning to get him away from me, but he’s solid and doesn’t budge. “You accused me of betraying you, but you left me here!” The shock of everything is finally beginning to recede and all that’s left is fury.

Jade looks confounded, but there’s not a hint of guilt on his face. “I knew you were alive. I could feel it.” He touches a hand to my chest, just over my heart, but I slap it away.

Merrick steps forward. “I don’t think now is the time for a lover’s quarrel.”

Quinn snaps his jaws again, as if in agreement. I move closer to him, but when I feel Jade grip my arm, it takes all of my strength to pull away. “I already agreed to go with you, so you can keep your hands off me!”

He lets go at once, but I can tell he doesn’t like the idea of me being anywhere near Quinn. Not in this state, nor his human form.

Quinn growls at me as I approach, his eyes never leaving mine.‘You won’t hurt me.’The shake of his head tells me he’s heard me.‘You have to let me go. This is the only way to keep Rosewood safe.’

He doesn’t answer. Maybe he can’t answer in this state. I can feel the pain inside him as if it were my own and get a flash of myself through his eyes. The image of me in Jade’s arms as he took to the air, a small, orange ball falling to the place we’d been only seconds before… and the garden erupting into flames. The fire spreads, melting snow and snaking up walls until those beautiful carved doors too are burning.

No. No, Jade couldn’t have… I’d left with him so that he would leave Quinn unharmed, but instead he’d set the entire castle on fire. The fire on the ground floor was under control, but Quinn’s vision shows a different story. He left his people—his home—to come after me. He may not be able to say the words, but I know from the look in his eyes that he would happily let the world burn if it meant I was with him.

He shows me another image—a memory. The knife in my hand pressed against his heart. He can’t mean for me to—

His growl is confirmation enough as he takes a step closer. My hand shakes, but I don’t drop the blade. “Don’t make me do it,” I plead.

He crouches low, and I’ve seen this before too many times. He’s going to lunge for me, and if I don’t do it, then Jade or Petra surely will.

My eyes burn and I have to bite my lip to keep the tears from falling. I can’t do it. He’s not a monster. I can’t—

His growl turns into a whimper as he leaps for me. His body connects with mine the same moment I drive my knife into his chest, all the way down to the hilt. The weight of him pins me to the ground and knocks the air from my lungs.

“Abby!” It’s Jade’s voice I hear, and it must be his hands I feel as I’m dragged out from under Quinn. I shake free of Jade’s grip and drop to my knees in front of the wolf. Amber eyes stare up at me, but there’s a fluttering to his eyelids that wasn’t there before.

“Shit, she actually did it,” Petra says from somewhere behind me, but I ignore her. I ignore everything but the animal in front of me. I need to finish this, even if it kills me.

I reach into his thick fur and feel around until my fingers touch the hilt of my knife. He yelps as I pull it from him. “I’m sorry it had to be this way.”

No one stops me as I move to Quinn’s people and slice through the ropes binding their wrists and ankles. They scramble to their feet, shaking, as if fighting the urge to turn themselves—something they shouldn’t be able to do without the light of the full moon. Perhaps the sight of their prince like this is too much for them.

This isn’t how things are going to go down. I won’t allow it.

One of them moves, and I put out a hand to stop them. “Don’t!” The tremors cease at my command. “I’ve had enough of this. Take Ruben and Quinn back to Rosewood.” They look as if they want to obey, but glance at Jade and the others. I turn to them. “Does anyone have a problem with that? I’ve already killed tonight. I have no problem taking out a few more.”

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