Page 19 of The Wolf

“I take it went well?” he asked lightly.

“My methods are effective, but they take time.”

“They don’t look too bad. I may take a crack at them.” The sheriff smiled and went to move around her. “Never send a woman to do a man’s work.”

She yanked a dagger from her wrist and had it pointed to his jugular. The sheriff froze and glared down at her. “I’ll ignore your last comment,” Scarlet said softly. “But I warn you that if you touchmyprisoners, it will be Old Mother you’ll be dealing with, not me. I’d think very carefully about going against her wishes.”

The sheriff held his hands up. “I beg your forgiveness, my lady,” he muttered between clenched teeth.

“It’s not me you’ll be begging next time,” she warned.

He backed away and then turned on his heel, storming out of the dungeon.

“He’s going to be a problem,” Mourne commented, crossing his arms.

“He’s your problem.” Scarlet stashed her weapon and made sure to keep her eyes forward as she left the dungeon.

How the devil was she going to get Will out?

EIGHT

BRINE

Pyre was nothing if not prompt.

Chesh and Brine had been in Callmai for a single day before the kitsune contacted them via his ever-reliable network of spies with orders to travel down the tributaries of the Fiergone River to the small freshwater port town of Samiliere. It was smaller than the seaport of Callmai but was just as popular withmerchantsand pirates alike to smuggle their stolen goods out of Heimserya to the open sea. Though Brine didn’t especially want to deal with more lawless buccaneers, he nevertheless complied, as it was more trouble than it was worthnotto heed Pyre’s mysterious requests. The bloody kitsune was a nuisance to say the least when he didn’t get his way. Brine still didn’t know how Tempest tolerated the temperamental diva. Although, she was a force to be reckoned with. Pyre was no doubt on a short leash with her.

“What are you so happy about?” Chesh asked, arching a brow. He leaned against the side of the brothel, lantern light dancing in his eyes.

Brine frowned. “Nothing.” He lifted the coded note from his pocket and held it to the flame of the lantern and watched as the hungry flames licked up the thick paper.

“You were smiling.”

“I was not.” He tossed the charred remains onto the ground before the fire could sear his fingertips, and stomped the small blaze out in the mud.

“Fine, keep your secrets.” Chesh stretched lazily and grinned when one of the nightwalkers whistled and batted her lashes at the feline.

Brine’s lip curled in disgust—not at the woman, but the way Chesh preened at her attention.

“It’s time to go,” he said gruffly.

“You’re no fun.” The feline pouted and pushed away from the brothel wall with a huff, pulling his furred coat closer to his body. “I refuse to go on another death march with you.”

“Stop being such a pup,” Brine grunted. “It’s only a day’s walk.”

Chesh’s eyes narrowed. “You and I both know itstwodays’ walk. I am not hiking day and night.”

“Princess.”

The feline sniffed. “That’s queen to you.”

Brine’s lips twitched in humor, and he almost smiled, but managed to smother it before Chesh began teasing him again. “It’ll be a three days’ walk at this rate.”

“Don’t test me, wolf.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Brine grumbled, leading the way out of the city. While he would have loved to run through the night in his wolf form, it wasn’t worth inciting the feline’s ire. Chesh held on to a grudge for alongtime. At least Brine had a secret weapon.

He pulled a hunk of wrapped cheese from his pocket and tossed it over his shoulder without looking.

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