Page 186 of Of Nine So Bold

Not to mentionsomeoneneeded to protect them while they attended to their needs.

I could be patient.

Ruhl’s glowing green eyes lit the shadows briefly, floating near the door of the library. I swore the wolfsmirkedat me.

Damn that infernal thing.

I returned my attention to the corridor, determined to remain focused. I could wait to?—

My mate’s release rolled like an earthquake through our connection, and I bit back a groan with effort. This close, I could smell traces of her in the hall, and the combination was… gods…

I shuddered and straightened, avoiding giving that damned wolf the satisfaction of acknowledging his existence. Let him smirk. I could handle their?—

Alarm shot through my link to my mate.

I lunged from the shadows, running for the library door. With distant satisfaction, I noted the wolf recoiling in surprise. But the creature regrouped quickly, flowing after me as I yanked open the door and charged into the library.

At the sight of me, Gwyneira came to a stop. “The queen’s magic is coming this way,” she said without preamble. “The power that made those poison-apple forests are heading for the wall.”

Fuck.

I jerked my head back the way I’d come, and then took off. My beautiful mate didn’t need further explanation, racing after me.

The others lurched awake when we raced past their door. “What’s wrong?” Dex asked immediately.

Quickly, the princess relayed what she’d told me.

“We need to warn someone,” Niko said.

Byron and Lars nodded, but I didn’t like the idea. Warn them of what? We didn’t need to debate or think through possibilities, and gods knew that was what some of my friends and that scholar Ignatius would want to do.

We needed to stop this, keep the princess safe, and fucking annihilate anything that dared to threaten her again.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Roan shudder. His eyes met mine, except I could see that strange glint that I now understood was his demon too.

I suspected that creature agreed with me.

“We find Ignatius,” Dex said. “We go from there.”

I suppressed a growl. Fine. I headed for the door, not bothering to wait for the others. They would catch up or they would debate, but I didn’t care.

That queen would die.

“I guess we’re going then,” Lars said.

My mate was already on my heels.

Gods, I loved her.

Moving fast, I tracked Ignatius’s scent through the winding halls, coming to another section of the temple where the larger giants had found sleeping quarters.

When I rounded the corner, Ignatius was walking out of his room, a stack of dusty books beneath one arm and another book open in his opposite hand.

He came to a sharp stop at the sight of us. “Something is coming, isn’t it?”

The words were a question, but clearly, he already knew the answer, because a heartbeat later he simply said. “Come with me.”

Turning quickly, he retreated into his room.

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