Page 55 of Wolf Hunter

I army crawl on my elbows toward my room, my vision blurring and the rest of me feeling like I’ve ingested magma. I manage to make it into the room with just enough strength left to breath.

The pain abates, but not enough.

Crying out, I watch the skin on my arm begin to bubble. And the bubbling soon forms words.

Tears leak from my eyes, and I struggle to see through them to actually read.

Kill him now.Or else.

The moment I repeat those words in my mind, the pain recedes, leaving me stunned and reeling.

Somehow, the witches found a way to get me a message through the property barrier. A terrible, scarring message. Although when I glance over at my arm again, the blisters recede back into my skin, leaving only a trail of freckles behind, like a reminder.

It takes way too long for me to get my heartbeat to normal. I shift onto my back and lie there for a long time, focusing on the movement of my lungs.

Okay, so no searching Reid’s room.

That shifts pretty far away from priority number one. So far down the list that I scratch it off entirely. Because I’ll have all the time in the world, at my leisure, once I take care of the mark.

And the witches are not going to let me off the hook easily.Or at all.

I’m not sure if I’d even thought about the potential consequences of failing to kill Reid in a timely manner. I guess I’m on a bigger deadline than I thought. And if they can cause me this much pain from wherever they are, I don’t want to think about what they’ll do if I waste any more time.

I steal a few more minutes to collect myself, now curled on the floor in the fetal position with the echoes of pain written in my bones.

This is why I like to give my marks a swift death—unless theyreallydeserved it. And even then, I don’t drag things out longer than necessary.

Idefinitely don’t deserve it.

Once I finally feel decent enough to stand, I run both hands through my hair and fill my lungs, holding it for a moment until releasing.

New plan. Kill Reid as quickly as possible and get the hell out.

It takes me another day to get myself in order. The extra time also brings me a tagalong.

No matter where I go, Emily keeps at my heels, trying to literally sniff me out and see what kind of damage I present to the pack. More than she knows, and more than I’ll ever allow her to see.

I answer all her questions as blandly as possible, or not at all, depending on my mood. All the while, feeling like I’ve missed something important.

Finally, I can’t take it anymore, and I whirl around to face Emily with a snarl on my face. “What the fuck do you want from me?”

She keeps her nose high, a sour expression on her face. “I don’t trust you.”

Oh, wow. Really? “That makes two of us, sweetheart,” I tell her through gritted teeth.

“Just because he lets you wear my clothes doesn’t mean you’re anything special to him. You’re not his mate, Tasha. You never will be. And you sticking around doesn’t make you part of this pack.”

“Well, if I had my own shit instead of having to wear your prison garb, then I would feel a whole lot better. And if you have a problem with me being here, then you can take it up with your master. Because once again, if I had my choice, I’d be on an island somewhere with a cold drink in my hand.”

She sniffs the air, her nostrils widening. “There’s something going on, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Mark my words.”

“Marked,” I reply. “Now where is Reid?” I haven’t seen him in a few hours.

“Shouldn’t you already know?” Emily throws back. “You’re up his ass far enough to have his schedule memorized.”

“Girl, if I didn’t have to play little mind games, it would be better for everyone. As he seems to have disappeared without telling me, I’m asking you. Unless you want me to alert him to the fact that you’re treating his sacrifice poorly and see what he has to say about it.”

I hate that she’s backed me into a place where I feel like I have to pull that card. But I’ve been doing my snooping, and somewhere along the way, Reid disappeared.

---