Page 190 of Elven Shadow

“Just one.”

Seriously?Oneintruder was the cause of all this trouble brewing inside the compound?

This was starting to feel way too much like Hector’s attack.

“Okay…” Rebecca almost glanced at Maxwell but stopped in lieu of trying to get more answers before theysaw for themselves. “And thisoneassailant made it through every layer of our security without setting off a single alert?”

“More or less.”

Even more concerning was howguiltythe blackhorn looked when he said it.

When Rebecca shot Maxwell a perturbed look, she found him studying her with the same level of annoyance she’d felt since they entered the building.

If this new assailant had managed to sneak through Shade’s defenses and multiple layers of both magical and technological security without the slightest hint of detection, it sounded an awful lot like a repeat of Hector’s attack on headquarters.

Maxwell’s narrowing eyes made her suspect he’d thought very much the same thing.

“Now would be the time for that report,” Maxwell grumbled before jerking his chin up toward the end of the hall.

Rick nodded curtly, then spun around to continue through the facilities. “We’re sure it’s just the one. Double-checked every entrance. Scanned every level of the compound. Haven’t yet pinpointed how or where he got in, but he’s working alone. We apprehended him maybe fifteen minutes after intel got a tip about some pre-battle campaign out in Englewood. But it’s weird…”

“Weird how?” Rebecca asked.

“It’s almost like hewantedto get caught. But now he won’t give us any more information.”

“But you did already getsomethingout of him, right?”

Rick stopped in front of the next door to punch in the security code on the adjacent wall panel to unlock it, then pumped down on the door handle and paused. When he looked back at Shade’s Head of Security and new commander, his cheeks darkened, and his attempt to hold back a grimace fell flat.

“Just the one thing,” he said. “It’s all the guy will say, no matter what we try.”

“Which is?” Rebecca prompted.

“That he’s looking for the elf.”

“Huh.” For the first time since they’d entered, Maxwell finally turned to look at her head-on, as if she’d only just arrived beside him in this hallway back to the holding rooms.

Rebecca ignored the tingling weight of his stare brushing over her face.

She was too distracted by her dropping stomach and the sudden lurch through her entire body that left a gaping black hole in the center of her gut.

Someone was looking fortheelf.

Anyone who knew the slightest bit about Shade’s inner workings understood there was only one elf among their ranks. Anyone who was looking specifically forShade’sone elf probably had a good idea who that elf was.

Which meant they’d probably come looking for her on purpose.

The only thing that made this harrowing discovery marginally bearable was the fact that this new intruder hadn’t specifically asked for Shade’s commander by name. Just fortheelf.

That might have been a good sign, but it did nothing to alleviate the growing sense of dread gnawing at her insides.

Someone had found her. After all this time. In a few minutes, she’d find out exactly who it was. Only then would she know how to best handle the situation.

Assuming it wasn’t another assassination attempt.

“Take us to him.”

Maxwell’s voice pulled Rebecca out of her frozen disbelief, then Rick finally opened the last door to lead them into the bowels of the stockade.

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