Page 106 of Savage Desire

It’s a lie, and the wide-eyed gaze she gives me suggests she knows it too. Thankfully, she doesn’t attempt to correct me as we step inside from the busy street, but the automatic doors only lead us into a crowded reception area.

The noise will never end, I’m sure of it.

“Where are we going?” I murmur, my heart racing in my chest as it feels like everyone in the space is watching us. If the others feel it too they don’t show it as we cut across the marbled floor to the back of the room where a wall lined with silver doors awaits us.

Lincoln presses a button on the wall beside them and it turns green before a moment passes and a ping fills the air. The silver doors before us open and everyone filters inside. As I step over the threshold, realizing it’s a small square space, panic erupts through my veins.

“What the hell is this? Why—” The doors close behind us, confining the six of us to the tiny space, and I feel myself swaying. “Minnie,” I wheeze, hand plastered against my chest, and she turns to look at me with confusion heavy in her eyes.

“What—”

“Fuck, let me get to her,” Wylder interjects, slipping between Lincoln and Tatum before Minnie steps back, creating space for him to grab my hands.

“What’s her problem?” Lincoln bites out, and Wylder’s gaze snaps across the tight space to the man in question.

“I’m ninety-nine percent sure she’s never been in an elevator before,” Wylder retorts, bringing my hands to his chest. He places his over the top, patting gently, and as I focus on the movement, I quickly realize he’s beating along in time with his heartbeat. “It’s okay, Little Witch. I’ve got you, you’re safe. The elevator is just going to take us down to another floor, okay? Just consider it as an express set of stairs without the leg ache.”

My eyebrows furrow, but I nod in agreement, the tension coiled tight in my stomach unwavering as I try to breathe. It only grows worse as the elevator starts to move, leaving my stomach somewhere up high while we plunge to what feels like the pits of Hell. Before I can curl up in a ball on the floor and rock myself through it, another ping echoes around us and the doors re-open, only this time it’s not the reception area that comes into view, but a dark and dingy corridor.

Lincoln leads the way, Asher following after him with Minnie at his side, while Tatum glances at me for a second, presumably making sure I’m okay before he steps out, and we follow after him. Wylder finds my hand, keeping me pinned to his side as we make our way down the narrow corridor draped in shadows with only a few dim lights to guide the way.

“What do we do now?” I whisper, looking up at Wylder for guidance, but it’s Asher who answers from up ahead.

“The order is to infiltrate the room at the end of the hallway, override whatever security it has in place, and it should lead us into another room where the artifacts are stored,” he explains. Still, the words take a moment to register while I gape in surprise at the fact that he can hear me.

That wolf hearing is something else.

“And we don’t know what that’s going to look like? The security or the artifact,” I clarify, and Wylder squeezes my hand in comfort.

“No, but stay by my side. I’ve got you,” he promises as Lincoln stops at the end of the corridor, just as Asher mentioned, and my pulse quickens instantly.

“Have you guys done stuff like this before?” I ask, and the tight smile from Tatum confirms the answer is yes. I rub my lips together nervously as I process that before glancing at the ceiling. “And the people up there, they have no idea what we’re doing?”

“Nope,” Minnie states before taking a deep breath, as if readying herself for what’s to come.

“Ready?” Asher asks, his eyes glued on mine, and I gulp.

It’s too late to turn back now. I know that much for sure. Exhaling, I will the tension to leave my body, but it’s pointless. I’m nothing more than a vessel for all of my consuming emotions.

“Ready,” I breathe, still a tad unsure why I’m here, but I suppose that’s something I should have asked earlier.

Asher doesn’t wait for any further confirmation, producing a set of silver tools from his pocket. He slips it into the keyhole, twisting around, and my breath catches as my pulse thunders in my ears; he’s picking the lock. The second I understand, the sound of the lock clicking bounces off the walls around us.

Four whole seconds pass, each one stretching longer than the last, and the door swings open.

38

LINCOLN

My gut clenches, my wolf pacing beneath the surface as the door swings open. Something is telling me not to step inside. To run. Take Midnight with me and get the fuck out of here.

This isn’t the first time we’ve played a part in one of Asher’s bargains with his uncle, and I’m sure it won’t be the last, but if it brings us even a breath closer to freeing ourselves from the blood kin curse, then I need to fight against the tugging in my stomach and get the fuck on with it.

I crack my neck from side to side before I step over the threshold into the dark room. I can’t see anything, but I hear the others follow me, their heavy footsteps reverberating with the thumping of my heart. An eeriness washes over me and I freeze, every muscle in my body stiffening as the door slams shut behind us, removing any light.

Polaris squeals and I envision her clinging to Wylder like her life depends on it.

It should be me.

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