Page 49 of Shadow Bound

“Who?”

“That stupid witch of Ranger’s.” Even from across the stream, I can see the spittle that flies from his mouth as he talks.

“Winslow would have had to give up her own soul to save Addie.” I don’t know why I’m trying to reason with him. It’s clear he’s too far gone and not seeing the bigger picture. “She would have turned evil, soulless. Then Ranger wouldn’t havehismate.”

When Winslow brought Ranger back from the dead, she used a piece of her own soul to revive him. If she continued to bring people back, each time she would part with a piece of her soul until there was nothing left of her. Necromancers turn dark and evil without their souls. Some necromancers have the ability to steal souls from others we’ve learned, they take the stolen souls and put them into the deceased, bringing them back. That practice is rare and dangerous. Winslow doesn’t have that ability though.

“I don’t care! I wantmymate back,” Noah roars. “And they’re all going to pay.”All of them?“I’ll give you this one warning Ransom because Remington and you are innocent in all of this. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not your fault you were born into a family of weak and selfish people.” He pauses, licking his dry lips. “Don’t go home, stay far, far away if you want to live.”

“What the hell are you planning, Noah?” I take a menacing step forward, the toe of my boot touching the ice.

“I’ve been gathering some friends; we’ll be heading to Montana soon enough,” is all he offers before bringing his face down close to Beau’s. She tries to shy away from him, but he holds her firmly in place. “Now you, little one, your mama knows you didn’t kill Pruitt—thank you for that, by the way. I want Pru to see the destruction I’m about to cause. Nessa isn’t happy about it though. She’s searching for wherever Jax has her stashed. She’s getting close, it won’t be long before Nessa finds her.”

God fucking dammit, everything is falling apart around me and I don’t have enough hands to catch the tumbling pieces. “Noah, why the hell would you partner up with Nessa? You know she works for Sterling!”

“She’s going to give me back what I want most. The price is I have to take out your fucking family.” He gleams at the thought of it. “Which is all fine and dandy with me, since that’s what I wanted anyway.”

“Noah, we aren’t your enemy, we are your pack—your family,” I plead.

“Addisonwas my family, and your family is the reason she was taken from me.”

Crazy. He’s gone batshit crazy, but I can tell he means every single word he speaks. He’s coming for the pack. He’s coming for my family.

“Remember my warning, kid,” he gruffly tells me. “Give that sister of yours a call, maybe you’ll give her enough warning to get away.” Noah smoothes a hand down Isabeau’s raven-colored hair, making her snarl at him. “I really should kill you now, save Ransom the pain of eventually losing you.” He pauses like he’s thinking it over.

My heart beats wildly against my ribcage as I anxiously wait for his next move. I need to get over there, but the second I shift, he’ll just dig the silver knife in deeper and kill her. I don’t have enough time to run down the frozen stream to a narrower part. All I can do is watch on as panic assaults my senses.

“Maybe another time,” he bites out before his glowing amber eyes clash with mine. “Catch,” is his only warning, with his brute strength he hurls Beau’s body through the air.

I move without thinking because I know exactly where she’s going to land before her body has fully left the ground. Noah throws her directly into the middle of the river where the ice is paper-thin. The ice under my feet cracks as I rush across it, but I don’t stop.

My arms wrap around her body just as the ice splits open and we both drop into freezing water. I barely suck in a lungful of air before our bodies are submerged in water so cold it feels like a million needles in my skin. The shock to my body makes my muscles lock and the precious air I’d filled my lungs with escapes with my stunned gasp.

Even though ice has formed on the surface, the current below still moves, pulling us with it. I try to reach the bottom with my feet, to gain some traction but it’s just deep enough that I can’t. Isabeau thrashes in my arms, her strong arms and legs kicking out, desperately reaching for something to stop us.

Looking up, I see that we’ve been sucked downstream where ice has formed across the whole surface. My lungs burn for air, and my body starts to feel numb from the icy water. Branches from fallen trees that have embedded in the side of the river scrape against my bare arms and chest. While freezing, I’m grateful I’m not wearing a shift or heavy jacket anymore. It would weigh me down more than I already am.

Isabeau tries to free herself from my hold, but I refuse to let go of her. The pure need to get her to safety becomes my main priority. Holding her with one arm around her narrow waist, my free hand searches for one of the branches. The first two I grab onto halt us momentarily but aren’t strong enough to hold us still. They come loose from the river wall and become another object stuck in the flowing current.

My fingers finally wrap around a thicker branch, my shoulder burns and my numb fingers ache as I try to hold us still long enough to push us to the surface. With all the strength I can muster, I kick upward. Our heads break through the thin ice, the collective sound of us gasping for breath fills my ears as we surface.

Still holding on to the branch beneath the water, I boost Isabeau’s upper body onto the more solid ice. Her hands slip a few times, struggling to gain any traction, before she’s finally able to pull her body out of the water.

She doesn’t hesitate to turn around and reach for me. Her hair is slicked back off her face, for the first time since I’ve met her, it doesn’t hang in her face. The dark makeup she wears streaks down her cheeks and her pale lips are practically blue from freezing. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Isabeau’s small hands wrap around my arm and she pulls me from a freezing cold fate.

We stumble as quickly as we can off the icy surface before it cracks open and swallows us whole again. Collapsing beside her in the snow on the bank, our chests heave and our teeth chatter uncontrollably.

“You good?” I manage to slip out between chattering.

Isabeau looks like a drowned sewer rat. The same branches that had caught on my bare skin had torn her shirt, making it hang off her shoulders and arms in shreds. Her eyes search our surroundings, droplets of water still stick to her dark lashes. I know she’s looking for Noah, but I already know he’s already gone. “We need to get moving.” Her whole body shakes violently. My body naturally runs warmer, I’m cold, but Isabeau’s naturally cool body is glacial.

On incredibly shaky legs, Isabeau tries to stand, her intention to go after Noah clear. She trudges forward a few steps; her muscles are stiff and her movements rigid.

Climbing to my own feet, I walk after her, scooping her up in my arms. “We can’t do anything until we get warmed up.” Her body feels like a block of ice against my chest.

She tries to fight me, but her body relaxes into me on its own, seeking out any warmth I can offer her. “He’s… getting… away,” she bites out between shivers.

“We don’t have to track him anymore.” Anger surges through my bloodstream. “We know where he’s headed.”

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