Page 105 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

"Come on." Griffin tugged me back toward the house. "You’re right. We need to get moving."

If he thought I'd be dropping this conversation, he'd soon learn differently. But getting the hell out of here had to be our number one priority.

"Grab more of their guns." The more we had, the fewer they had. "At least the ones nearby."

"Good idea." Killian bent down and picked up several guns.

Sierra grabbed one and held it awkwardly away from her body.

"Here, give me that." I took it from her. "You're going to get shot like that, which means you need to learn how to shoot when we get back."

"Uh, I'd rather not." She lifted a hand and blew out a breath like she was relieved that I'd taken it from her.

"Unfortunately, you're lumped in with us now, which means you must learn how to protect yourself." There was no room for negotiation. "Now let's go before we have to fight again."

The four of us trekked through the woods, running as fast as we could with our hands full of weapons. When my house came back into view, I had honestly expected to see more vehicles there, but no one new had shown up. Hope ballooned in my heart that we might get out of here without another battle.

"You two need to ride with us," Griffin commanded as he pulled the keys from his pocket and unlocked the car.

"No, I have fix-a-flat. We can be ready to roll in a few minutes." Killian sped up, running faster than I could with my injury. He reached his truck and got out what looked like a metal canister.

Griffin opened the Navigator’s passenger door and helped me get settled. My shoulder screamed at the movement of climbing into the tall car. By the time Griffin jumped into the driver’s seat, Killian was done with the tire and getting into the truck, Sierra already buckled in on the passenger side.

We peeled out of the driveway, heading to the neighborhood exit, with Killian squealing right behind us. My breathing grew rapid as we sped around the final turn.

When both vehicles turned onto the main road, racing away from my old home, my heart began to settle. That was until my gaze landed on the drawer that sat between my legs. There was no telling what I might find in there, but there was no time like the present. Who knew if we would make it back to Griffin's home?

I inhaled sharply and bent down, resolved to figure out everything I could from the hidden compartment below.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Griffin placedhis hand on my leg, making the buzz of our connection spring to life. "You don’t have to look at that now. We just went through hell back there—you can lie back and close your eyes. We’ll be home in about fifteen minutes."

Home.

The place we’d left behind had been that to me for eighteen years—but last night, it had felt almost foreign. Maybe because Mom and Dad were missing, and they were what made it home. Or maybe I’d changed so much that I didn’t recognize my prior life any longer.

Who knew?

At the end of the day, home was now wherever Griffin and Killian were. The fact that I was so emotionally invested in two people scared me, but what was done couldn’t be undone. I loved each man deeply, but for very different reasons. Killian was like a family member I hadn’t even known I was missing until I found him. Well, correction… He’d found me floating in the river and on the run for my life.

Griffin… How did I even explain what he was to me? He was the oxygen I craved—needed—and couldn’t live without.

"No, I need to." My gut told me that when we got to the house, I’d crash—my eyes were already beginning to droop. And the longer we kept this drawer of secrets, the more likely something could happen to it. These assholes kept coming at us hard, which meant they’d be striking again.

I placed the drawer in my lap and removed the hidden-door compartment. I reached for the small journal and two loose pieces of paper, leaving the photo album for last.

Selecting the brown and yellow stained sheet of paper, I slowly opened the frayed edges. It appeared to be the oldest document of the bunch, so starting there made the most sense.

The letter was handwritten, and I read each word slowly.

Arian,

Things are improving slowly in Shadow City. There is still corruption, but the angels are settling into the new normal. It only took them close to eight hundred years. The loss of our silver wolf protectors is still felt by everyone.

Orion does a fine job guarding us, and no one has gotten in illegally to our city, but Orion’s pack doesn’t have the extra skills and blessed magic that your pack does. He is raising his son, Killian, to be the next Shadow Ridge alpha, but I hope it doesn’t come to that anytime soon.

Just as my father wished, my goal is to reacclimate your pack into our society—but don’t worry, your existence will remain a secret until we’re in agreement. Even though we are both new alphas, I believe we’re destined to meet and make a difference—for the sake of our children. Shadow City was meant to be a safe haven but, instead, has become a place of entrapment.

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