Page 40 of Darling Wildfire
I was right.
Theron wasn’t trying to protect me from my enemies—he was trying to protect me from his.
16
THERON
I stood in Kaelin’s driveway with Graham pacing angrily beside me.
The fury had calmed, only to be replaced by the never-ending loop of seeing the hurt on Kaelin’s face when I wouldn’t tell her what was going on. Even worse, seeing the betrayal in her eyes as I left.
Viktor came over, pain etched on his face as he grasped his freshly bandaged shoulder.
“It’s my fault—”
I held up a hand. “Viktor, go home and get yourself checked out by Doc,” I nodded to Kon hovering behind him. Viktor looked upset and angry with himself and opened his mouth to argue but I cut him off again. “We knew this was going to get rough—this is no one’s fault. Get that out of your head because I need you focused, understood?”
He stood a little straighter and nodded curtly before leaving with Kon.
“You need to tell her,” Graham growled, drawing my attention back to him.
“I don’tneedto do anything,” I said coldly, my anger flaring and needing an outlet as our eyes clashed.
“North—” It was Nyx. He came up, looking between us with a frown before holding out a folded piece of paper. “This was stuck to the door.” I held Graham’s gaze a moment longer as I took the paper from Nyx and then dropped my eyes to read it.
Game on.
She’d look so pretty in a cage, don’t you think?
My lip curled in disgust. “Bastard,” I snarled.
“We need to find him,” Graham snapped. “Vetticus is it? Why haven’t you tracked him down yet? First the photos and now this? He’s getting bolder—”
“Again with the demands,” I growled. “I don’tneedto do anything. This is much deeper than just a few photos and a spray paint job. Do not assume you know what’s going on.”
“Then tell me,” Graham demanded, taking a step towards me. “We’re all involved now, North. I’ve helped you with the warehouses…I’ve listened to a plan I don’t understand. I need to know who Vetticus is. I can’t protect her if I don’t know what I’m supposed to be protecting her from!”
I turned to Nyx. “Stay here with her. Get a crew in to clean this up—” My phone rang and I saw it was Atlas.
“Is she okay?” He asked as soon as I picked up.
“As okay as can be expected,” I said shortly.
“Good. Listen, Tex hasn’t reported in and no one can get a hold of him.”
I cursed and turned to Nyx again.
“His tracker is offline,” Atlas went on. “I told the men to no longer go anywhere alone.”
“Activate the sleepers in his supply lines,” I said. “I want his river cut down to a damn stream by tomorrow.”
“Copy that.”
I hung up with Atlas and addressed Nyx. “He took Tex.”
“Fuck,” Nyx cursed, running a hand through his hair, a grim look on his face. “I know, I know—” he said when I fixed him with a look. “We knew this would happen—”
“What?” Graham interrupted incredulously. “What do you mean you knew this would happen?”
