Page 54 of Nick
She was the mate of an alpha, and tonight, she would prove her worth by delivering the unwitting linchpin in Vincent’s plan to crush the opposition.
This morning, she had secured a victory, not with fangs or claws, but with cunning and cold calculation.
Karla parked the car in the driveway, and with one final glance at the boy, she prepared herself for the praise she would receive from Vincent.
Chapter 23
SARAH’S ENTIRE BODY ACHEDas she leaned against the rough wall of the tunnel, the metallic scent of blood heavy in the air.Her gaze shifted to Nick, who scanned her for injuries.He was in his human form again, his muscles tense.
For all that she, like other shifters, didn’t usually pay attention to nakedness, she couldn’t help but admire his form as he moved toward her.
“We need to get you out of here,” he said.
“I won’t go to the hospital.The shifter doctors there are Vincent’s cronies.”
Nick’s lips pressed into a thin line, and he nodded.“Your trailer, then.You’ll be safe there.”
He moved over to Percy’s lifeless form and dug into the man’s pockets, finding his keys.As he straightened, the sound of other people moving through the tunnels reached them, and Sarah stiffened.
Nick held out his hand toward her.“They came with me—Ryker and Bronx and the others.”
She blew out a relieved breath as he moved back into the tunnel and conferred with the rest of the rebel shifters.Then, returning to Sarah, Nick slipped one arm under her knees and the other around her back, lifting her from the ground.
The world blurred past as Nick carried her out of the mine and over to Percy’s car.Ryker and Bronx fell into step behind them.
As Nick eased Sarah into the passenger seat of the car, her thoughts raced, fear of what might come next rolling through her.
Nick closed the door with a soft click before circling around to the driver’s side.
The engine roared to life, cutting through the stillness of the desert.
“Are you okay?”Nick asked, his gaze flickering toward her as he drove.
“Still scared,” Sarah admitted, her throat tight.
Nick reached over, giving her hand a squeeze, the gesture small but significant.
As the familiar outline of Sarah’s trailer came into view, nestled on the outskirts of town, she braced herself for whatever came next.
As Nick began helping her out of the car, several wolves appeared out of the desert, shifting behind the trailer.
“Sarah!”Malcolm’s voice cut through the stillness, his tall figure emerging from the shadows with Anders close behind.They’d obviously cut straight over from the mine, bypassing all the roads the car had to follow.
“Are you okay?”Larissa asked as she rushed forward.
“I think so, yes,” Sarah replied.
“Where’s Una?”Conall asked.
“Inside, I think,” Sarah managed to say, her throat constricting with dread, though she couldn’t have said why.“I’m back,” she called out as Nick pushed open the door and ushered her in.
Una stood before them, her slender frame racked with sobs, the damp streaks on her cheeks glistening.
“What’s wrong?”Sarah asked, glancing around the room—but somehow, she instantly knew.“Where’s Javi?”
“Karla… She—” Una choked out between sobs, her hands trembling.“She took him.”
Sarah’s heart plummeted, a howl of anguish rising silently within her.Her fingers curled into fists, her nails digging into her palms as she paced the confined space of her trailer.
