Page 49 of Broken Fate
“The leader of our Helisson cell,” Kiel explained. “And one of only two who knew how to get here. The other being his second, who led the remnants.”
I sat back heavily.
“We must get to him,” Kiel said. “Before they can break him. Because if they do …”
I exhaled slowly. “Then what’s happening out there,” I said, pointing at the entrance, “will be just the beginning.”
“Exactly.”
Had Kiel considered that by sending usin,the odds of Helix finding this place would increase instead of decrease if he captured us.
But then again, what choice did Kiel have? Gralkhadto be rescued, and if there was nobody else in Helisson to do the job, then we were it.
“Well, then,” I said, looking around at everyone. “What are we waiting for?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
We headed south out of the caves toward Helisson, traveling light and on all fours to cover ground as swiftly as possible, six of us in all.
The joy of the hunt sang in my blood, and my wolf longed to call to the moon as it rose high above us on our journey. My excitement boiled over, intermingling with hers as we raced on, great bounds to put as much distance between us and the caves as possible before daybreak. We were on a mission, and I was going along. I could finallyhelpinstead of being a hindrance.
Kiel, as usual, kept his plans close to his chest, so I didn’t know what part I would play, but I didn’t care. These people weredyingfor the cause, and I was tired of standing by.
We ran until the early morning when Kiel called a stop. My wolf protested, her energy levels still high.
Easy, I calmed her.Night. We run at night.
Locating a small cave that could fit our party of six, we packed in tight, shifting into our human forms to fit better. Even then, there were legs and arms touching. It was intimate but in a family sort of way. Today, in that place, we wereone, a family of sorts, all on the same mission.
The reminder ofwhywe were on that mission sobered any remaining excitement, even somehow carrying through to my wolf as she whined incessantly, wanting to be out, to run, and play. She’d been cooped up the past month, barely able to stretch her legs, and she made sure I didn’t forget it.
Soon, I urged.Soon, we will run. Until you can run no more, and then again. I need your energy. We all do.
The words were hard to translate into emotions, into concepts she could understand, but enough of it got through that she calmed, though only slightly.
Across from me, I could see Kiel’s face twitching slightly. A tell that his wolf was also giving him issues. I suspected his was let out even more infrequently than mine. Still, with the iron will that he possessed, his wolf must be similar. It would understand.
A half-smile crossed my face, knowing we were dealing with the same problem. I reached out without thinking, lightly touching his thigh, which rested next to my hip, his feet by my head.
Kiel stiffened, his eyes slowly dragging down toward mine. I smiled at him, miming that my wolf wanted out as well and that she wouldn’t shut up. In my head, she growled at me, sensing I was teasing her.
The big man smiled tightly, nodding in understanding but making no attempt to further the conversation. I withdrew my hand, forcibly resisting the urge to fidget from the awkwardness flooding me.
Why couldn’t he just accept that we were all people? That we could interact. What was he holding back?
Frustration replaced shame, and I rolled over, getting to my feet and moving silently out of the cave.
I stayed under the tree cover and crouched as best I could while I moved. There was little danger of being seen there in the middle of nowhere, but that wasn’t the same as none. The closer we got to Helisson, the more likely it would be that roving patrols of soldiers would be out, trying to find any remaining shifters who had fled the raid on our cell.
Our cell. Nottheircell anymore.
“Where are you going?”
I flinched uncontrollably, spinning with a gasp as Kiel spoke from behind me.
“To, um,” I glanced down between my legs.
“Oh.” Kiel nodded, turning away, intending to give me privacy.
