Page 237 of Fangs
He whistled again, the loud noise making my ears ring.
“You’re safe, Emmy,” he repeated. His hand curled around one of mine, and I clung to it. “I’m here, you’re safe.” His voice roughened, and I glanced up at his face.
The tears in his furious eyes startled me. He’d always been calm and collected, but he was neither, right now. I knew I should apologize for being such a bitch to him. I should explain myself. I should tell him how sorry I was for what Juck did to him, but none of those words made it out of my head.
Instead, I just tipped toward him like all the strength had fled my body at once. He wrapped his arms around me and held me where I’d fallen against his chest. I didn’t move, closing my eyes and trying to stop shaking. He kept murmuring that I was safe, and I believed him.
He whistled again, and this time someone whistled back.
“Wolf is comin’, okay?”
We sat there for a long time. Every so often, a whistle would echo through the trees, and Sable would whistle back.
“Slow down,” Sable suddenly said sharply. “I think she’s in shock.”
I opened my eyes and met my brother’s horrified eyes. He slowly lowered himself in front of us, scanning me carefully, a landslide of emotion all over his typically stoic face.
“Is she hurt?” he asked, anger and fear crackling in his voice.
“I haven’t fully checked,” Sable responded, his voice dangerous, “but they branded her again…over top of the other one.”
Wolf sucked in a breath, his nostrils flaring. “What?”
Sable pried my clenched fists from his shirt and shifted around to my back, quietly explaining to me what he was doing as he peeled my shirt back again. “The symbol of the Voiceless.”
My brother’s jaw clenched tight, and he kneeled before me with unnatural stillness as he stared at the mark. The air seemed to pulse.
My lips moved, and my hoarse voice came out. “You came.”
Wolf’s eyes met mine again. “Of course, I came.” His voice was low and rough.
“Roe?” I whispered.
“Roe?” he repeated, and a trickle of dread cut through the numbness.
“He’s out there. You have to find him.” My voice shook, rising higher.
“Okay,” he said immediately. “Okay, describe him to me.”
“Ten, but he looks younger. Black curly hair and brown skin. Skinny. He’s scared. He’s just a kid.”
“Okay,” Wolf’s eyes were sharp. “We’ll find him.”
Another whistle rang through the trees, and Wolf whistled back.
“The others will be here soon, and then we’ll start searchin’. When did you last see him?”
“I told him to run,” my hoarse voice grew more ragged. “I don’t know…I don’t know how long—” My words abruptly cut off as panic swelled.
“More than a day?” Wolf pushed.
“Yesterday morning. I think.” It felt much longer. “We rode half a day.”
“Any idea which direction you were goin’?”
“I don’t… I don’t know.” Why hadn’t I paid attention to which direction we were going? I knew better?—
“It’s alright, Emmy. We’ll find him,” Sable murmured from where he still sat behind me. His chest against my back was the only thing keeping me upright.
