Page 2 of Wolf Queen Ruin
The cable swayed as I jerked in surprise.“My what now?”
But Theo had already disconnected, leaving me swinging in the temple’s still air, cursing under my breath in three languages.
New partner?Since when did I need a partner?The whole point of being “The Ghost” was working alone.No team, no liabilities, no one else to worry about.
Except Jade, on the other side of the world.
I clenched my jaw.This conversation with Theo wasn’t over by a long shot.
Focus, Luna.Argue later.Steal shiny treasure now.
I refocused on the ruby, pushing away the irritation bubbling in my chest.The extraction tool extended to its full length, allowing me to slide a specially designed silicon cup over the gem.The cup conformed to the ruby’s shape, creating an airtight seal before deploying a network of hair-thin needles that slid between the gem and its current location.
“Easy does it,” I whispered, activating the tool’s vibration function.
The ruby loosened almost imperceptibly.
That’s when I noticed the hairline cracks spreading across the goddess’s palm.
“Oh, come on.Seriously?”I groaned.
I had approximately three seconds before the entire hand crumbled and triggered whatever unpleasantness awaited.Abandoning finesse, I gave the tool a sharp twist and yanked.
The ruby came free just as the stone hand disintegrated.A low rumble echoed through the chamber as ancient gears ground against each other somewhere in the walls.The temple was waking up, and it wasn’t happy about my jewelry-shopping spree.
“Time to go, time to go, time to go,” I chanted, securing the ruby in my padded pouch and hitting the retraction button on my harness.
The cable zipped upward, yanking me toward the narrow opening in the temple ceiling.Below me, the first wave of darts hissed through the air, embedding themselves in the opposite wall with alarming force.
And how could I forget the boulders hailing down from above?
I twisted mid-ascent, narrowly avoiding a falling stone block that would have turned me into purée.
“Not today, ancient death trap,” I muttered, contorting my body to avoid another volley of projectiles and falling missiles.
Thirty seconds later, I hauled myself onto the temple’s exterior roof, breathing hard but grinning despite myself.The ruby’s weight against my hip felt like victory.No fire had erupted from the temple, at least not yet, but if it did, I didn’t want to be anywhere near it.
I clambered down the outside of the temple, and my earpiece crackled.
“Did you pee yet?”Jade asked.
“No, but I did get in and out with minimal property damage.”When I hit solid ground, I disconnected my cable and tucked it away, then I patted the pouch containing the ruby.“This little beauty should buy us some more time.”
“Thanks, Luna.”
I could hear the smile in her voice, which warmed my heart.
“Of course.Hey, do you know anything about a new partner?Theo said I have one.”
“Ew.”
“I know.I’ll talk to you in a bit when I figure out what kind of nonsense is going on.”
“Just tell Theo you’re allergic.”
My stomach clenched because she wasn’t wrong.“Yeah… Talk later.”
I hit the off button on my earpiece and surveyed the view.The Japanese forest spread out around the temple, a sea of vibrant green under the midday sun.Birds called to each other overhead, and the sweet-rot smell of vegetation hung heavily in the humid air.My extraction point was northeast, about a quarter-mile trek.
