Page 61 of Wolf Queen Ruin
The precision of his adjustment transformed my adequate trap into something elegant and nearly invisible.When I looked up in surprise, he shrugged.
“Remember when I said I track people for a living?In the 1800s, I spent twenty years hunting a particularly vicious vampire through terrain not unlike this.One develops techniques.”
“Twenty years foronevampire?“ I whistled low.“That’s some dedication.”
His expression darkened.“He slaughtered an entire village, including children.Time was irrelevant; justice was not.”
“Damn.That’s terrible.”I wanted to know more about his past, about his job, but I didn’t have time to ask.
Instead, I focused on our next trap—a small pit disguised with large leaves and branches.
“This won’t seriously injure anyone,” I explained, “but a twisted ankle slows a whole team.”
As we worked, Damien contributed ideas that complemented my own.Where I focused on physical deterrents, he suggested subtle manipulations that would play on human fears, like arrangements of stones or branches that triggered subconscious unease, placements that would cast particular shadows as the sun moved.
“Most humans still have instinctive responses to predator signals,” he explained, positioning dark stones in a seemingly random scatter that somehow resembled eyes watching from the underbrush.“They might not recognize why they feel threatened, but they’ll hesitate nonetheless.The mind processes threats before consciousness can name them.”
He twisted several branches into an asymmetrical arch that shouldn’t have been disturbing but somehow evoked the sensation of something readying to pounce.The hairs on my arms rose even though I knew it was fake.
“You’re tricking their brains into thinking a predator is nearby.”I whistled, seriously fascinated.
Damien nodded, his pale fingers adjusting a final stone.“The most effective deterrents aren’t walls or barriers.They’re warnings that speak to the primitive brain.Fear is ancient, older than language.”
“That’s disturbingly effective,” I admitted, stepping back to view the whole arrangement.What looked artful from one perspective transformed into something subtly threatening from another.“Is this a vampire hunting technique?”
He grinned.“Among other things.”
By mid-morning, we’d reached a small ridge that offered a vantage point.Damien produced a pair of compact binoculars from his pack, and I scanned the territory we’d traversed.
“Uh-huh,” I said, adjusting the focus.“About two kilometers back.”
Marcel was instantly recognizable—tall and rail-thin with a shock of silver hair despite his relatively young age.He gestured imperiously to his team as they examined something on the ground.I counted six mercenaries, all heavily armed.Most concerning was the device one of them carried—something that resembled a handheld sensor with an antenna that glowed faintly blue even in daylight.
“That’s new,” I murmured, passing the binoculars to Damien.“Some kind of magical tracker?”
He said for several moments, his expression hardening.“A thaumic resonator.Experimental technology that detects concentrated magical energy.”
“Like the energy surrounding the Shadow Fang?”I threw back my head and shook it at the sky.“Why does Marcel get to have toys likethat?I would kill for one of those.Or at least maim.”
The muscles in Damien’s jaw worked as he continued to watch.“That’s the kind of technology that shouldn’t be in the hands of mercenaries.”He lowered the binoculars, his bright-blue eyes still trained on our pursuers.“Whoever hired him has both resources and connections.This isn’t just about the artifact anymore.It’s about who wants it badly enough to outfit a team with military-grade supernatural detection equipment.”
“I would sell a couple livers for that thing,” I said with a wistful sigh.
His head snapped toward me, eyes narrowing.“You will do no such thing.”The command in his voice was immediate and absolute.“We need your…livers.No selling of your organs.Ever.”
“I would sell a couple livers,notmine,“ I corrected with a chuckle.“Don’t w—“
A distant shout echoed through the jungle, followed by a string of multilingual curses.
“That would be the stinging nettle snare,” I said with entirely too much enthusiasm.“Not lethal, but definitely memorable.”
Damien caught my eye and smiled.“You’re having way too much fun, Luna.”
“Well, someone’s got to,” I said, not realizing how closely we stood until now.
So close that I could see the golden flecks in his blue eyes, illuminated with his smile as he gazed at me.The sliver of air between us stretched taut like a livewire of electric pulses, each spark ricocheting underneath my skin.Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe even though my head spun like I’d breathed in too much at once.
“We should get going,” he said softly.
