Page 72 of Wolf Queen Ruin
His hand slid to the small of my back, guiding rather than pushing.The warmth of that small contact contrasted with the coolness of his skin, chasing a pulsing shiver up my shoulder blades.
We slipped into the narrower corridor just as voices became audible in the chamber we’d vacated—Marcel’s distinctive French-accented English giving rapid instructions to his team.The passage we’d entered curved sharply, descending deeper into the earth on a steeper grade.
“Where do you think this leads?”Damien whispered, his voice close to my ear as he stayed right behind me, ready to pull me back at the first sign of danger.
“If the crypt follows the standard pattern, this would be the path to the inner sanctum—where the Queen herself would be interred.And hopefully where the Shadow Fang piece is hidden.”
The passage opened into a massive natural cavern that had been modified and enhanced by ancient builders.Stalactites hung from the distant ceiling like stone teeth, while carved steps led down to a central platform dominated by a monumental structure that resembled a temple.An eerie blue luminescence bathed the entire cavern, emanating from bioluminescent fungi growing along the walls.
“The Queen’s resting place,” I whispered in awe.
Damien stepped up beside me, his expression shifting from vigilant to something almost reverential.“In all my centuries,” he murmured, “I’ve never seen anything quite like this.”
In the center of the platform stood an enormous sarcophagus carved from a single piece of black stone.Its surface depicted a woman transforming into a wolf, the carving so detailed I could make out individual fur strands and the fierce expression on the hybrid face.Around the sarcophagus, smaller stone pedestals formed a protective circle, each bearing objects that glinted dully in the phosphorescent light.
“The Shadow Fang piece will be among her burial treasures,” I said, already moving toward the central platform, my senses alert for traps.
Damien caught my elbow.“Let me go first this time.”When I started to protest, he added, “Please, Luna.I heal faster than you do even with all the wards draining my energy.”
The earnestness in his eyes disarmed me.That wasn’t a flex.It wasn’t about control or dominance; he was genuinely concerned for my safety.And after the eyebrow incident, maybe he had a tiny point.
“Fine,” I conceded.“But at the first sign of a wooden stake with your name on it, I’m taking the lead again.”
He snorted a laugh, a very un-Damien-like thing to do.“Deal.”
The air seemed to thicken as we approached the sarcophagus, carrying a charge like the atmosphere before a lightning strike.The light from my headlamp reflected strangely off the polished stone, creating disorienting patterns that made depth perception difficult.
We had just reached the first step of the platform when a low, musical tone rang out—a single pure note that seemed to vibrate through bone rather than air.The blue glow intensified, pulsing in rhythm with the sustained sound.
“Wait,” I said, grabbing his arm.“Something’s happening.”
He moved in front of me, his body a shield between me and whatever was manifesting, but I stepped up beside him.Despite his wishes, we were partners, not protector and protected.
The air above the sarcophagus began to shimmer and condense, forming a translucent figure that grew more substantial with each pulse of light.The shape resolved into the form of a woman—tall and regal, with flowing silver hair and eyes that gleamed with the same phosphorescent blue as the fungi on the walls.She wore elaborate ceremonial attire that combined elements of ancient indigenous design with symbols I recognized from shifter tradition.
The specter regarded us, her translucent form rippling like water disturbed by a passing breeze.When she spoke, her voice seemed to emanate from the stones themselves, resonating through the chamber with haunting clarity.
“After centuries of silence, my sanctuary is breached by the unlikeliest of pairs,” she said, her gaze moving between us.“Wolf-daughter with broken bonds and night-son with borrowed time.You seek my treasure, as all intruders do.But first…”
A round stone door rolled over our only exit with an earth-shaking rumble.
“You must be judged.”
Chapter twenty-two
Luna
Judged?ButIwassorely lacking in so many areas.
I didn’t even own a can opener.
Why that was the first failing I thought of, I had no idea.
The Wolf Queen’s spectral form hovered above her sarcophagus, her translucent features shifting between human and wolf with each ripple of blue energy.The temperature in the cavern dropped sharply, my breath forming visible clouds in the suddenly frigid air.
“Speak your purpose, intruders,” she commanded, her voice reverberating through the chamber like distant thunder.“Truth only.Falsehoods wither in my presence.”
I glanced at Damien, finding his face tense with concentration.The Wolf Queen’s magic clearly affected him more strongly here in her inner sanctum, the blue light seeming to set his pale skin aglow with an otherworldly pallor.
