Page 111 of Feral

“Fraser?” I asked, worry and fear quickly taking the place of my previous rage.

“Here,” he groaned from the floor, clutching his chest.

I ran to him and fell on my knees.

“Can you move? We have to get out of here,” I said.

He nodded and got to his feet.

“You were fierce,” he said as Liam and I helped him up.

I practically preened under the praise.

“Yes, well, it was the artifact.”

“No, lass, there was some of you in there.”

“Ya almost looked like you’d gone into a frenzy over Fraser getting hurt,” Liam agreed as we bolted out the door.

“But I’m Mundane.”

“Don’t matter, not when it’s real,” Liam said.

I glanced up at Fraser and caught a confusing cocktail of emotions in his yellow eyes. Pride, affection, desire, worry, fear.

We made it back to the Jeep and Liam tore out of there like the devil himself was after us. Fraser and I were in the backseat, our hands clutching at one another. I couldn’t stop touching him just to reassure myself that he was alright, and Fraser seemed to be doing the same.

If the Protectors were at the cottage that meant they knew Ruben specifically had the artifact and they were now done with their little ‘experiment’. But where was he? Had he fled the cottage knowing they were coming or was it luck? Or did he not know and when he went back would the artifact be taken?

There were too many variables. I could scour the country side looking for Ruben but if he didn’t want to be found, he wouldn’t be. I tried to focus on what I did know, the things I could possibly predict.

Ruben is missing now. He’s full of anger and hate…most of that about the Campbells…the Campbells… the handfasting…wait…wait!

“That’s it!” I sat up quickly, startling both Liam and Fraser.

“What’s it?” Fraser asked.

“The Apple, it takes people’s desires and twists them, creating discord that it then feeds off of, that then creates more discord in an endless cycle until the artifact is neutralized.”

“Okay, and…?”

“Some of the most potent reports of the Apple are when it’s in proximity to situations that there is already a seed of strife. So, if Ruben wanted to completely destroy the peace agreement, to make sure that the clans don’t unite—”

“He’d bring it to the handfastin’ tomorrow,” Liam said.

“Exactly. He won’t be able to resist it. The Apple will make sure of it because it’s in the artifact’s nature.”

“It’s the only place we know he’ll be,” Fraser said slowly.

“Yes.”

The brothers exchanged a worried look and I knew they weren’t happy about the situation.

“I’ll neutralize the Apple when he comes out into the open with it,” I reassured them both. “I swear to both of you that I will not let this hurt your clan.”

Liam glanced at us in the rear view mirror and Fraser let out a long exhale through his nose.

“Trust me,” I begged him. “Please? This is the only way.”

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