Page 40 of Fate Unchained

She had him there, except for the first time, the words sounded wrong. Lilah shouldn’t be working alone in a library. She should be surrounded by people who adored her. “Come on.”

They returned to the southern gate leading into the forest, staying on the road so she could remain clear of the snow. He shrugged his shirt off and changed back to his true form, tucking the shirt into the back pocket of his trousers.

Zann and Finn slipped from the shadows under the trees and walked onto the road.

Lilah inhaled sharply.

He studied his pack brothers. He supposed two huge vulk walking out of the woods was a bit intimidating. Especially Zann. Except for his trousers and vest, he blended with the snow, his fur the same color, and of all the vulk, his expression was the fiercest. Finn was a good choice for Lilah to meet, though. In Ryba, he’d chosen to spend time with the humans there and they seemed to enjoy his company, especially the females.

Kyril glanced at Lilah. He wasn’t letting Finn get too close to her.

As they approached, Finn spoke first, “Hans and Juri, and now you. If the rune is choosing vulk alphabetically by our names, at least it skipped me.” He nodded at Lilah. “I’m Finn.”

Zann studied Lilah coolly for a long moment, then finally gave her a curt nod. “Zann.”

“You’d be last in the alphabet, then,” Lilah said.

Zann’s lip curled up one of his eyeteeth. “I won’t be participating in this little rune experiment.” Lilah stepped closer to Kyril. He put his hand on her lower back and drew her closer. He wanted her to feel safe. Zann was fierce, but he didn’t want Lilah to be afraid of him.

“I’m sure the runes will listen to you,” Lilah said.

Kyril bit back a smile. He should have known better. She hadn’t been scared of a shade, why would Zann bother her?

“Lilah’s agreed to help us.”

Zann’s eyes narrowed. “How can a human help us?”

Kyril explained about Lilah’s abilities with runes. Then told them about Boris and what he’d wanted from her and what she’d told him about the page from the grimoire. “Show them the paper.”

Lilah plucked it from her pocket and held it out. Finn took it and held it up to his face. “It does smell like spawn, but I can’t make anything out either.”

Finn had battled with Kyril against the five Dark Cabal members and Hoyt, but more importantly, Finn thought he got a good whiff of the hooded Dark Cabal leader—the one who escaped with the grimoire through the portal. If Kyril hadn’t scented anything on the grimoire page, he knew the other vulk wouldn’t either, but he’d still hoped maybe Finn would catch something.

Finn pointed. “Why would a spawn have the page from the grimoire?”

“Boris is either part of the Dark Cabal or connected to it,” Kyril said.

Zann eyed Lilah. “And we’re sure she isn’t?”

Lilah raised her chin a fraction. “He mentioned there may be a place for me in the group. I think he was feeling me out to join.”

Zann tilted his head. “We may be able to use that.”

Kyril growled and put his hand around Lilah’s waist. “We aren’t putting her in danger. If this Boris smells like the underworld, he’s either spawn disguised by powerful magic or something else is going on.”

A whoosh of warm air gusted from the forest, bowing the trees around them. The tree closest to them creaked loudly, then wavered. A large archway appeared in its trunk, splitting the tree to five times its width. Then ten. The archway stretched higher and higher, so large a carriage could pass through it, but it wasn’t a carriage coming their way.

Damn it.

Kyril grabbed Lilah and wrapped his arms around her, but he didn’t run. There was no need. He knew exactly who was coming.

Sure enough, through the tree doorway, a house appeared. First, as if it were really far away, but then it grew closer and closer, magnified by the magic zipping it forward to where they stood.

The home was a tree … of sorts. Two massive roots, resembling chicken feet, made up the trunk, and the rest of the house sat above them in treehouse fashion, with the boughs and leaves spreading over the roof.

The house walked forward on its chicken legs, squeezing through the arch, kicking snow out of the way, then squatting into place, settling along the forest’s edge. No snow gathered along its limbs, and a slight steam rose into the air.

Zann turned to him. “I thought you said you didn’t find her?”

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