“We don’t know,” Declan said.
“Fuck.” Tharion said the word on a long exhale. It echoed in every bone and blood vessel. Before he could ask more, he noticed Ari sizing up the group, her gaze landing on the female wolf beside Holstrom. “I know you.”
The female wolf’s chin lifted. “Likewise, dragon.”
Tharion must have made a confused face, because Holstrom said, “This is Sigrid … Fendyr.”
Yeah, he was hallucinating. There was only one Fendyr other than the Prime: Sabine. And he was pretty sure she didn’t have any secret daughters.
“We’ll get to the particulars later,” Declan said, and slumped into the nearest chair. His boyfriend stood beside him, a hand on his shoulder. “We have to sort through this clusterfuck.”
Flynn swore. “What is there to sort through? We killed Sabine.”
Tharion jolted—or tried to. His body wouldn’t move.
“You killed Sabine,” Declan said. “I shot her in the leg.”
“She’s not dead-dead,” Flynn said.
“She doesn’t have a face,” Dec countered. “That’s pretty—”
“What happened to the other wolves?” Holstrom asked none of them in particular.
Oh, wait—he was asking Tharion and Ari. Ari gave Holstrom a blank look. “What wolves?”
“We were being chased by the Black Rose Pack,” Ithan explained, “and then … we weren’t. Where did the Viper Queen take them?”
“Start looking in the river,” Tharion mumbled.
“She wouldn’t have killed them,” Marc said. “It’d be a headache, even for her. Her goons must have knocked them out and moved them elsewhere.”
“What about Sabine?” Holstrom asked.
Gods, Tharion’s head was throbbing. This had to be some weird dream.
“The Viper Queen will twist this to her own advantage somehow,” Marc said. “She’ll either present herself as Sabine’s rescuer or hand us over.”
Tharion lifted his brows at Marc.
Marc caught the look and explained, “I’ve had a few clients get into trouble with the Viper Queen over the years. I learned a thing or two about her tactics.”
Tharion nodded, as if this was perfectly fucking normal, and closed his eyes again.
“Pathetic,” Ari hissed—probably at him. But then she asked the others, “So you’re all the Viper Queen’s captives?”
“Not sure,” Declan said. “She caught us in the act of, uh … downing Sabine. When she told us to follow, it seemed like an order.”
“But she said nothing else?” Ari asked. Tharion cracked an eye, fighting to stay present.
“Just that we can crash here tonight,” Flynn said, plopping on the couch beside Tharion and grabbing the remote. He flipped to some sports highlights.
“We should make a run for Tiberian or for the river,” Declan said.
“You’re not getting out if the Viper Queen doesn’t want you to,” Tharion rasped.
“So we’re trapped?” Sigrid’s voice hitched with something like panic.
“No,” Holstrom said. “But we need to think through our steps carefully. It’s a question of strategy.”
“Lead on, oh great sunball captain,” Flynn intoned with mock solemnity.
Ithan rolled his eyes, and the gesture was so normal, so friendly, that something in Tharion’s chest tightened. He’d thrown all this away, any shot at a normal life. And now his friends were here … seeing him like this.
Tharion closed his eyes once more, this time because he couldn’t stand the sight of his friends. Couldn’t stand the worry and pity in Holstrom’s eyes as the wolf took in his sorry state.
Captain Whatever. More like Captain Worthless.
* * *
The beasts were much larger, much fouler-smelling up close. Bryce’s magic sputtered as they turned her way. She teetered on the rock ledge before steadying herself.
One leap upward, and they’d devour her. Her star illuminated only the closest ones, all hissing mouths, writhing bodies, slashing tails—
She rallied her power, but … nothing. Just glittering stardust in her veins. Only enough to keep that star glowing on her chest. No teleporting, then. Could these creatures see enough to be blinded? They dwelled in the darkness. Could they have evolved past the need for sight?
The thoughts raced and crashed through her. The grate was thirty feet up—no way to go back now. And the floor of the pit was covered with these things, all smelling her, assessing her.