Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Caidrik’s stomach clenched again, harder this time. He staggered a step and caught himself. His head swam. His body was losing the fight.
Luca tilted his head, staring down at Dax, who had stopped moving. “Well, one down.” Then he studied a heaving Isaac. “Okay.” He bared his teeth and lunged at Isaac, shifting into his wolf form as Isaac did the same.
The two started to fight with a clash of claws and teeth. Isaac didn’t have a chance.
“Be fair,” Caidrik snarled as another wave hit him, brutal and dizzying. He swayed on his feet. He’d never attack when another wolf was down, and Isaac needed help.
Dax lay motionless in the snow, blood spreading slowly beneath him.
Caidrik could barely see. “Shift, Nadia. Now.” It was a risk with the silver in her blood, but she’d be stronger in wolf form. His body automatically shifted into wolf form, and he leaped off the porch to smash into Luca and roll him away from Isaac.
Isaac yelped, lifted unsteadily to his feet, and stumbled into the forest.
Luca jumped onto Caidrik.
Caidrik only had one chance, so he took it, snapping his jaw into Luca’s neck. The wolf howled in pain and rolled away. Caidrik had to get out of there before Luca healed himself or Bulwark came back. He’d had two cups of the tea. He jerked his head to the house, and Nadia stepped back, still in human form. The female needed to learn obedience.
Gasping, snarling, and bleeding from the ears, he prodded toward her, forcing her retreat to the door.
“They need help,” she whispered.
Too bad. She needed to be safe. He continued to stalk her until she opened the door, sliding inside the warm mansion.
Only when he heard the lock engage did he turn, survey the two downed wolves on the ground, and run for safety.
Chapter 4
Nadia backed away from the door, her breath coming too fast, her pulse hammering in her ears. When she heard movement in the kitchen, she turned and ran through the house, her steps echoing sharply off the marble floors. The air felt as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. She skidded to a stop in the kitchen and found Solomon at the counter, methodically cleaning up after the tea, his movements precise and strained.
“What in the world did you do?” she yelled.
Solomon looked up, his face pale, eyes rimmed red as he slowly shook his head. His hands trembled as he placed a cup into the sink. “I honestly don’t know what happened.”
“How could you poison them?”
“I didn’t.” He threw both hands up, frustration cracking through his composure. His tie hung crooked, and his dark hair stood in disarray, as though he had dragged his fingers through it one too many times. “Honestly, I just made the tea.”
Her chest tightened, her breath burning as it scraped in and out of her lungs. “Then who poisoned them?”
He straightened. “I don’t know.”
None of this made any sense. “Why am I okay?”
“It obviously wasn’t in the tea,” he muttered. “Someone must’ve put something in their cups.”
Nadia leaned back against the counter. The cold marble seeped through her clothes and into her spine, which still ached from being stabbed. Her legs shook, and she planted her palms behind her to keep from sliding down. The kitchen looked untouched with its gleaming stainless steel appliances and white marble counters reflecting the overhead lights. Even the floor sparkled, pristine and unforgiving, in contrast to the chaos spreading beyond the walls. “I have to see if everyone’s okay.”
“No.” Solomon lifted a hand, stopping her. “The four challengers headed into the forest to hunker down and rid the poison from their bodies. Hopefully this thing won’t kill them.”
Her heart dropped hard into her stomach. “What about Dax?” she whispered.
Solomon shook his head, his mouth thinning. “He must have been more susceptible to whatever the poison was. That wolf is too far gone. I’m sorry.”
Nadia pressed two fingers into her eyes, pushing until dull pressure bloomed behind them. Grief settled in her chest, thick and suffocating. “I don’t understand. How were the cups poisoned, and how did the person know which one was mine?” She lowered her hands, her gaze darting from counter to tray to sink.
“I don’t know. Yours was the pink cup. The rest were on the tray. I took one in each time. It wouldn’t be hard to figure out which one was yours, and the backdoor was open. I guess some sort of liquid could’ve been dropped into the bottom of each cup.” He chewed on his lip, his gaze flicking toward the door. “I don’t know, Nadia. I really don’t. This isn’t part of the challenge. It’s sabotage.”
The back door banged open, and Nadia jerked, her body tensing. Her hand curled into a fist, and she instinctively searched for something sharp or heavy. She really should start carrying knives.