Chapter 8 #2
“It’s not that I don’t want to help, but administrative paperwork takes up a lot of time,” Troy said as his attention moved across the room.
“Besides, I’m sure you’ll be…” his words trailed off as our eyes met.
My heart stuttered, and an inexplicable chill ran down my spine as the silver-eyed ranger’s gaze traveled from my black boot-covered toes to the top of my head.
Titus stiffened as the ranger sucked in a breath, doing a visible double-take. There was something predatory in his gaze, and my feet itched with the need to move.
“Actually, it’s procedure to take you there myself,” Troy said. I couldn’t breathe under his stare.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Damen’s eyebrow began to twitch, and his posture became something imposing. “You just said you didn’t have time. Give me the damn map.”
“No,” Troy replied. While he turned and shoved a few papers around on his desk and snatched up a set of keys, Titus pulled me behind him. “Rules are rules.”
“Rules that didn’t exist two minutes ago?” Damen protested.
I glanced around Titus’s arm. It was easier to think now that my racing heartbeat began to calm. But still, why did it seem like the park ranger hadn’t noticed me before? It wasn’t like I’d appeared out of thin air.
Unless…
I grabbed Titus’s sleeve, and when he looked at me, I asked, “Did you do something?”
He pressed his lips together, and I knew—shielding my emotions hadn’t been the only thing he’d been doing.
But why?
“You’ll never find the path without my help,” Troy said, shrugging. “You have five minutes before I leave, and your buddy gets to spend another day in the wild while you waste time trying to find him. It’s your choice.”
I touched my fingers together as I watched him leave through the front door.
“Fuck that guy.” Damen stalked over to us with a scowl. “We’ll figure it out. It can’t be that hard; there’s only two million acres.”
Julian and Titus nodded in response, and as Bryce and Brayden began to converse with them, Finn appeared at my side.
I did my best to ignore him but finally looked at him after he nudged my elbow. “What?”
“Don’t be dramatic,” he said, and before I could speak again, he shoved a small square of chocolate in my mouth. I paused, sucking on it, as he continued. “It’s not like you to be deterred from a mission.”
A mission!
The candy melted in my mouth as I stared at him. He was right, of course! This was no time to be afraid of the stranger’s prying eyes. We had to find Miles! That was the utmost priority.
I looked at the door. We didn’t have a lot of time—Troy might leave.
My view was blocked as Finn shoved a floppy beige hat over my head.
I touched the bottom of the hat, pushing it above my eyes, as I glanced back at him.
“So how are you going to convince Damen?” he asked. “He’s dead set on doing this the hard way.”
It did appear that way. Damen was holding his phone out to Titus and Julian, seemingly planning to extend our trip. Meanwhile, Brayden had left the group and was perusing a wall of brochures.
Bryce, however, was watching Finn and me with the most disturbing expression.
But his opinion mattered little to me.
I returned my attention to Damen and frowned.
I didn’t care whose pride I had to hurt; I would not lose this chance to find Miles. There was nothing wrong with asking for directions. Besides, it wasn’t like we couldn’t put up with Troy for ten minutes, and then, once his usefulness wore off, we could dispose of him.
I slipped away from the group as they continued their heated discussion, my nerves making me act before I could change my mind. Despite the way Troy made my skin crawl, we needed his help.
Troy stood at the foot of the stairs, silver eyes flashing as he glanced back at me.
“S-sorry,” I stuttered as my footsteps slowed. “We’ll follow you. Please wait.”
“What, by yourself?” he seemed almost eager. “The loud asshole didn’t seem thrilled.”
It was true that Damen was loud, and that he was not thrilled, but he would learn to deal with it. He couldn’t always get his way.
Disappointment was a part of life.
Calling him an asshole, on the other hand…
But I didn’t reply before Bryce stepped onto the patio. “All good?” he asked, crossing his arms.
“Yeah.” Tension I wasn’t even aware I’d been holding fell from my shoulders. “Are they coming?”
“Now they are,” Bryce replied, the corner of his mouth lifting. “You didn’t give them a choice by coming out here without waiting for Damen’s decision.”
I had waited for Damen’s decision, but it was the wrong decision, so there was no use in hearing him out. Besides, what was he going to do about it? Absolutely nothing.
“For what it’s worth,” Bryce began, pulling me aside as the rest of our group grumbled onto the patio, “I think you’re going to do just fine.”
“The lady should ride with me,” Troy called across the gravel lot, his eyes fixed on me. “I know these roads better than anyone.”
Titus paused beside me, his expression far scarier than anything Damen could muster.
“She stays with us,” Titus said, his voice threatening.
Something in his tone seemed to register with Troy. The uniformed man’s posture deflated slightly, though his gaze drifted back with unsettling interest. There was a familiar look in his eyes—it made my chest tight and my breath shallow.
I slipped away from Bryce and moved between Titus and Damen. “Is everything okay?” I asked, noticing their tense strides.
“He’s challenging me,” Titus grumbled. “I don’t think he knows who we are, and that bothers me. Plus, I don’t feel like dealing with a wolf today.”
I could no longer feel my feet as the word hit me like a physical blow.
“W-wolf?” I repeated as my vision tunneled, and the world seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
Memories I’d tried so hard to bury clawed their way to the surface—the sound of growling in the dark, the feeling of being hunted, that terrible knowing that no matter how fast you ran, they would always catch you.
Where was he?
I started to turn, panic rising in my throat, but Titus wrapped his arm around my waist. I looked into his face as his solid warmth anchored me to the present, though my heart still raced painfully in my chest.
“I’ll handle the rogue later," he said, blood roared in my ears. “We need to find Miles first.”
We’d reached the SUV, and Titus lifted me into the passenger seat while Damen opened the door, their movements synchronized and swift. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
“It’s fine, princess.” Titus lowered his head to mine, his hair creating a curtain around us, blocking everything else. “It’s okay to be scared. That’s why I’m here.”
I sucked in a breath and nodded.
“Hey—” Brayden spoke from somewhere beside me, and I flinched. Where had he come from? As he approached, I pulled back and pushed my wrists against my eyes.
“Here,” he said, ignoring Titus’s glowering as he shoved a stack of papers into my lap. “I picked up some pamphlets; you should probably read them.”
“Oh,” I whispered, looking down at the small pile. “Okay.”
This was nice—it gave me something new to focus on.
“This one in particular,” he said, moving a particularly colorful one to the top. “You’ll find it very interesting research.”
Really? I bit my lip, studying it. It looked cartoonish to me, and I wasn’t sure how it was relevant to our trip, but if he said so…
It sure was good that I had Brayden—I’d completely forgotten to do any research before now. What if the success of our mission hinged on some obscure local reference that only I could find? How neglectful I had been not to read the material!
“Thanks,” I told him, smiling this time. “You’re a good brother.”
Brayden stilled as the color rose to his face. “I—” he began, a strange tone to his voice. “Just read them, and don’t tell Bryce,” he muttered before scurrying away to join Bryce.
I looked after him, then back to Titus and Damen—both smirking. “What?” I asked them.
“He’s not used to it yet,” Damen replied. “Fae men are weird. Give him time to adjust.”
“Oh.” I pretended to understand. “Sure.”
“Just stay up front with Titus,” Damen ordered. He placed one more pamphlet over Brayden’s pile and touched my head. “And do your reading.”
“But—” I began. Was he giving up the front seat? I glanced at the center console. “That’s your seat.” He was the leader , which was supposed to be a whole thing, and…
Damen smiled, and the edges of my annoyance with him began to melt away. “I’d give it up for you every time.”
“Oh my God,” Finn cut in, elbowing Damen. “Just shut up and get in the car. We don’t have time for your stupidity.”
I nodded. It was true; we were wasting precious daylight.
Damen stood, frowning between us, as he furrowed his brows. “Fine,” he snapped, glaring at Finn. “ For now ,” he added.
“Whatever,” Finn replied. He reached past his brother and held on to my door as Titus walked around the vehicle and sat in the driver’s seat. “Let’s just go.”
I was in agreement. Finn closed my door, and the rest of the crew took up their positions in the vehicle. I was already looking through the brochures as Titus pulled out of the parking spot.