~

 

Wet, cold, and in desperate need of a shower; Kent pressed on through the tunnels after Marco. The man was on a mission to find the witch, and whether he had Raul’s blessing or not – he seemed determined to make Agatha pay for what he’d perceived to be her betrayal of the clan and their alpha, Zane.

Kent didn’t like it.

He didn’t like the fact that Raul had taken control of the clan and was now the alpha.

He didn’t like that Marco was off doing his own damn thing.

And he certainly didn’t like that they weren’t looking at the big picture where Zane’s death was concerned.

One way or another; Zane would have died. The clan wasn’t blaming the pack that had killed him, but they were blaming the witch that they thought should have had his back.

The man had gone crazy bear, and that wasn’t his fault – it happened most of the time when a man lost his mate by whatever means – but killing Agatha for allowing the pack to end Zane … he wasn’t sure that the woman should shoulder the blame for doing what the clan hadn’t done and finishing the alpha off, protecting life, human, and otherwise.

Kent had to wonder what life under their new alpha would be like. He didn’t much care for Raul, and he knew that feeling was mutual.

Perhaps, it was time to leave the clan and find his own way, or perhaps that was turning his back on the people that he’d grown up with, that he knew better than he knew himself. He’d know soon enough when he ventured home again.

What he didn’t want was for Raul to show up on the mountain. The man had the kind of attitude that made you want to punch him in the face before he’d even opened his big mouth, and he didn’t think that would sit well with the vampire and the shifters that he’d already met.

Add to that the amount of witches in the area and Raul was asking for trouble, maybe more than he could handle – just like Marco was by venturing into the damn vampire’s lair.

Deep down Kent knew that this could end only one way – badly.

 

~

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~

 

Agatha thought that she might have missed the doorway out into the first room. She was almost certain that the first and only time that she had ventured into the tunnels out of a witchy sense of curiosity, she hadn’t gone so deeply into them.

Up ahead; she saw the tunnel widen into a landing with a staircase that lead upwards, presumably towards the roof, and one that led downwards, presumably to the ground floor. There was also the choice of staying on the path that she was on…

At any other time; she might have enjoyed the intrigue, the anticipation of not knowing where she might end up, but the choices that presented themselves to her made her feel antsy.

There was a part of her that wanted to go back, a part that was wondering what her mate was doing, a part that sort of … missed him…

Agatha frowned to herself and sighed inwardly. She wanted to dismiss those feelings, because she knew that they weren’t real…

They seemed real enough in the sense that the mating pull was working inside of her body, mind, and soul to lead her down Fate’s rightful path, but not real in the sense that it was like any other craving – she just needed the willpower to ignore it.

What she couldn’t ignore was the sense that the tunnel felt as if it was getting smaller, closing in around her. She’d never been claustrophobic in her life before, and she wasn’t sure that was what she was actually feeling, or if, like that craving, her mind was just playing tricks on her so that she would turn back towards her mate, towards the mating pull, and towards fate’s plans for her future.

“I’ve come this far and I’m not leaving without cake!” She grumbled to herself – not really feeling the need for a sugary treat as much as for a way out of the tunnels at the earliest convenience.

And maybe there was still a little part of her that was in denial about having found a mate.

Agatha stopped in place the moment that she heard the sound that came from in front of her. She craned her head to listen for what it could be, and wondered if she was going to encounter a really big rat…

Please, not a rat … anything but a rat…

At that exact moment her shields buzzed with a warning … something supernatural by nature was ahead of her.

Ok, maybe a rat would have been good about now…

Agatha took a small step back and wondered if she should let the orb of light extinguish within her palm. The trouble was; the supernatural world tended to be able to see a whole lot better in the dark than she ever could … orb or not, the only one who wouldn’t see what was coming was her.

There was a grunting sound from behind her – she snapped her head around and narrowed her eyes in a vein attempt at trying to see into the deepest darkness of the tunnel, but all that she could see was the blackness that unnerved her.

With magic at her fingertips – she had a choice to make – go back – go forward – or wait, watch, and pray that she was fast enough to act if push came to shove.

 

~

~

~

 

Liam could scent his mate in the air. He knew that he was getting closer because her scent was stronger now and it wrapped around him, urging him on. But there was also the scent of bear in the air that made his heart beat its own tune, and it wasn’t a good one.

Liam had a sense of dread and a rock in his gut that told him things could go very badly if he didn’t reach her soon. The woman was walking into a damn trap, whether she knew it or not, and when he found her…

His wolf was more than agitated, it was almost desperate to push forward, be at her side, and it might have been a good idea or a very bad one, but Liam knew that he couldn’t risk it either way.

He was having a hard time with the width of the tunnels as it was. His shoulders brushed and caught on the stone on either side of him, but he kept going. There wasn’t time in his mind to shift – not when his mate was in danger…

He saw the light of the orb that reflected against the dank walls and knew it had to be her … his heart pounded within his ears and he rushed forwards towards her…

“Agatha…” he growled out…

She felt so damn close that he could just reach out and touch her, and yet, before he could – there was the danger that he’d sensed so well…

The bears were upon her, and all that he could do was keep going…