Page 57

Nadia

Cole frowns down at the boys. “No, I’m not going to kill you,” he says, steady and strong.

“I don’t come from a world where we kill children.

We raise them and educate them in warm and happy homes.

If you obey, you will be given food and warm clothing, you’ll be sent to school.

You’ll be safe and protected – and you won’t have to work until you’re much older and can decide what jobs you’d like. ”

A confused little hum starts in the children, the girls looking at me, clearly wondering if this promise extends to them as well. I slowly nod, dedicating myself inwardly to ensuring that that promise is kept.

“But it all starts with you all falling into line under my command,” Cole says, steady and unyielding. “Can you do that?”

Most of the little boys immediately nod, great smiles breaking out on their faces.

Only the boy in the lead truly hesitates.

Cole raises an eyebrow at Johnny, who glances around at his friends before he nods too, his head hanging.

I watch them, wondering if their loyalty can be so easily bought, suspicious that they’re tricking us.

These children - don’t they have stronger ties to the Children of Solace? Aren’t they…secretly loyal?

Or are their lives really so terrible that they’re eager to drop it all for such a meager promise - the absolute basics of what children should receive in this world?

I sigh, not fully trusting the boys yet. The girls I know ran from Slaken – hid from him, looking for a way out. These boys…I need to learn more before I can trust them not to turn on us.

Things move quickly after the boys accept Cole’s promise. He orders all the children to shift and then, to my surprise, he deputizes some of the taller girls to keep the boys in line.

At Cole’s order, the twelve boys sort themselves into two lines of six, and the girls ring around them in a big pack.

Cole turns to me, eyebrow raised, clearly asking if I’m ready.

But I just scoff at him, Janine up in my arms, because obviously I’m ready.

I want to get back – back to camp where we can feed these children, and get them clean, and ensure that they’re healthy and warm.

Cole laughs as he shifts, but he obligingly lowers himself so I can climb up onto his shoulders with Janine in front of me.

“Will we go fast?” Janine asks, looking up at me with worry in her eyes.

“Not too fast,” I whisper, dropping a kiss to her hair as Cole stands and I knot my fingers in his fur. “Don’t worry, kiddo – I’ll keep you safe. And if my Alpha runs too fast, I’ll just kick him.”

Janine laughs as Cole shoots a playful glare at me over his shoulder. Then he lets out a loud bark, and all the pups start forward as one. I’m surprised to see that none of the boys take the opportunity of their fast little wolf bodies to make a break for it, each of them staying solidly in line.

But then again, considering the world in which they grew up, perhaps order is second nature to them – familiar and comforting as they enter a new era of their lives. Still, I keep my eyes on them the entire time we run.

Our pace is slower than it was last night, Cole loping gently now so that the pups can keep up.

Their tongues loll from their mouths, and they run eagerly through the desert, though it’s very clear that each of them is running on adrenaline alone.

Their poor, starved little bodies – I can basically see their ribs through their fur.

And tired – we’re all tired. The boys, I think, are probably used to sleeping during the day, and the girls – like Cole and I – are running on perhaps three hours of sleep.

Janine sags against me as we move, I think catching snippets of rest, and I can’t deny the surge of relief that passes through me when I begin to recognize the stretches of desert landscape that indicate that we’re close to camp.

When we come into sight of it, Cole barks again and all of the pups come to a stop, the boys turning in their lines to face him, the girls gathering around in a messy little hoard.

Janine and I climb down from Cole’s shoulders and he shifts, looking over our little tiny troops.

I pick Janine up in my arms again, holding her close, looking over all the little pups – unable to think anything except that they’re so cute and I just want to feed them –

Even the little boys who threatened to stab me earlier. I can’t help it – I just…feel very attached to them all already.

“All right,” Cole says, nodding to the pups. “I want everyone to remain in wolf form, and young ladies, I’d like you in two even lines on either side of the boys, please.”

Janine looks up at me. “What’s a young lady?” she whispers.

I laugh, tapping her on the nose and whispering that she is, quickly giving her an explanation that makes her smile.

When all the kids have lined up, Cole holds his hand out to me. I take it, and together we move to the front. “You ready for this?” he murmurs, glancing down at me.

I shrug, looking up at him. “I was born for this.”

Cole smiles, exhausted but terribly pleased with me, and together we walk into the camp with one little wolf girl in my arms and twenty-five pups following neatly behind.

Tommy’s mouth falls open as he sees us approach.

He quickly radios for backup, his voice hesitant as he tries to find words for what he sees.

Tommy’s shock repeats on every face we see peering out of tents as we march into camp.

And as I look around, I’m pleased to note that one particular face – crowned by a mane of white-blonde hair – is notably absent.

***

The morning passes incredibly fast. Dad stumbles out of his tent first, shock all over his face before he replaces it all with that stern, dutiful look that’s so familiar to me.

And honestly, I almost think that I’ve gotten away with it before he catches me by the elbow, pulling me close, gentle but firm.

“We will talk , daughter,” he says, murmuring in my ear. “After we get these children fed and clothed.”

“All right,” I say, nodding to him, accepting it – grateful, honestly, that our priorities are in the same spot.

The next few hours slip by, the nurses and counselors all gleefully helping us to make the children feel at ease.

Grace and Shayne immediately flip out and throw their whole hearts into the task, enthusiastically helping all the children wash their hands and faces while I run around, begging everyone to spare what clothes they can.

We check the children over for obvious wounds before all the little pups troop into the dining hall. My heart clenches to see them eagerly heading for the food wearing oversized sweatshirts and rolled-up scrubs, whatever we could find and make fit them.

By the time they’ve all eaten and are drooping over the table after a big breakfast that the cooks happily whipped up, I find myself drooping too.

A yawn so wide it threatens to crack my jaw overtakes me as my father comes into the tent, leading – of all things – several guards with stacked mattresses between them.

“Go on, Nadia,” dad says, waving the guards forward. “We’ll get them down for a nap and keep an eye on them. You need to get cleaned up and rest yourself.”

“But –“ I sit straight, blinking hard against another yawn.

“ Go ,” dad says, quite solid, raising a brow at me. “The children do not need you to watch them sleep.”

“All right,” I murmur, glancing towards the door. I stand when I see Cole waiting for me there. I pause for a second, leaning close to my dad. “Keep your eye on the biggest boy,” I murmur, narrowing my eyes at Johnny, who is still glum and occasionally eyeing the door.

“We will,” dad says, nodding seriously to me and sending me on my way.

Cole holds his hand out for me as I approach, and I slip my palm against his without thinking about it, glancing back over my shoulder as we step out of the dining tent and head across camp. “I’m worried about Johnny,” I say.

“Yeah,” Cole says with a sigh. “He’s going to be trouble. But I can’t blame the kid – his whole life, he’s probably been the most dedicatedly loyal to the Children of Solace, and he’s probably been rewarded for it. This is hard for him.”

I frown up at Cole as we head into the nursing tent. “Do you think he’ll run?”

“I hope not,” he says, dropping my hand. I blink, suddenly blushing as I realize that I walked all the way here holding his damn hand .

What is wrong with me?

I must be tired.

Cole smirks at me and pretends not to know precisely what I’m thinking.

“I don’t think that Johnny will bolt alone without knowing where Slaken is.

We’re especially pack-oriented as children.

I want…” He hesitates for a second, his hands going to his hips as he looks again towards the entrance.

“Honestly, I’d like to get Jude to talk to him – he knows more about the Children of Solace than I do.

I think he’ll explain better than I can why it’s best for Johnny to give up his allegiances. ”

“Sounds good,” I say, yawning again. Then I hesitate, glancing between my bed and the shower, torn and trying to decide.

“Take a shower, Nadia,” Cole says, laughing a little. “You’ll sleep better.”

“And what about you?” I shoot back, my hands going to my hips. Even if that is what I was going to decide anyway, I don’t like him bossing me around.

“I’ll sleep better as well,” he says, smirking at me and striding off towards our bunks, grabbing our separate bathing kits. “Because I’m taking one too.”

I stare at Cole in surprise as he comes back over to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and taking me along with him to the shower room at the end of the tent.