Page 52 of Broken Souls

He cuts himself off at the look in my eyes. He knows I’m not asking. I need to know what happened with Mother’s monster – the one Micha seems to have killed. I need to know when she arrived. Why the fuck she’s back.

Leno lets out a breath as he nods. Then he turns on his heels and leaves the room with Krypto right beside him.

A second after he disappears, Maddox comes sliding in, his breath harsh and ragged. “Antonio took Khalid!”

I’m on my feet in an instant, finally letting her go.Leno and Krypto come running back into the room, no doubt having heard the news.

“Alive?” I snap.

“I think so. I didn’t see him.” Maddox shakes his head as he pants with his hands on his knees. He cranes his neck up. “Talon shouted it as he ran out of the back before you all got here, saying he was going after Antonio.”

“Fuck,” Enoch says. “I haven’t seen T since we arrived.” Meaning he’s not back yet. Might not ever be coming back.

The fucking fool.

“I tried to tell him to wait for me,” Maddox says, “but by the time I got Zita chained up, the fucker was gone.”

“You could’ve shifted into a wolf and tracked him,” I say.

He looks at me like I’m an idiot. “What the fuck do you think I’ve been doing? But all the plants are so godsdamn excited, throwing out perfume left and right. I can’t smell anything else. I saw the direction T ran off in, and I still ended up going in fucking circles.”

“Talon doesn’t stand a fucking chance,” Enoch says, his face turning pale. “Antonio nearly killed him the last time.”

“Maybe he won’t care that he’s following him?” Leno says, always so damn hopeful. “Talon can’t keep up with him even in his shadow, and if Antonio’s taken Khalid, then he’ll want to get him back to his compound before he heals enough to fight back.”

Maddox shakes his head. “Khalid’s girl’s gone too. I think they took her. Even if he’s fully healed, he’s not going to fight back if it puts her in danger.”

“Fuck. What if she’s in on it?” Enoch says, and all our heads snap to him. “Someone had to have let the wolves in,” he pushes, “and Khalid kidnapped her. Maybe she killed the wards in exchange for her freedom.”

Maddox snorts. “Been watching too much TV, Eno.”

He bristles. “She’s a fucking WALL member. They huntallsups. Just because Khalid forced her to blood bond with him doesn’t mean she likes him. She hasn’t once been out of his room to meet us.”

“Antonio nearly killed her,” Leno cuts in. “Why would she side with him?”

Maddox rolls his eyes. “Bruh, if you’re going to be on my team, don’t come in with a piss poor argument any monkey can tear apart.” He straightens. “She hatesallsups. If we’re too busy fighting each other, we’re not going after her. Uh, fuckingduh.” He glances at me. “But I don’t think she’s the traitor. She never asked for steak.”

My lips tighten as Enoch asks, “What the fuck does steak have to do with anything?” in exasperation.

But as much as I want to think Maddox is just being a little shit for the sake of it, I know he isn’t. He might fuck about ninety-nine percent of the time, but during that one percent that matters, he’s the most focused of us all.

Proving just that, he turns to me. “I knocked Zita out and chained her up in the garage. We can trade her for Khalid.” She’s Antonio’s granddaughter, but that doesn’t mean he gives a damn about her. Still, it’s the best chance we have of getting one of them back.

Shoving a hand in my pocket, I pull out my phone. “Get as much info out of Zita as you can before she leaves,” I say.

The grin Maddox gives me is full-on insane. He has been itching to get his hands on her for weeks now. As he turns to leave, I scroll through my contacts and press on Antonio Garcia.

“Enoch, get me the wolf I shot,” I say, raising the phone to my ear to listen to it ring. My eyes shift to Leno. “Go heal Mother.” There’s a good chance we need her soon.

Leno leaves, but Enoch shakes his head. “I tried to tell you earlier. That wolf killed himself. Took a poison or some shit before I could get to him.

My eyes narrow. “Where’s Rudy?”

“Re-engaging the wards.”

“Leave him, but get Ez. We’re leaving in ten.”

He spins and heads out. The phone keeps ringing, and I turn to look at Micha. As Enoch said, someone had to have let the wards down. Although Aleric once broke through them with the help of another witch, that was decades ago. We’ve heavily strengthened them since, and breaking them with brute force would’ve left massive damage behind. But none of the trees are on fire. The ground circling our border isn’t dead. So there’s another traitor inside this house.