Page 11 of Curses and Casualties (Hunters Hollow #3)

Ryan

A mara leads us up a hidden staircase behind a bookcase. The room she shows us to is small but cozy, with two twin beds and an overstuffed couch that’s seen better days. After the roach-infested motel from the night before, it feels like a luxury suite.

“It’s warded by magic,” Amara explains. “Nothing and no one malign can enter without my knowledge. It will give you a respite and a chance to fortify yourselves emotionally and physically.”

We thank her, and Scarlett immediately claims one of the beds, while Ethan takes up position by the window. Georgia hovers uncertainly near the couch, exhaustion evident in every line of her body.

After Amara leaves, I guide Georgia to the other bed. “You should sleep, love,” I murmur, steadying her as she sways slightly.

“What about you?” she asks, her eyes heavy with fatigue but still full of concern for me.

I smile, touched by her care even in her exhausted state. “I’ll keep watch for a while. Don’t worry about me.”

She nods drowsily, and I press a kiss to her forehead before she settles onto the bed. Within moments, her breathing evens out into the rhythm of sleep.

I exchange a few quiet words with Ethan, arranging our watch schedule. Amara may have assured us this place is locked up tight, but we’re not about to take any chances. We decide that he’ll take the latter part of the night, allowing me to rest before dawn.

Once the details are set, I step out onto the small balcony that attaches to the room.

For a place that is both nowhere and everywhere, this place sure does have a nice view.

The night air is cool and crisp, but it’s not the scent of nature that I’m used to back home.

No. Here, the air carries the faint scent of the magic that seems to permeate this place.

As I gaze out at the starlit sky, I ruminate over everything we learned today.

In a way, I was still coming to terms with the importance of the Soul Bond to shifterkind .

Finding out that the fate of magic itself rests on our bond is a staggering responsibility.

It puts an even bigger target on our backs, and the thought is enough to tighten my chest into a painful knot.

For years, all I wanted was to find my mate, and now that I have her, the stakes are impossibly high—not just for us, but for everyone caught in this supernatural power struggle.

After a while, I hear soft footsteps behind me. Georgia’s scent reaches me before her arms wrap around my waist, her cheek pressing against my back.

“Couldn’t sleep long?” I ask softly, covering her hands with mine.

She shakes her head against my back. “Too much on my mind.”

I turn in her embrace, cupping her face gently. “It’s... a lot to process, isn’t it?”

She nods, her eyes filled with turmoil. “Ryan, I’m scared,” she admits in a whisper. “What if we can’t do this? What if we fail? Everyone is counting on us, and the thought of letting them down—” Her voice breaks, and I pull her closer, trying to offer whatever comfort I can.

“Hey,” I murmur, tilting her chin up so her eyes meet mine.

“We won’t fail. We’re strong. Stronger than any mated pair has been in living memory.

Plus, we’re smart. Well, at least you are,” I add with a teasing smile, hoping to lighten the mood just a tad.

“And we’ve got Ethan, Scarlett, and Amara and whoever else is willing to fight on our side.

We’re not alone in this. Creatures want change, and together we’re going to find a way. ”

“How can you be so sure of that? I’m only just beginning to understand how vast this supernatural world is, and already I can see how much power the Elders and the Arcane Council have.

How do we even get into the Soulcave when they’re expecting us?

They know that’s where we need to finish this.

We barely escaped with our lives on the full moon.

How on earth do we survive a super moon when every pack in the country—and maybe even the world—is out to get us? ”

“If every wolf shifter in the country decided to stand against us, that’d be…I don’t know, about fifteen hundred of them. We could totally take them.”

I laugh a little at the absurdity of my own bravado, and Georgia smiles, a little of the tension lifting from her shoulders. “Fifteen hundred,” she echoes, “and you’re estimating we’d only have to face, what, two or three hundred at the Soulcave if we’re lucky?”

“Probably less,” I say, “since half of them are lazy, and the other half will be too busy arguing which alpha gets to lead the hunt.” The smile lingers longer this time, and her eyes soften as she leans in to rest her forehead against my chest.

“You’re ridiculous,” she says. “But thank you for making me laugh—even if the odds seem even worse now that I know how many shifters exist inside this country.”

I wrap my arms tight around her, holding her close as the night air settles cold and quiet around us. She buries her face against my neck for a moment, and I just breathe her in.

“I’m scared to face this too,” I confess. “But like everyone else who’s helped us come this far, I believe in us, love. I believe we can succeed because we have something they don’t—our bond. It’s not just the source of our strength. It’s also our greatest weapon.”

“Our bond is our weapon,” she repeats, taking a shaky breath as her hands fist in my shirt.

“God, Ryan. How did we go from just trying to figure out how this bond works to being responsible for the entire supernatural world? I’m not even in control of my wolf yet, and I’m somehow supposed to save the world? ”

I can’t help but chuckle softly. “Life’s funny that way, I guess. One minute your sole focus is a bunch of rocks, and the next you’re trying to save magic itself.”

Georgia’s laugh is quiet but genuine, and I feel some of the tension leave her body. “At least I’m not alone in this craziness,” she says, looking up at me in a way that takes my breath away.

“Never,” I promise, leaning down to capture her lips in a kiss filled with all the promise and peril of our shared destiny.

It’s a brief, soft connection, and as we part, I see a familiar glow beginning to emanate from her skin.

It’s softer than before, more like moonlight than the sun, but still unmistakable.

“We’re glowing again,” Georgia murmurs, a hint of wonder in her voice. “It seems to be happening so quickly now.”

I nod, feeling the warmth of our bond pulsing between us. “I think... I think this is part of how we do this. This glow is energy, Georgia. Maybe there’s a way to control it, to use it?”

She smiles as she leans into me. “Well, in that case, maybe we should... practice more? We’ll never figure it out if we don’t.”

I can’t help the low growl that escapes me at her suggestion. “I like the way you think, love.”

Mate wants us, Kane rumbles approvingly. Good. Need to strengthen bond. Make powerful.

Reaching down, I lift her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around my waist as I press her against the cool stone wall of the building.

Her breath catches, a mixture of surprise and anticipation sparkling in her eyes as I lean in, my lips tracing the line of her jaw to the sensitive spot behind her ear.

Georgia shivers, a soft moan escaping her as she tilts her head to give me better access.

There’s something intoxicating about the way our bodies meld together, the heat from her skin igniting a fire within me that seems to fuel the glowing light enveloping us both.

Our energies intertwine, becoming brighter with each shared breath and touch.

As I kiss her neck, the glow intensifies, casting a radiant halo around us.

“Ryan,” she breathes out, her voice a mix of hesitation and desire, “should we... stop? What if someone sees us?”

I pause, my lips still against the soft skin of her neck. The logical part of my mind knows she’s right—the glow is not just a sign of our bond but a beacon that could draw unwanted attention.

But the part of me that’s fueled by the connection we share, the primal urge to protect and be one with her, wants nothing more than to continue. I pull back slightly, locking eyes with her in the dim light. “Let’s find somewhere more private,” I whisper, my voice husky with unresolved desire.

Georgia nods, a mischievous sparkle playing in her eyes. “Lead the way then, mate.”

With a grin, I lower her back to the ground. We pause at the balcony door, listening carefully. Ethan and Scarlett’s steady breathing confirms they’re both sound asleep. Hand in hand, we creep inside, tip-toeing past them and into the narrow hallway lined with old portraits and flickering candles.

The Crossroads seems to shift around us as we explore, as if the building itself is alive and aware. We pass several closed doors before finding a secluded alcove where a heavy velvet curtain conceals another door.

“Please be empty,” I whisper as I gently push it open. The door creaks slightly under my touch, but to our relief, the room beyond is dark and unoccupied.

It’s a private library, and even in the dim moonlight filtering through a single arched window, I can tell this is no ordinary collection.

The air practically hums with power. Shelves stretch from floor to ceiling, packed with volumes that seem to pulse with their own inner light.

Some spines shimmer with gold lettering that moves like living things, while others are bound in materials I can’t identify—scales, perhaps, or something more exotic.

I pull Georgia inside and quickly shut the door behind us. The room smells of old leather and parchment, with undertones of sage and something metallic.

Georgia’s eyes widen in awe as she takes in the rows of ancient tomes, her love for mysteries and untold stories momentarily distracting her from our previous intent. “Ryan, this place is incredible. Look at these books. They’re practically alive.”