Page 3 of Savage Sacrifice (The Savage Six #4)

ASHER

T he weight of Minnie’s words fall heavily over the group.

No one knows what to say or do, but that’s the truth; their parents were the reason for Polaris’s time at Florentine’s.

Saying it like that feels like a cop out since she endured so much shit, missed out on so much life, all so they could live theirs.

I hate it.

What doesn’t make sense is the fact that Bryony is Lincoln’s blood kin, yet she didn’t face the same consequences Polaris did. Why didn’t she find herself at Florentine’s?

Shame dances in Minnie’s eyes, but the actions weren’t her own; they just reflect badly on her.

I wonder if Polaris considered that fact before she…

fuck. My eyelids fall closed as I grimace at the memory, but all it does is offer my nightmare a canvas to play out on.

Prying my eyes open, my vision blurs as my muscles coil tight and uncertainty wars inside of me.

She just… died. At her own hands, to save Minnie.

Even if there’s a miracle in this world and Polaris’s words to Minnie are true, I’ll never be able to unsee the gentle look in my mate’s eyes as she grabbed a used blade and plunged it into her chest.

Hope, Asher. Cling to the fucking hope.

It feels easier said than done right now. I’m light-headed, on the verge of swaying on my feet, and I don’t like how helpless and out of control it all feels.

“Let’s head back, figure all this shit out in private,” Lincoln murmurs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tilts his face down, trying but failing to shield the dismay from his facial features.

We’re feeling it, every one of us. Hiding your vulnerabilities in a group this tight doesn’t shield them; it simply elevates them. But he quickly shakes it off, his jaw ticking with barely contained anger as his hands ball into fists at his sides.

Blaze grunts in response but spins for the exit without a word, Wylder right beside him, but I don’t miss the deathly stare the vampire offers our alpha before he does.

I’m not sure if Blaze wants to kill Lincoln for the sins of his parents or not, but I think the fact that Lincoln looks just as feral as he does is keeping him at bay. For now, at least.

Taking their lead, the rest of the group hurries for the exit too. Bryony and Minnie huddle together while Lincoln throws his arm around Tatum’s shoulder and guides him to follow, leaving me to bring up the rear.

Good.

I need a moment to be alone with my thoughts.

I feel numb, so fucking numb, right down to my bones.

Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I head outside, hoping the fresh air will help snap me out of it, but it’s futile. I’m trapped in a vortex in my mind, the dreaded moment playing on repeat.

She took her life for Minnie, without question. I want to say without thought, too, but I saw the calmness on her face, the soft lilt to the corner of her mouth as she looked at her best friend. She knew what she was doing; she believed in it. I have to try to do the same.

I’ve never met anyone as loyal as Polaris. It’s a trait I usually treasure, but right now, her loyalty is causing me so much pain and grief that the high regard in which I usually hold it is dwindling.

Control is slipping through my fingers like grains of sand, making it impossible to capture. I try to push the loss of Polaris to the back of my mind as we take the winding path to the wolf dorms, but all it does is allow other worries and concerns to come to fruition in my mind.

My uncle, The Crow, has a deal brokered with Blaze, which requires Tatum’s life, and the countdown is still ticking on that.

Not only is Tatum’s life in jeopardy, but the weight of Polaris not being here right now is only going to send him into a deeper spiral.

He’s spent an eternity trying to keep his head above water, but why would it matter now without her?

I shake my head, trying to force the thoughts away, but the uncertainty churning in my gut quickly refocuses, targeting Minnie next.

Not only has she just witnessed, more up close and personal than the rest of us, her friend killing herself to save her life, but her brother’s blood kin is her partner.

None of this is fair, not for any of us.

We need to fix it, and fix it fast.

My gut clenches. The only way to speed things up usually involves… The Crow. I don’t want to turn to him. I definitely fucking shouldn’t turn to him, but if push comes to shove, it might be the only option we have.

Squandering the thought, I try to clear my mind altogether, but it’s embarrassing to even try.

I just don’t know how to feel unless it involves getting lost in Polaris, my Silver; it’s the only feeling I’ve craved enough to want more.

Now, I want to go back to hibernating in my bleak, numb state of mind.

If I focus on everyone else’s problems and worries, I’ll keep myself afloat. I have to.

All too quickly, the stone path turns to wood chippings beneath my feet and the wolf building looms before me. I don’t feel any solace from seeing it.

Lincoln takes the lead, swinging the door open before trudging toward his office.

To my surprise, Blaze holds back, nodding for me to pass before he steps inside with us.

As he kicks the door shut behind us, I can’t help but feel cold.

My usual wolf-heat feels weak, and my temperature only drops further when I hear Lincoln curse.

Hurrying to see what the issue is, I make my way past the others so I can stand shoulder to shoulder with Lincoln at the door. He doesn’t make any effort to try to step inside, and I don’t blame him. What awaits is not something we’re ready for; I know it.

My defenses are raised, my concern growing stronger by the second, and it takes root deep in my stomach. Squeezing Lincoln’s shoulder, I step past him and head into the office. A crisp card is folded on his desk, placed neatly beside the golden chalice and six familiar coins.

I don’t need to guess who put it here, I already know, but the signature crow emblem on the top corner of the card confirms it. What bothers me more is how the hell he managed to get them to begin with. How they wound up here, right under our noses.

Just as Lincoln and Minnie feel the weight of their parents’ actions, I always feel the swarming guilt of my uncle’s. It’s irrational—I know it deep down—but his blood still runs through my veins and I feel guilty by association.

With that in mind, I cut the distance, striding through the room with a sense of purpose that burns through my veins. Grabbing the card, I scan my eyes over the text once before I sigh, peering at my friends for a moment before I read it out loud to the others.

“Dearest wolves. Hmm, is that the right way to address you when I’m sure the vampire will be there too?

Maybe I should address you as The Savage Six, but that doesn’t really include Minnie and Bryony now, does it?

Because we all know Lincoln wouldn’t do a thing to hurt his sister’s sweetheart.

” My blood boils at the joy he takes from this.

Regardless, I shouldn’t stray from the topic at hand, and I’m sure we all know what that is.

I clear my throat, but it does nothing, so I do it again, though the tightness in my chest only rises.

“The witch is dead.” Minnie lets out a strangled sob that I feel in every part of my body, but despite my desire to comfort her, I try to get the note over with.

“How sad. I had such great plans for her. Alas, I didn’t expect her to react so rashly, but there is always room for adjustments.

You will continue what I planned for her to do, and in return, I will concede Blaze’s current deal. The Crow.”

“I fucking hate him,” Wylder grunts, and I nod in agreement, though hate doesn’t feel strong enough of a word.

“At least Tatum is safe,” Lincoln murmurs as everyone slowly enters the office.

Turning away from them, I look down at the chalice and coins, wondering what the hell we’re supposed to do now. Especially when we’re desperately clinging to the hope that she’s still alive… somewhere.

Helplessness threatens to claim me. This is just another piece to a never ending puzzle that my soul must solve.

“As always, his timing is impeccable. Like we need to add anything else to our plate right now,” Minnie grumbles, appearing at my side, and I instinctively curl my arm around her shoulders, silently trying to comfort her.

“Well, I’m about to call our parents so you can stay or?—”

“Oh, you bet your ass I’m staying,” Minnie interjects, shaking my arm off as she stands tall, and I watch as she infuses herself with determination and strength. “Get them on a call, now.”

Lincoln doesn’t need to be asked twice, and a moment later, the room draws quiet as the dial tone echoes through the room.

“Hey, handsome, is that my Lincy-poo?” Mrs. James’s voice cuts through the air, sweet as always, but the sour remnants it leaves after today’s findings leave a sickly taste.

Bryony snickers before slapping her hand over her mouth while Lincoln rolls his eyes at his mother like she can see.

“You’re on speakerphone, Mother,” he retorts, and she sighs at him, all light-hearted like she has no clue what’s about to come.

“Is my Minnie-girl there too? Hey, sweetpea, and please tell me my boys are there as well, I?—”

“Our blood kins were called today,” Lincoln barks, cutting through his mother’s words, and the line goes quiet for a second before a soft whimper cuts through the air.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

Lincoln’s eyes cut to Bryony’s for a second before they settle on Minnie. “My blood kin is still alive, but Minnie’s, she…” He blinks slowly, letting the words settle into his mind before he speaks them out loud. “She took her life to save Minnie’s.”

A gasp rings from the other end of the cell phone, but before Mrs. James can say a word, Minnie slams her palms on the desk and glares at the device.

“My blood kin was Polaris, mother. My friend, the one I told you about, the one who was raised at Florentine’s, the absolute hell-hole, and now I learn that it’s because of you?

What the hell?” Her shrieks grow higher in pitch with every word as she struggles to contain her rage and emotions.

“Minnie, sweetpea, I?—”

“Don’t you ‘sweetpea’ me! How could you do that to her? How could you do that to anyone ?” Tears stream down Minnie’s face and Lincoln reaches out, encasing her hand with his.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Minnie. We didn’t send anyone anywhere.”

My nostrils flare as Minnie scoffs. “Then how did she end up there? Don’t lie, don’t do that, not when she so effortlessly took her own life to give me mine.”

A sigh comes from Mrs. James. “I’m relieved to know you’re both okay, and I hope Lincoln can survive the blood kin curse too, but I swear to you, I did not place Polaris anywhere, nor did I place Lincoln’s blood kin anywhere,” she states, addressing my own thought from earlier.

“Now, let me know when I can start making celebratory plans at the park, it’ll be good for us all to catch up and have some fun. ”

Minnie slams her fists down on the desk. “Did you miss the part where I said my friend died for me?”

“Oh, honey, that’s life, that’s?—”

Whatever Mrs. James was about to say is gone when Minnie ends the call. Her head hangs as her shoulders rise and fall rapidly with the pent up emotions building inside of her.

“I need to breathe,” she finally rasps, spinning away from the table and marching toward the door. She doesn’t make it to the exit before she shifts, transforming into her wolf and bounding down the hallway.

“I’ll go after her,” I state, but Lincoln stops me in my tracks.

“I’ll go.”

I nod, not wanting to get between the twins, but the moment they’re both gone, the weight of helplessness increases in the air.

“What now?” Blaze asks, gaze focused on the chalice and coins spread across the desk, and I sigh, mimicking his stance as I try not to crumble under the weight of the world around me.

“Now we hope Polaris is right,” I murmur, and Tatum clears his throat.

“She has to be,” he says, his voice barely more than a whisper, and Wylder claps his hands together.

“Let the worst game of hide and seek begin.”

I roll my eyes at his poor attempt at lightening the mood, but he’s not wrong. “Where do we start?” I ask, looking around the group, and it’s Bryony who speaks first.

“First, we find her body.”