The air still burned, and smoke clung to Kael’s lungs, thick and acrid, the last remnants of the inferno curling into the sky like the fingers of an angry god. Ash coated the earth in a suffocating layer of gray, obscuring everything, bodies, weapons, trees reduced to nothing but embers.

  The camp, Shadowmarks, and traitors had been obliterated.

  The only thing left was the two of them.

  Kael stood in the ruins, Nova’s limp body cradled in his arms, her skin too pale against the soot-streaked remnants of his own. Her weight was nothing to him. She was small and fragile, tucked into his chest like she belonged there.

  Her breathing was steady but shallow. She hadn’t stirred. Not once.

  He brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, his fingers lingering against her skin.

  "Come on, little wolf," he murmured. "Wake up."

  Nothing.

  A faint crackle of burning wood in the distance reminded him that he was out of time. Even as isolated as they were, the fire would have been seen for miles. Someone would come looking. He needed to move. His gaze flickered across the devastation, scanning for anything useful. Then an idea occurred to him…

  The Shadowmarks.

  They were always equipped with top of the line vehicles and gear. It was possible that one of these had survived the blast. Kael shifted Nova’s weight in his arms, carrying her with practiced ease as he wove through the smoldering wreckage. His boots crunched over charred remains, his senses sharpening as he searched. Then he found it.

  A black heavy duty SUV, half-hidden by the remains of a fallen tree, its windshield cracked but intact. There had been a couple others that were half melted, or had tires blown out, but this one had been far enough away to remain intact…for the most part.

  He moved swiftly, wrenching the door open and laying Nova onto the backseat with deliberate care. Her head lolled against the seat, still unresponsive. A muscle in his jaw ticked. He pressed his hand against her cheek. Still warm. Still breathing. Still here.

  Shoving down the unease clawing at his chest, he turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. Shit. Kael’s jaw tightened. There was no time for this. He shoved the door open and dropped to the ground, sliding beneath the SUV. The undercarriage was caked in dirt and grime, but he barely noticed as he ripped away the plastic panel shielding the wiring. His fingers worked fast, peeling back the insulation, exposing the ignition wires.

  A sharp spark jumped as he twisted them together, and for a second, nothing happened.

  Then the engine roared to life, the deep rumble shattering the eerie silence.

  Kael exhaled sharply, shoving himself out from beneath the vehicle, and climbed inside. He put it in reverse and watched as the husk of the tree fell to the ground as he pulled away, maneuvering carefully. The ash was thick, shifting like sand, already covering tracks, but it wasn’t enough. He spent several minutes circling the burned-out clearing, ensuring that any footprints, his, Nova’s, anyone’s, were buried beneath the chaos.

  Kael then drove the vehicle several miles down a narrow trail, wiped the wheel clean, left the door ajar, and walked away with Nova held securely in his arms. He moved fast, faster than any human could, eating up the miles beneath his feet. The night stretched on, the distant glow of the dying fire casting an eerie light across the treetops.

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  Still, she didn’t stir.

  The worry dug deeper.

  Kael didn’t know how long she’d be unconscious. Didn’t know if this was normal, if she needed rest, if she’d wake up in an hour or days or—

  He cut off the thought before it could fully consume him. No. She was breathing. She was alive. That was all that mattered.

  He pushed forward, his grip on Nova tightening. His legs burned from exertion, but he ignored it, muscles thrumming with renewed strength. He felt… different. Stronger. Sharper.

  She had healed him. Completely.

  He should have been exhausted after everything that happened, but instead, he felt like he could run for days. The fire hadn’t just restored him, it had changed him.

  Kael stopped abruptly. The moment he had been anticipating had arrived.

  The unmistakable sound of helicopters, sirens, and the rumbling of vehicles sounded in the distance. He’d known that even out here, even in this remote hell, someone had noticed. The smoke had been billowing up into the sky, visible for all to see. The world might not know what happened here, but they would come searching.

  At least whoever showed up would be kept busy for a while. That would buy him time. He pressed on, faster now. The weight in his arms was the only thing keeping him grounded. His grip tightened around Nova, unwilling to jostle her too much, unwilling to risk hurting her. He had to get her somewhere safe.

  Finally, he slowed, pausing beneath the shadow of an ancient oak. His muscles didn’t burn, didn’t ache, but the weight in his chest did. She still hadn’t stirred.

  A low, irritated growl stirred in the back of his mind.

  His wolf had been watching. It was quiet, just beneath the surface, but it didn’t fade. It lingered. Restless. Unsettled. It hadn’t tried to take over, it just waited. It was unnerving.

  His wolf never waited.

  For years, it had been nothing but a source of constant defiance, a force he kept locked away, barely restrained. It mocked him. Fought him. Wanted only blood and battle. But now?

  Now it was… still.

  Kael adjusted his grip on Nova, exhaling through his nose.

  "What?" he muttered, unwilling to give the beast any more power than necessary.

  His wolf didn’t snap back with its usual disdain.

  It didn’t ignore him however. Instead, it rumbled, low and quiet.

  She hasn’t moved.

  Kael’s chest tightened, as he said,"I know."

  She should have by now.

  "I know," Kael repeated.

  A pause. Then, something unexpected.

  Fix it.

  Kael’s breath caught. Fenrir was usually cruel. If it had been anyone else he would have told Kael to kill them, or to leave them behind to fend for themselves. He did not approve of weakness or compassion. He never let anyone get to him…but this did.

  It hit Kael like a punch to the gut.

  His wolf had never cared about anything. Not about Kael. Not about the people who had come and gone throughout his life. It wanted blood, not attachments.

  But this?

  He could feel that aside from his wolf’s usually possessive territorial attitude, there was a layer of worry. Kael swallowed hard, fingers flexing against Nova’s back. His wolf was pushing at him, but not to take control.

  It wanted him to do something, but what the hell was he supposed to do?

  He kept walking, jaw clenched tight.

  "She needs rest," he muttered, unsure if he was talking to himself or his wolf. "She burned herself out. She’ll wake up when she’s ready. She is going to be okay."

  His wolf didn’t reply, but he felt a little of the tension ease. He knew that Fenrir wouldn’t truly be at peace until she was back with them, and so he let him linger. He had been at war with this bastard his entire life, but for the first time they were aligned and it was because of her. Kael sighed, adjusting Nova in his arms. The forest stretched ahead, endless and uncertain. He didn’t like feeling helpless.

  For now, he would keep moving and get her somewhere safe…

  …because, for the first time, he and his wolf wanted the same thing.

  And neither of them could afford to lose her.