Page 38 of Beautiful Madness

“Updates?” Wyatt asked. He wasangry, and I couldn’t blame him. He was supposed to protect not only the packbut his alpha, and he believed he’d failed them both. He was also feeling shutout, as were all the warriors.

I told him quickly what I knew,and that I was about to question Eli.

“He won’t talk,” he saidflatly, “but you’re welcome to waste your time. I’m taking some of my men andgoing to the river. We’ll search the caves.”

I stared him down. “You willwait for me. I want to talk to Eli before we hunt. The daywalkers nest in thosecaves, and there’s magic holding Jared. It won’t be easy to—”

“What the fuck is easy?” Wyattsnarled, and then he wheeled and strode away, his warriors at his back. But Iknew he would wait for me.

“Bit of an asshole,” Sam said.

“Anything?” Nell asked, as wehurried through the house and headed to the dungeon. “Anything at all, Kait?”

I paused for just a second. “Wemay have something, but I’m not sure yet, Nell.”

She had to be content withthat. Enough time had been wasted, and it was running out for Jared.

I dismissed the two guards inthe dungeon, and they were happy to go. Then, I tapped in the code and openedLennon’s cell door. Both men followed me in, and though I considered havingRemy wait in the hallway, in the end, I kept quiet.

“What the fuck,” I said, thesecond I saw Lennon. “She’s thawing.”

“That’s a gruesome sight,” Remysaid. “Even for me.”

He wasn’t wrong. Lennonremained in the same upright position she’d been in since I’d last seen her,but her arm, which had been in the air, had dropped. There was a puddle ofblood on the floor, leaking slowly but steadily from her forearm.

“What happened to her?” Remyasked, getting close to her and peering into her staring eyes, then droppinginto a crouch to study her arm.

“Jared cut off her hand to getthe wand from her,” Sam said, admiration in his voice.

“She was frozen by Sam’s stolenmagic,” I told him. “She should have thawed by now—Jared was waiting until shewas aware to kill her in front of the pack.”

“And that,” Sam said, “was amistake. I guess we all make them, don’t we?”

“You people are hardcore,” Remysaid.

“Quite the compliment,” Samtold him. “Coming from the boogeyman.”

To my surprise, the two menexchanged a look of appreciation for each other. “For God’s sake,” I said.“Sam.”

“On it,” he said, grinning.

But then, his grin faded, and alook of consternation crossed his face. “Fuck,” he said.

I looked heavenward. “I knew itcouldn’t be that easy.”

He shrugged but didn’t lookpleased when he admitted he couldn’t shift into her. “She’s blocked me somehow,”he said. “I can’t breach her walls.”

“Then how did youfreezeher?” I asked, anger building. I knew it wasn’t exactly Sam’s fault that hecouldn’t break through the walls of her mind, but that didn’t help with myfrustration.

Jared was suffering. He wasdying. And the fucking witchwolf continued to best me.

“That was a different thing,”he said. “But it doesn’t matter. The beta can’t keep me out.”

He was right. Hope in my heart,I locked Lennon’s door and hurried to Eli’s. I half expected to be double-crossedby the warrior who gave me the code, but the pad beeped and the door clickedopen as soon as I put the numbers in.

And I faced Eli for the firsttime since I’d kicked his ass and put him into a cell. I held up a hand beforehe could say a word. “I want to save Lennon for the alpha, because she’s his tokill. But if you force me to, I will walk back into the cell next door, cut outyour girlfriend’s heart, and make you eat it. Do you understand me?”

He sagged against the wall,defeat in his eyes. “Fuck you,” he whispered.