Page 74 of Nico

My heart slammed against my ribs. Relief hit so hard it almost hurt. They'd found me. Of course they had.

I'd often underestimated just how relentless my Nico could be, then relief curdled into fear. Why was I only hearing two voices?

I assumed they would bring some of the pack enforcers with them, some form of backup. What the hell were they thinking?

"Nico," I whispered under my breath.

Kyle spun around. His expression had transformed completely. Gone was the shy worshipper. His eyes burned with possessive fury.

"They followed us,” Kyle mumbled. His breathing quickened. "They're trying to take you away."

He hurried toward a battered duffel bag shoved beneath a folding table. My pulse skyrocketed.

“Kyle, wait,” I began.

Kyle unzipped the bag. His hand disappeared inside. When it emerged, he held a handgun. Ice flooded my veins.

If he'd known enough to restrain me with silver, he'd clearly researched shifters thoroughly. There was every chance that gun contained silver bullets.

"Nico, no,” I breathed.

My wolf erupted inside me, throwing itself against the invisible cage the silver had created. I yanked instinctively against the cuffs. Agony shot through both wrists.

The smell of scorched skin filled the trailer again. Kyle barely noticed. He calmly checked the magazine, then racked the slide. My mouth went dry.

“Kyle, listen to me!” The words burst from me louder than intended.

Kyle looked back, confused.

"There's no need for that. Please put the gun down,” I said in my most gentlest voice.

Images crashed through my mind in rapid succession. Nico laughing at a joke I'd made. Rolling his eyes whenever Logan made another terrible joke. Falling asleep against my shoulder after another exhausting day on set.

I couldn't lose him, not like this. Kyle smiled reassuringly. The expression somehow made everything worse.

"It's okay." He spoke the way someone might calm a frightened child. "I'll take care of him this time."

His fingers tightened around the pistol. "It'll just be the two of us again.”

Then he reached for the trailer door and pushed it open.

17

ISAAC

I watched Kyle disappear through the trailer door, the cold mountain air rushing inside for a split second before the door slammed shut behind him.

"No!" I bellowed, every instinct I possessed exploding into life.

I threw myself forward against the restraints.

"Tony! Nico!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "He's got a gun! Be careful! He's got a gun!"

My voice echoed off the metal walls of the trailer before being swallowed by the forest outside. I had no idea if either of them heard me. Please hear me.

My pulse thundered in my ears. The silence lasted less than a heartbeat before voices erupted outside. Kyle was saying something I couldn't make out.

Tony answered, then Nico. The words blurred together into an indistinguishable argument.