Darkness Awakened by Katie Reus Page A

on adrenaline, she nodded. “I’m ready to go.” She still needed to feed, but wanted to get to her daughter a lot more.
    “We need to change clothes in case we run into any humans, but we’ll be out of here in less than sixty seconds.”
    “Okay.”
    He dropped a quick kiss on her forehead before nodding at his men. With the exception of Gabriel and Spiro, they hurried toward the house.
    Ignoring Gabriel, she looked at Spiro. “I know you’re doing it for your Alpha, but thank you for trying to track my daughter.”
    He nodded and gave her a half-smile that was actually reflected in his eyes. “No problem. We’re going to find her.”
    Gabriel cleared his throat, drawing her attention to him. His expression wasn’t hostile—like earlier—but it was cautious. “How is it that you know she’s near the ocean? Or heard the carnival sounds? If she’s kidnapped, how are you in contact with her?”
    They were fair questions, but until she knew who was holding her daughter, she wasn’t telling anyone other than Finn anything. “Have you already asked Finn these questions?”
    Jaw tight, Gabriel nodded.
    And clearly Finn hadn’t told his Guardian or the wolf wouldn’t be asking her. “How long have you been Finn’s Guardian?” she asked instead of answering. His uncle hadn’t had one—had felt having one was beneath him—but clearly Finn thought highly enough of Gabriel if he’d appointed him as his second and they weren’t even related by blood.
    He blinked, seeming surprised by the question. “Five years.”
    “He considers you a friend.” A very good friend. Even Lyra could see that. It was the only reason Finn hadn’t physically challenged the other male outside the supernatural nightclub. Because any blatant show of disrespect to an Alpha in front of others was usually met with violence and dominance. It was just the way wolves or any supernatural beings operated. They had to.
    “Yes. I would die for him.” The shifter practically growled the words, the truth rolling off him in potent waves. Unlike lies, which were acidic, this was such a fresh, pure scent.
    “Good. Then trust him.”
    “I do trust him .” But not her. The unspoken words were clear.
    She shook her head at his intentional misunderstanding. “Trust his judgment .”
    “I’ve seen men do stupid things over women.”
    “And I’ve seen women do even dumber things over men. Just because you might not have all the pieces to the puzzle doesn’t mean—”
    Spiro cleared his throat loudly, as if they couldn’t hear Finn and the others exiting the house. Lyra stopped talking only because to continue was pointless. Gabriel didn’t trust her. Fine. She didn’t care, and even understood to some degree. The only thing that mattered was that he helped find her daughter. Or if not help, as long as he didn’t hinder their searching, he was a blip on her radar.
    She turned to find Finn and the others striding down the driveway. As always, everything else around her funneled out when he was near. Dressed in clean clothes, it didn’t take away from his fierceness. With military style fatigues and weapons outlined under his jacket, he looked like the warrior she knew him to be. Drawn by a primitive instinct, she took a step toward him and nearly stumbled. Before anyone noticed, she caught herself.
    When those ice blue eyes narrowed on her, she frowned and looked down at her clothes. She thought she’d missed getting any blood spatter on her, but maybe she needed to change too.
    “When’s the last time you ate?” he demanded as he came to stand in front of her.
    Okay, maybe he’d noticed. “At that club.”
    His eyes went pure wolf for a moment. “What about before that?”
    “Before I came here.”
    He glanced at his men and gave fast orders, telling four of them to head to various areas, but to keep their phones on them. Then he looked at Gabriel and Spiro. “You two wait. We won’t be long.” Not giving her a chance to