“Step down.” Fell’s head drops down. My heart pounds in my chest.
“No, let him go for it.” I step out from behind Cadoc. “You want a piece of me, Fell?”
Fell’s eyes glow and he shakes his head.
“I think we might be missing something,” Kirk suggests.
Fell exhales. “I would never hurt you.”
“Then why are you acting like a rabid dog?” Bo snaps.
Fell opens his mouth and a growl escapes. “It doesn’t matter,” his tone his garbled and odd.
“Freaking weirdo,” Bo mumbles.
“If your head isn’t on straight. I think it’s best you stay here,” Cadoc studies him.
“No.” Fell clears his throat. “I’m good.”
Unsure what I’ve seen I study him. “None of us believe that.”
“I’m working through this the same way you are. We have a lot of history and now I’m forced to share you with three other men, one I don’t like.” Fell speaks through gritted teeth.
“Back at you, blondie,” Bo says voice gruff.
How can a man’s face be so gorgeous and punchable at the same time?
“That’s no reason to act out, pup,” Cadoc scolds.
“Yeah.” Fell rubs the back of his head. “I get that. Sorry.”
This uneasiness goes deeper than anger at a thoughtless ex-boyfriend. I don’t trust him. The realization is an icy fist squeezing my heart.
“You guys can go get ready. I want to talk about the layout with Ylva” Cadoc walks over to the smaller table and the others head upstairs to their rooms.
“Where is this room located?” Cadoc asks.
“I’m not sure. It was off the basement, in the far-left corner,” I say.
“And how was it accessed?” Cadoc twists his neck, resulting in the sound of bones cracking.
“Through a hidden door.”
Cadoc runs his fingers over the stubble on his chin. “Did it have running water or electricity?”
“I’m not sure,” I bite my lip. “Does that matter?”
“It might. I’m trying to plan out the best way to locate it in the rubble. We can pull up a blue print to your house easily enough. But getting to the tunnel without anyone else finding out could be difficult if we have to dig through the debris.”
“Is it possible it’s untouched?” I can’t keep the hope out of my voice. I want to know what’s in this space.
Cadoc’s brow wrinkles. “If it didn’t collapse when the house came down, yes. I don’t know if the structure was completely connected to the house or just parallel. Everything I say is conjecture and guesswork.”
His familiarity with the topic surprises me. “You know about this?”
“I used to work in construction when I was younger. It’s a skill the pack always needs,” Cadoc says.
I see him a new light. What else is there to learn about him? “I didn’t know that.”
“There’s plenty you don’t know about me, Yl. I’m pushing two-hundred years old.”
His deep timber makes me shiver. Unlike lore, we aren’t immortal, but we do tend to be incredibly long lived.
“And you look really good for your age.” I lick my lips.
“Thanks for the confidence boost.” He leans across the table. “Watch yourself with Fell. There’s something off with him, and I plan to figure out what that is.”
“He was never like this before—”
“Years removed from the pack can do strange things to people. Most need the close familial bonds. Without them wolves can become untethered and unnecessarily aggressive,” Cadoc says.
“You think that’s what happened?” I crave more information.
“Maybe. He might’ve had trauma we don’t know about too,” Cadoc adds.
“Fell? The guy’s a marshmallow.” A deep throated snort escapes me.
“He might’ve been then. Not now.” Cadoc shakes his head.
