She slams into me at full speed, and the two of us go sprawling. I hit the bars, taking her full weight against my belly. All the air bursts from my lungs, but that’s the least of my worries as Amora’s head bounces painfully off the bars.
I struggle to get my legs beneath me and watch in horror as she slumps to the floor—unconscious.
The shadow unfolds from beneath the cot, looming over us both. It grows wider. Taller. More menacing.
Then Frost snatches at its back and tosses it viciously from the cell.
I’m on my feet in a split second, sailing over Amora to put my body between her and the shadow. The thing tumbles into the aisle outside the cell and ducks as Kian launches an attack.
Then it races for the open door again.
We don’t let it get far. Frost and Kian descend on the bastard with unmatched speed. Some part of me understands that they’re furious, too. Angry because of the way the shadow attacked Amora with an intent to hurt her. Not a fair fight, at all.
I pile on with my brothers, and we tear into the shadow. Frigid air from the outside brushes through my fur as I rip shreds of darkness away from the creature. We devour it, shredding it to pieces and tossing bits aside like trash. It screams, long, loud, and earsplitting, until the sound finally cuts off in a death rattle.
Then all the shreds of torn shadow drift away, disappearing into the real shadows around the room.
My heart pounds erratically as I lope away from the now empty floor, heading back to Amora. I skid to a halt outside her cage and shift back to human form, breathing hard. Then I step through the destroyed cage door and stare down at her motionless form, my heart in my throat.
Frost speaks from behind me, his voice so close it makes me jump. “She’s breathing.”
I nod and drop to my knees, pulling her into my arms. I do it automatically without any real thought. Keeping my eyes on her and away from Kian’s hard gaze, I brush her hair away and take stock of her injuries.
Her neck is covered in bruises, and a cut has split open over her eye, spilling blood down her smooth skin. A dozen other cuts and bruises line her face and arms, and there are massive tears in her borrowed sweater, the edges of the wool stained red.
I brush my thumb above the open wound in her eyebrow and swallow back my heartbeat in my throat.
What if she has a concussion? What if the shadow poisoned her… again?
“Wake up, kitty,” I say softly. There’s a waver in my tone that wasn’t there before. I’m not sure it’s ever been there before.
Amora’s eyes flutter open, her lashes dark against her pale skin. She blinks up at me, her gaze unfocused. For a chilling moment, I wonder if she’s got a dangerous head injury. Maybe she has no idea where she is or who I am.
Then her hand lifts to my face. Her fingertips are cool, soft like satin as they trail over my jaw.
“I told you not to call me that,” she murmurs.
I grin and catch her hand, wrapping my fingers around her palm. “I just like to drive you crazy.”
Her vivid green eyes latch on to mine, dazed with pain. “You’re good at it.”
We stare at each other for a moment, silent and assessing. There’s nothing standing between us right now—no walls to keep us apart, no hard feelings, no anger. Despite the broken mate bond, I’m happy to see her and touch her. For whatever reason, I’m drawn to her, still connected to her, even though I don’t understand how or why.
Then the fog clears from Amora’s eyes. She takes a deep breath and sits up, shoving away from my arms and avoiding my gaze. Clearly, she’s still unsteady, since she sways back into the bars and stays there as she asks, “What are you doing here?”
“Uh. Rescuing you,” I point out. “Wasn’t that obvious?”
Amora shakes her head. “You didn’t need to do that.”
Before I can respond, Kian’s sharp voice whips through the quiet room. “Would you rather die then?”
Her green eyes narrow in his direction where he stands outside the broken cage door next to Frost. “I can take care of myself.”
Kian scoffs. “Oh. Yeah. You had that well in hand.”
I reach out and touch the marks on her neck. “Just say thank you, kitty.”
Amora knocks my hand away and stands, using the bars to balance herself. Her piercing gaze slices through me before whipping toward both of my brothers. “Thanks. But don’t do it again. You owe me nothing. You’re not my mates anymore.”
Just as the words leave her lips, I catch a hint of Quinton’s scent on the cold breeze coming through the open door. My whole body stiffens as I glance over my shoulder, hoping I imagined it.
But no.
Our alpha looms in the open doorway, a hard look on his broad features.
“What the hell did you just say?” he demands.