something told me she could take care of herself even if its friends showed
up.
Jaxson stopped abruptly.
“What’s that?” Sam whispered behind me.
I inclined my head and listened. A low, faint scraping noise came from
the passage ahead.
“It sounds like something scratching or digging,” Jaxson said.
Hope and dread flared in my chest, and I cautiously stepped around
Jaxson. “Maybe Cavra’s spell woke the shifters. They might be trying to get
free.”
It was a long shot, but if there was any chance, we had to get them out of
there before Kahanov noticed. I drew the shadows around me and sneaked
ahead down the hallway.
“Savannah, wait,” Jaxson hissed as he grabbed for my arm.
I slipped out of his grasp and pushed forward, moving toward the fork in
the cave that I knew was ahead. I flicked off my flashlight. “I’ve got this. I’m
practically invisible.”
“Damn it,” he growled behind me, and I could smell his frustration. But
he wasn’t my alpha—or at least he wouldn’t be for long—and he held no
power over me.
I ignored my wolf’s snicker and paused where the tunnel split to let my
werewolf vision adjust to the darkness. The stink of sweat and bodies was so
strong, I almost gagged.
I peeked into the cavern, and my heart dropped. The sleepers still hung
from the walls, roots snaking around their bodies. They hadn’t awakened.
Their chests still rose and fell softly like they were deep in a dreamless sleep.
The strange scratching sound wasn’t coming them, but from the roots digging
into dirt.
I covered the end of my flashlight with my hand, flicked it on, and let a
thin ray slide over the cave walls.