Chapter 158

Matt

I pulled up to the motel and turned off the engine. The red neon sign flickered in the darkness, and light spilled from the small office where an old woman sat knitting. Lights were on in three of the rooms, but the curtains were closed. The motel was a few towns over from the Crescent compound. We moved every week, picking a new place to stay. We didn’t want them to find us. They knew we were watching them if their increased patrols were any sign.

Someone knocked on the window, and my muscles tensed. Seth leaned down to look at me, his brow furrowed.

I waved for him to step back, and he did. I got out of the car and handed him the pizza boxes. We took turns getting dinner, and while it felt ridiculous to be standing at a pizza joint waiting for an outrageous stack of boxes to be filled while Celeste was out there suffering, I knew people needed to eat.

“Did you remember the sauce?”

I lifted the bag to show him, and he nodded. “Great, everyone’s gathered already. We’ve only got a few minutes before Nina calls.”

“Great,” I grumbled.

Things were taking too long, but no one listened to me anymore. I knew what they were all thinking. I was too close to this, too worried about Celeste to think straight. Maybe they were right, but I didn’t care. Jack was the only one who seemed as intent on getting her back as I did. Everyone acted like they wanted to help, but they were being too cautious.

When I thought about what she must have been going through, what they were doing to her, I had to resist the urge to put my fist through a wall. I couldn’t keep her safe. I’d failed her. If we got her back and she never forgave me, I wouldn’t blame her.

Seth led me into the room at the end, where the others were spread out across the two beds and chairs. Jack was leaning against the wall in the far corner, a scowl on his face. He still didn’t trust us, even though we’d been working together for an entire month. God, the thought that it had been that long since she was taken made me feel sick to my stomach.

If she ever believed we were coming for her, she didn’t now. What if she thought we’d given up on her?

Seth must have noticed my stricken depression because he patted me on the back. I knew the people here had given up a lot to help–school, their semester, hockey–but I couldn’t feel gratitude. I couldn’t feel anything but fear and shame.

Seth’s girlfriend, Jenna, sat on the bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. Beside her, lounged Brodie, another Peacekeeper, and member of the hockey team.

On the other bed sat James, Kelly, and Andrew. Triplets who ran a faction of the Peacekeepers in another town. They volunteered to help when they found out what had happened. Rogues weren’t a problem in their area, though they were responsible for keeping an eye on some of the Crescent compounds. It bothered them that this one had been filled without their knowledge.

They were in their late twenties, and the oldest ones here. Andrew’s boyfriend, Ted, sat in one of the chairs, his feet up. He was armed to the teeth–two guns in his holster, silver knives strapped across his chest, and what looked like a taser on his belt. He was human, but he didn’t fight like one. A cruel set of scars cut across his face. They were from a wolf’s claws.

He was the first to get up when he saw the pizza. I swore he had the appetite of a bear. He ate more than some wolves, which was saying something.

Kelly smiled and snagged a box from Seth. “Thanks,” she said. Her green eyes flashed gold for a moment as she dug into the pizza. Her brothers each reached for a slice, laughing softly. Kelly was almost as bad as Ted.

None of it interested me.

I sat in the only open chair facing the screen. Nina was supposed to call soon. She and Enzo had stayed behind a school with some others. There were still rogues popping up, which meant Alyx wasn’t the only Crescent wolf hiding out there.

Seth handed me a slice of pizza.

“Thanks,” I muttered, taking it from him.

Jack grabbed some food for himself, then resumed his place against the wall. Being around so many wolves clearly made him uncomfortable, but I didn’t care. These were all people he knew and used to work with. He just had to get over himself.

The screen lit up as Nina’s call came through. Jenna answered it.

Nina and Enzo appeared on screen, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder.

Seth gave them an update on our situation while I forced myself to eat a few slices of pizza. They tasted like ash, but I needed to keep my strength up.

“So, no change then?” Nina asked, her brow furrowed.

Seth shook his head. “It’s too well-protected. The entrance is a bottleneck. If we tried to storm it, it would be a bloodbath.”

“So what?” I said, my tone low. “We do nothing?”

Nina gave me a sympathetic look that made me want to snap at her.

“It’s imperative we get the maiden back,” she said. “But we can’t afford to lose you guys. We need to find a way that doesn’t put you guys in a dangerous situation.”

“We’re trying to find one, but I don’t know what we can do,” Seth admitted. “Like I said, there’s only one entrance. The walls are coated with silver. They have guards and guns. And we have no way of knowing how many wolves they have in there. We’ve spotted at least eight different ones doing patrols, but that’s all.”

“They’re being cautious,” Enzo said. “They know we’re watching them.”

“She’s not the maiden,” I muttered.

“What’s that?” Nina frowned.

“You said we need to get ‘the maiden’ back.” I glared at her through the screen. “Her name is Celeste. She’s a person, not a thing.”

“I didn’t mean–”

“I don’t give a shit,” I snarled, standing up. She flinched back a little. We’d never really fought, but I was tired of this. “It’s been a month. What do you think they’re doing to her in there? You think they’ve suddenly developed a conscience?”

“Matt, I care–”

“No, you fucking don’t. This is all about stealing away their Holy Maiden, making it more difficult for them to fight. If you really cared, we’d be doing more to help her.”

She called for me, but I didn’t listen. I thought they were here to help, but nothing was happening. We weren’t getting anything done. Celeste was still gone, and I couldn’t get to her. It made me want to hurt someone.

Seth tried to stop me at the door, but I gave him a withering look.

“Let him go,” Jenna said, her worry clear in her voice.

Seth looked like he wanted to refuse, but he stepped aside. I stormed from the room, slamming the door behind me.

Instead of going back to the room Jack and I shared, I cut around the side of the motel. The building sat nestled between the trees, and I leaned back against the beige siding, tilting my head to look up at the stars. There weren’t any there. Instead, dark clouds blotted out the light, letting just a sliver of moonlight show through.

“That was quite the display,” a deep voice said.

I snarled, but it didn’t stop him. Jack leaned against the wall beside me and looked out at the dark forest. It was cold, and our breath drifted off in plumes of smoke.

He lit a cigarette, the cherry glowing in the dim light.

“You were right,” he said, handing me the cigarette. I took a long drag. “This is taking too long.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted.

He gave me a hard look, taking the cigarette back and bringing it to his lips. He blew smoke in my face, and I turned away, my jaw tight.

“Well, we’re going to have to figure out something. She needs us.”

“I know,” I said, my voice breaking.

He eyed me for a moment, then turned away. Cigarette smoke wafted between us before disappearing into the icy air.

“I wasn’t sure at first, but you really do care about her, don’t you?”

“I love her,” I said, tears pricking at my eyes. I turned my head away, taking a moment to get myself under control.

“Good,” he muttered. “That means you’ll do whatever it takes to get her back. We’ll do whatever it takes.”

I nodded, my voice hoarse. “Yes, we will.”