Page 69 of A Sunwoven Ascent

“Well, there are more of us now,” Evelyne said firmly. “More weight. More strength. Or would you rather wait here for them to finish us one by one?”

Silence stretched.

Then, heads nodded.

“On three,” Holden murmured. “One, two, three—”

They pulled.

Chains screeched against wood and rocks. Metal rang sharply in the confined space, louder than Evelyne had expected.

Too loud. Enough for the sound to carry.

From deeper within the tunnel came a ripple of movement, followed by a layered hiss and wicked laughter.

Three shadows gathered and slid toward them, their elongated forms barely contained within the writhing mist. Black eyes flickered open within the darkness, their jaws slowly revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth.

But they did not approach the other prisoners or Evelyne. Instead, they moved toward the girl.

“No,” someone whispered. “Not again.”

The creatures surrounded her, their shadows stretching long across the floor. One crouched low. Another tilted its narrow head as if listening to her heartbeat.

And then they all sank their teeth into her flesh and fed.

The girl’s jagged scream ripped through the tunnel, tearing at the confined air. It echoed off the walls before being abruptly smothered. In its place came the grotesque sound of feeding, causing another round of nausea to roll through Evelyne.

The scent of copper and rot intensified.

Evelyne turned her head and retched again, a sour burn climbing her throat as her body convulsed. She squeezed her eyes shut, but it did nothing to block out the sound.

Beside her, Holden squirmed. The chains scraped as his muscles tensed, and a low, furious growl vibrated in his chest. Not loud enough to draw attention, but full of barely restrained violence. Around them, the other prisoners whimpered and wept under their breath. The whole scene, even in darkness, was repulsive, and they could do nothing to help the girl.

Then, as abruptly as it had begun, it ended.

The Noskari peeled back from her.

It had lasted only moments. Not long enough to kill.

Just long enough to remind the others of what they could do.

The girl sagged against the wall, trembling, but still breathing. How she remained alive in that condition, Evelyne could not fathom. She also could not peel her eyes away from the dark stains matted in the girl’s hair, crusted along her torn dress, smeared across her shoulders—

It was not dirt.

It was blood.

Layer upon layer of it.

Chapter 32

“Where is she?” Kaldrek’s voice tore through the clearing. “Where is my mate?” The pack stood scattered among the trees, blood on their hands and mud streaked across their skin, shock still clinging to their faces.

One by one, they shook their heads. No one had seen her taken. No one knew where she had gone. An hour had already passed.

Kaldrek’s thoughts refused to settle as panic pressed against his skull, warping every instinct and threatening to strip him of the control he demanded of himself. He forced his breathing to steady, fought to remain alpha, but the silence in the mate-bond clawed at him like a living thing.

They had taken her.