Page 103 of Knight’s Retribution

They worked their way through spindly trees and over uneven ground.

“What are we looking for?” Kyler asked.

“Going by the carving, I’d say a rocky outcropping or a cave, hell, it could be a fucking big tree.” He was feeling frustrated and not at all confident he was on the right track.

A stick snapped behind him.

Rocco stopped and spun around. His night vision was pretty good, and the sky was cloudless, letting the moon light the areas not too dense with trees.

Kyler moved closer. “What was that?”

He scanned the shadows, using his senses to search for demons, but saw and felt nothing. “Probably just an animal.”

“That’s what people say in horror movies, right before the psycho killer jumps out and hacks them to pieces,” Kyler whispered.

“Well, pumpkin, since you could snap a human in half if you felt so inclined, it’s the psycho killer who should be scared of you.” He motioned for her to carry on.

“Good point,” she said and got moving again—then she spun around suddenly, the flashlight aimed under her chin, and let out a manic laugh. “Braaaains!”

Jesus, could she get any cuter? “Ah, think you’re mixing up your horror movies, baby.”

She frowned, and then he was laughing again. How was he actually enjoying this? He was in the middle of a forest, it was dark, they had no fucking clue where they were, or if the thing they were searching for would be there when and if they found it, but because he was with Ky, it sure as hell didn’t suck. “You’re cute for a ghost. Or were you going for a zombie?”

She smiled. “New hybrid?”

Fuck, she was beautiful.

Hooking her around the back of the neck, he planted a quick kiss on her lips. “So if I’m reading this map right, we should be close.”

“Excellent.” Her eyes lost some of their shine.

She’d been trying to keep things light, trying not to worry for both of them, but now they were close and they would either leave with what they came for or not.

They needed that dagger.

“What’s that up there? Is that what we’re looking for?” Kyler said, pointing to a shadowy mass ahead, the moonlight reflecting off what looked like smooth rock. She lifted the flashlight.

Yep, definitely stone. “Could be.”

It was bigger than it looked when they reached it. The rock was taller than Rocco and a couple of yards wide.

Kyler ran her hand over it and turned back to him. “It’s the same kind of stone as the map.”

“Yeah?” Rocco ran his hand over it as well. “Maybe the dagger’s inside? Search for a crevice or something loose, I don’t know, something that sticks out.”

They both moved slowly around the massive rock, running their hands over the smooth surface.

“I think I found something. There’s a lip here, it’s rounded, about an inch deep. Roc, I don’t think the map is just a map; I think it’s a key. Quick, bring it here.”

Rocco passed her the stone—

A sound came from behind him, louder this time, a heavier branch snapping followed by a snarl. Rocco drew his sword.

“What the fuck was that?” Kyler hissed.

Rocco sniffed the air and cursed. “Wolf.”

“What? There are wolves in Salem?”