Chapter 17 · Wolves in the Blackout

The water hits my knees and Cole's not moving fast enough.

I can smell the blood before I see it. Dark and wrong. Silver-wrong. He's dragging his left leg and his breathing sounds like something's tearing inside his chest every time he pulls air.

"Cole." I grab his arm. His skin's cold. Too cold. "Where is it?"

He shakes his head. Tries to push me forward.

Behind us the grate we came through is rattling. Voices. Footsteps in the water. They're not far.

I yank him around and there it is. A spike. Silver. Buried in his lower back right above his hip. The kind they use to pin wolves who won't stay down. The female guard must've gotten him when he covered me at the grate.

"Shit." My hands are shaking. The baby kicks once. Hard. Like she knows.

Cole's looking at me. His mouth moves but nothing comes out. His curse broke for one second up there. One word. My name. Now it's locked again and he's bleeding silver into his system and I can see in his eyes he thinks this is it.

"No." I get in close. The water's rising. It's at my thighs now.