Chapter 18 · The Passage Below

"Drop the knife, Sera."

Rayne's order cracked across the armory yard.

Three rifles pointed at my chest. Two more aimed at the tree line behind me, where the hunters had triggered the scent trap and dragged half the camp into a panic.

The quartermaster stood six feet away with his hands raised. A strip of red cloth hung from his fingers. It looked harmless. It smelled like blood, ash, and the bitter root used to mask a wolf's trail.

I tightened my grip on the knife.

"You first," I said. "Tell your soldiers to stop aiming at me."

Rayne stepped in front of the rifles.

"You don't get to bargain while holding a blade over my quartermaster."

"Your quartermaster just passed a coded scent tag to a patrol headed straight for my pup. I get to bargain with whoever I want."

The yard went dead silent.

Nobody moved. Not even the soldiers behind Rayne.

His eyes locked on mine. Hard. Blue-gray. Too sharp to fool for long.

"What did you call it?" he asked.

My mouth had gone dry, but I kept the knife against the quartermaster's throat.

"You heard me."

The quartermaster swallowed. His pulse jumped under my blade.