Book Five: Chapter 186

“Well?” he asked, an edge to his voice that she didn’t like, sharp enough to cut through the low murmur of the camp. His eyes were fixed on her, unblinking, searching her face for an answer he already feared.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Her voice barely carried over the crackle of the nearby fire. She loosened her grip on the dog tags she had unconsciously been clutching, metal biting into her palm. When she released them, they jingled softly against her chest and then went still, as if the sound itself understood it should not linger. “Leeds destroyed the cave while we were inside,” she continued, forcing the words out one by one. “Velvet saved my life, but lost hers in the process.”

For a heartbeat, Bigfoot didn’t react at all. Then a low, broken groan tore out of him, the sound vibrating through the ground. He turned abruptly and stomped past her, pushing through the edge of the tent a