Rowan was out of the water in a blink and crushed against Thrax's chest. "I'll kill that cockless little whoreson!" he growled.

Anchored to him, her sobs turned ragged. She couldn't speak for all the trembling. Her cheek was pressed tight to solid muscle, his heat chasing the cold away.

Like Thresh, he was in that half state between man and beast. Berserker wolf, fangs long. A state in which he could form guttural words, his voice dark and predatory. A wolf standing on two human legs, rippling with muscle.

Her heart flapped against her ribs, his embrace almost tight enough to crack her spine. "I didn't think you'd come," she whispered, sniffling.

He planted a hard kiss on her temple and stroked the back of her head with his black claws. "You tugged on the mate bond." He lifted her face up so he could look into her eyes. "Did you know that?"

She shook her head and nuzzled her cheek back into his fur. She hadn't known it was possible to tug on the bond. Earlier, she'd felt him, too. When Thresh had first found them, his howl rending the storm, she'd felt Thrax on the other end of the bond.

"I knew something was wrong. And I knew you wouldn't just leave the way you did. You made me a promise, remember?"

She hugged him tight, thankful for the mate bond. Thankful he'd believed in her despite everything. No one had ever had that kind of faith in her. No one except for Meera. She pulled away to look up into his preternatural eyes, glowing like flames. "We have to save Meera and Thresh."

He nodded, his brows colliding as she lifted Merritt's nixrath chain off her neck. She held it out to him. After a heartbeat, he lowered his head so that she could slip it onto his shoulders. She supposed a lifetime of being wary of nixrath was hard to overcome. Now they both had protection. The gods knew, they needed all they could get down here.

She glanced up at the hole through which she'd fallen. The rush of water was abating, which meant the storm was likely passing on. "Did you fall through, too?"

"In a fashion," he said, shrugging. Bits of webbing was stuck to his hair and shoulders. He glanced at the tunnel as though listening for clicking. "We should get out of here."

She looked up through the gullet again. "Where are the others?"

"The humans are with Barthac and Striga, heading back to Carthyrk. I sent Torgon on to fetch the rest of the pack."

She was staring at the tunnel now, too, dreading where that darkness would lead. "Should we...wait for help?" she asked in a whisper.

He shook his head gravely. "I am the help, min skani." He threaded their fingers and brushed her knuckles against his whiskery cheek. "We don't have time to wait. Torgon will make sure the pack is armored in nixrath before they come, but that might not be for hours yet."

She pressed herself close, drawing on his warmth. "They didn't leave Merritt's valet behind, did they? The unconscious lad."

"What's a valet?"

"Never mind." The air seemed to grow colder as she followed him out of the pit trap chamber and into the tunnel with the drag marks. She stepped over the snaking white arteries, her ankle throbbing.

He brought her hand back to his cheek, hie eyes hunting the dark. "You're limping."

"It's nothing." It would heal soon enough, she had the bond to thank for that, too.

In the meantime, she wanted to distract herself from the pain and the darkness—from the danger lurking ahead. So she swept her gaze over his wolf mane and the thick cords of muscle moving along his back as he stalked slightly ahead. Even as a half-wolf, he was beautiful. And he was all hers!

The thought of kissing him passionately, despite that his mouth was more snout than lips, was vastly intriguing. She snagged her underlip between her teeth, her pulse dropping into her sex with a giddy flutter. His fangs might get in the way if she tried to kiss him. It nearly made her laugh to ponder the mechanics of such a feat of passion.

She snorted, stepping over a white root. Imagine that? Finding humor in this dank, awful place. But more than that, finding she was turned on. Maybe she'd knocked her head in that fall harder than she'd thought.

"Something funny?" Thrax asked, glancing back at her.

"I was just..."

His nose flared with interest and he slowed. "Just what?"

"Just wondering...umm...what it would be like to..." The blush came on so quickly that she turned her face away. But she knew he could see her flaming cheeks despite the lightless tunnel. And she knew he could hear her heart racing with something other than fear. Sense the change in her scent as her loins grew hot.

His chuckle was low, delighted. He pulled her to him, cupping the side of her jaw with his lethal claws. "What a surprise you are, min skani," he murmured in her ear, her body erupting in shivers. "Maybe this...fascination of yours is something we might explore once we're out of here, hmm?"

She sucked her breath in deep, her breasts tightening as his hands dropped to her backside. He cupped her backside and yanked her flush against his hard cock. Of course he was naked—these wargs hardly ever seemed to wear clothes lately.

He glanced up the tunnel a moment, his ears pricking forward. But his glowing eyes swung back to her an instant later. And then he was pressing his snout against her neck, his fangs smooth and wet against her bobbing throat. His tongue slid slowly up her throat, stirring shivers in its wake. A small moan slipped from her lips as, with a broad stroke, he kissed the shell of her ear.

He pulled away a moment, shooting a glare up the tunnel. After a pause, his focused look turned back to her again. Without warning, he slipped his tongue between her lips. Instinctively, she pressed her tongue to his, the feel of his fangs thrilling her. She opened wider, her nails dragging at his fur.

Sweet Maeda! He kissed her so deep, he seemed to want to gobble her up. Her mind reeled with erotic pleasure, dizzying her. He hooked her beneath her knee and dragged her leg up slowly, pushing her hem high up her thigh. His claws raked along her skin, hard enough to thrill but not enough to hurt. Up went her hem, over her hips so that his yard of flesh jerked against her sex.

His fangs were sawing against her lips, his tongue laying claim. His claws were digging into her soft flesh, cupping her rear. He pressed himself between her thighs, his hips grinding. She was slick and swollen with need.

With a quick thrust, he was in.

She threw her head back, mouth parted, clamping her muscles around him. Ahh, gods, he felt so good.

"Sweet Maeda! You're so tight!" he rasped, dropping his nose to her neck. But with a harsh sigh, he pulled out. "Not here." He let her leg slide down his coarse thigh. "Not now." Her skirts dropped back down with a heavy whisper. It looked as though it pained him to step away, his fangs clenched tight.

She understood that pain, her flesh bereft and throbbing with need. She swallowed, her hands lifting to her hot cheeks. Maeda help her, was she mad? For a moment there she'd almost forgotten where they were. Such was her lust for him. Such was his potency. Well, if they were going to die down here, she had every right to taste him one last time.

His yellow eyes bored into her. "Later, min skani, I promise."

"If we ever get out of here," she said, her voice husky. She licked her lips, trying to calm her lust.

"Oh, we'll make it out of here," he said, his eyes raking over her body. "I have something to live for after all..." he took her by the hand and lead her into the tunnel. "First we have to find a way out. Once I know you're safely out of the hive, I'll return for Thresh and Meera."

"I'm coming with you!" She squeezed his hand.

"No."

"I won't lock horns with you over this, Thrax. Meera is my friend—she's followed me everywhere. Even left the Iron Girdle for me. I won't leave here without her. Nor without you." Especially not without him.

The ire pulsed in his jaw as it always did when she vexed him.

But she stood her ground. "I have my mirok dagger, I can help." She held up a finger as he began to snarl another command. "I've already killed a vishwa with it!" His jaw snapped shut as she yanked her dagger up for him to see. The vishwa's milky blood still coated her rondel. "Got the bastard right in the brain pan."

He took the dagger from her, turning it over. "With this little needle?"

"Even needles sting." She shrugged. "The cockroach had his back to me."

Thrax nodded, handing her blade back to her. "Fine, come along then. But you'll do as you're told and hide when I take on the queen."

"Yes, fine." She waved her hand dismissively.

He caught her hand as she staggered backwards. "What's wrong?"

"I'm all right, just a little tired." Her ankle hurt and the gash still stung.

His eyes narrowed and he began to look her over. "What happened here?" he asked, examining the gash on her arm. "The vishwa?"

She nodded tiredly.

His thumb brushed over the wound. Thankfully, it was already knitting shut. "That'll leave a scar."

"That's all right, scars remind you you're alive." He had some and she was fond of them all.

He chuckled and they moved on. He lead with his nose, passing from one tunnel to another, tracking Meera's scent. Above them, tree roots dangled from the rock, glistening with dew. Neither of them trod on the hive's white arteries snaking in the ground. When he avoided a web root, she carefully did the same, holding her breath as though the queen would detect even the slightest puff of air.

"The hive is like an upside down tree," he murmured. "The roots—the webs— on the surface pull prey into their pit traps. The drones know which pit trap to harvest, and eventually everything makes its way to the heart of the hive."

"What's at the heart?" she asked warily. "The queen?"

"The eggery." He glanced back at her. "Whatever you do, don't ever touch a queen's eggs."

"Hadn't planned on it," she muttered, huddling closer to him.

When they reached a fork, Thrax began following Meera's scent into a larger tunnel. But Rowan stood spellbound, staring at the other shaft. The sound of water lapping softly echoed along the gleaming black walls, and a faint silvery glow emanated from the depths of the smaller shaft.

"That's odd..." she said, inching in that direction instead of where Thrax was going.

"Rowan, what're you doing?"

Strangely, there were no webs in this direction. She ran her hand along the damp walls, feeling the hive vibrate beneath her fingertips. Or was that the water forging its way through the rock?

Thrax stalked in close behind her, his reassuring warmth radiating across her cold back. "You're going the wrong way."

"Just a quick look, min skan." The soft glow of silver was almost compelling. Her gut was leading her this way for some reason.

The tunnel opened up into a large chamber, similar to the one she'd fallen through. But here there was no gullet in the ceiling. No stormwater hemorrhaging down from a pit trap. And no webs. Just a strange underground lake with a shimmery glow. The ripples were reflecting watery patterns on the cavern ceiling and the sound of soft dripping echoed in the stillness.

Against the wall of the cavern, on the far side, was a heap of treasure! Silver everywhere! Milky pearls, too, gleaming moonstones, and piles of quartz and diamonds.

"What is this place?" she whispered, heading towards the heap of bright treasure. She glanced back.

Thrax's ears were alert as he scanned the chamber. "A trove of some sort." His mane was bristling, his eyes restless. "Something's not right."

Right or not, it was a beautiful, quiet place. Not a single gooey web in here either. "Do you think this lake connects to the underground river?" It was rippling with some sort of current. "Maybe it's a way out?"

"Maybe," Thrax replied. "Let's go, Meera and Thresh are close."

He was right, they were wasting time here. With a succinct nod, she bent down to pick up a large Mantor eye. The biggest she'd ever seen, it's moonstone sheen a silver white. It'd caught her eye almost as soon as she'd entered the chamber. "The vishwa won't miss this," she said.

When she turned to face Thrax, his face had gone white and he was staring at the lake. "No, they won't," he murmured, nodding to the water's edge, "but that thing will..."

The hairs on Rowan's neck pricked with fear.

"Move slow." Thrax's voice was as taught as catgut.

With a thundering heart, she turned towards the lake. A silent scream caught in her throat to see a large serpent eyes glaring from the lake. The head reared out of the water, horns and all, tusk jutting balefully. A gargantuan beast with silvery-white scales, emerald gaze brimming with fury.

Thrax yanked her behind him as the creature began to hiss, low and threatening. It seemed to double in size as it dragged its weight out of the water. No, triple! Bursting with added muscle and bulk!

Rowan knew they were about to die. She knew what they were facing. She'd met one before—a grendel killer.

A mirok!

But this one was far larger and deadlier than her little red friend back in Carthyrk. This one's gaze was seething with venom.