The Red Wolf's Daughter (Book 3 Part 2: The Making of the Siran)

Chapter 70

We made it to Fernos's tent without saying another word, and I couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief while I looked around to make sure that we were alone before I looked at Caroline's protector to see that he was staring at me with something in his eyes that I couldn't describe.

"What?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I studied him, and the hair on the back of my neck stood at attention while my whole body grew tense. "What is that look for?" I asked, biting back a small frown. "What do you want?"

Silas's cheeks grew red, and he hesitated before he shook his head and cleared his throat. "Don't worry about it," he said and shifted on his feet before he looked at Fernos to see that he was standing there with a blank look on his face. "Can we go ahead and enter the tent, please?" he asked hesitantly. "Or do you need us t-"

Fernos didn't say a word and pushed open the tent flap. He gestured for us to enter the tent first, and his whole body was tense because I had a feeling that this was the first time he had let anyone inside his tent.

"Whatever you see in here, do not tell others," I warned and walked into Fernos's tent while Silas followed me, and Fernos followed us after we entered. "Also, do not touch a thing because we do not want piss him off and get kicked out in a fun type of way." I nodded toward Fernos, and Fernos hissed a soft warning on me while he glared.

I held back an eye roll and pressed my lips into a thin line, and I had to ignore the hurt in my chest because I hated the fact that the man with my grandfather's face was hissed at me. I folded my arms across my chest and tucked my head that way, looking this way and that before I looked at Fernos with a blank look on my face.

Fernos scowled and narrowed his eyes. His whole body was tense, and he looked at us with a hard look on his face with worry and nervousness filling his eyes as if he had no idea what was going to happen next.

I hesitated before I shifted on my feet, and I looked around before I looked at Fernos to see that he was staring at me. "Do you think we can sit down at your table?" I asked, and gestured toward the table that only had one chair. "Or at least on the floor or bed?"

"You can take the chair, Kyler," Fernos said coldly. "I will stand." He looked at Silas and narrowed his eyes, biting back a small scowl. "And what do you want to do, Silas?" he asked.

Silas looked between the two of us before he looked at me. "Do you think it will be fine if I lean on the table near Kyler?" he asked hesitantly, gesturing toward the table where I was going to be sitting. "Please?"

"That's fine," Fernos said and folded his arms across his chest, biting back a small scowl. "Go ahead and go sit down before we have this discussion. After that, leave because you do not need to be here as long as you want."

I held back an eye roll and set my jaw, pressing my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word and ignored the hurt in my heart while I walked over to the chair with Silas following me so that he could lean against the table.

Fernos followed us but didn't say a word while he waited for us to get settled. He placed his hands behind his back before he clasped his hands together. He looked between the two of us before he fully looked at me, and I had a feeling that he wanted me to start this conversation first.

I bit back a tired sigh and moved a hand through my hair and across my face. "Ok," I said and grew serious while I folded my arms across my chest and scowled, looking at Silas. "So, we are safe and can talk about everything now." I paused and licked my lips. "With that being said, what the fuck happened, and why the hell were you talking to that person? Who is he?"

Silas hesitated and shifted on his feet, and his cheeks instantly turned red. He looked away before he looked at me so that I could see the truth in his eyes while he tried to tell me what he could. "I can't say much," he said, hesitating ever so slightly while he shook his head. "I want to, I really do, but..." He shrugged and grimaced, pressing his lips into a thin line.

"Do they have someone that you are close to in their grasp that you are trying to protect?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I studied him. "Is it a mate, a sibling or parent, or even a kid?" I didn't look at Fernos when I said that, but I could feel him stiffen near us while he stared at me with a hard look on his face that I ignored.

Silas hesitated before he bowed his head, submitting. His whole body seemed to sink in on itself while he grew defeated, and I could tell that he would try to help the best he could, even though there was not much he could do. "Mate," he said finally. "They have my mate, and she is not able to get away from them. They have put her under some sort of spell, a-" He started to choke on what he was about to say, and his eyes grew wide while they became filled with fear.

He placed his hand on his throat, and I could tell that he wanted to tell me everything but couldn't because of whatever spells that had been set on him.

"Ok, stop thinking about telling me whatever it is that you want to tell me," I said and shook my head. My heart became filled with worry and nervousness, and I couldn't help but grow concerned for the male that was near me. "That will only make the spell worse."

"But I want to help," he said, his voice barely above a whisper while tears pricked the corners of his eyes. "And to do that, I have to t-" He choked some more on what he wanted to say to me. Sweat started to glisten on his forehead, and I couldn't help but frown while I furrowed my brows and cocked my head to the side.

"But you can't help if you are dead, so stop," I said, trying but failing to keep the snap out of my voice, and he flinched but stopped saying a word about whatever it was that he wanted to tell me. "You can help in a different way, even if you can't provide me with a lot of information."

"Bu-"

"Silas, for the love of the Goddess and everything in her path, stop trying to tell me things that are going to hurt you," I said, interrupting him with a small snap in my voice. "I might or might know something and know that you need help rescuing someone. Hopefully it is more than one person, but that is beside the case." I shrugged and grimaced, pressing my lips into a thin line.

Silas stopped thinking about trying to tell me whatever it was that had caused him to start gasping for air, and he took a deep breath as if he was breathing for the first time and not the last.

He toppled forward and would have landed hard on his face if I hadn't caught him and practically helped him sit down on the ground. His face was pale while his eyes were wide and filled with nervousness and fear.

"Breathe," I said and stayed crouched down beside him. "Focus on breathing for a bit before you try to tell me something. If it gets to that point again, then stop trying to tell me what it is, and change the subject. I do not mind and do not care if I have to find information on my own."

Tears pricked the corner of his eyes, and he hesitated before he slowly nodded, silently agreeing with me. "I can't help it, though," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. I want to tell you everything, bu-" He cut himself off and shrugged with a grimace on his face.

"But that is the best way to get yourself killed, Silas," I said and tucked my head closer to my chest. "And your mate needs you alive. If you want to get her freed from whatever spell they have her under, and not just that, but Caroline needs you more now than ever because you are one of her Protectors." I paused and licked my lips, silently praying that this wasn't going to bite me in the ass. "And guess what?"

"What?" Silas asked and stared at me with tears pricking the corner of his eyes while he studied me. "What is it? What's wrong?"

I leaned forward and stared at him with cold, gray eyes, trying but failing to mask the pain and longing in my eyes and on my face, especially since all I wanted to do was go back home and forget that I had been here surrounded by people that were my family but not. "I need you alive to figure out what the fuck is going on over here, even with you underneath this spell because right now, you are my only hope to get back home safe and sound..."