Page 17 of Beautiful Madness

She took me into Jared’s officefirst and left me and Joe there while she went to wait in the hallway. Theoffice was masculine with heavy, expensive furniture, and Jared’s scent was sovivid in my mind that I closed my eyes and fell into his chair, allowingmyself, for a few seconds, to give in to my fear.

“Jared,” I whispered, my voicethick with tears. “Alpha. I’m coming for you.”

And through our connection, weakthough it was at that moment, I knew he felt me. I knew, because I felt him,too. I felt his anger, his pain, his helplessness.

Rage exploded inside me,covering my fear.

Someone had hurt him, and whenI found out who that person was, I wasn’t holding him for a trial or a vote orfor his alpha to punish.

I needed Sam, even with his darkneed and his unforgivable mistakes. He could shift into Eli and tell me whathad happened.

I was going to find the onewho’d fucked with my alpha—and I didn’t give a shit if he were human or not.

That motherfucker was going todie.

Chapter Nine

I found nothing in his officethat gave me any hints about what had happened to him, and I wasn’t surprised. Afterward,Nell led us to the “dungeon” below, and when we entered the windowless hallwayleading to Lennon’s cell, I hesitated.

The air was different downthere. Suffocating and thick, and the dim lighting did little to push away thegrim shadows. I already looked forward to leaving, and I couldn’t imagine howthe guards stood it. I hoped they had frequent shift changes.

The floor was concrete, the wallsbrick, and both were clean and painted white. That did nothing to brighten theplace, though. Maybe it was simply Lennon’s presence that caused the ominousbleakness.

The two guards said nothingwhen we walked toward them. I’d half expected to have to fight them to get tothe witchwolf, but they watched us quietly and didn’t say a word. Lennon’s cellhad a large, barred window, and I peered through it, my stomach tight and thehairs on the back of my neck bristling. I could see her, as motionless and paleas a waxy doll, staring at nothing.

Beside the door was a numberedpad.

“Open the door,” I said,finally. It wasn’t enough that I could see her. I needed to feel her.

“Sorry,” one of the guardssaid. “We can’t open the door.”

Joe narrowed his eyes and tooka step toward the guard who’d spoken. “Give her the code, wolf.”

“They don’t have it,” Nell said.“And they can’t open the door. Only the alpha and Eli have the code. Maybe Eliwill let you in.”

“No,” I said. “Eli doesn’t wantme here at all. He’s not going to let me near her.”

Unable to do more, I went backto staring at her through the window. She hadn’t changed position—her arm wasstill raised, and the hand that had once held her wand was gone, chopped off bythe alpha.

She appeared bloodless and emptyand just so sad. I’d liked Lennon. I’d been fascinated by her and her wand, andshe’d always been nice to me, even when the other wolves had hated me.

Too bad she’d turned out to bea total fucking bitch.

I caught movement from myperipheral and jerked my head around, on high alert. Being in the eerie dungeonwas making me nervous. Seeing Lennon was making me nervous, as well.

“Kait?” Joe stiffened andlooked around but didn’t pull his machete from its sheath on his back. He wasalso wearing a gun, but if it came to a fight in the dungeon with wolves, he’dgo for the blade, not the gun. “What is it?”

“A spirit,” I murmured.

Spooked, the guards took a stepback and glanced at the area where I was staring. Seeing nothing, they lookedat me, and a low, almost silent growl floated from the one on the right. Joewouldn’t have heard that growl, but I did.

So did Nell. “Oh shush,” she toldhim, then touched my arm. “What do you see, Kait?”

Nearly everyone in Shadowfieldknew I claimed to see spirits, but hardly any of them actually believed it.“It’s a man,” I said. “Very old, frail, gray hair.” He saw me looking at himand heard me speaking about him, and his eyes widened when it sank in thatsomeone in the dungeon could see him. He hurried to me.

“You see me,” he said, dustingoff his black trousers. “At last, at last.”

“I see you,” I agreed. “Do youneed help crossing over?”