Land of Wolves

Chapter 56

Adam lays back flat on the wooden cot and pulls me over him.

The wood groans under our weight, and I tense as I wait for it to break. This bed doesn't seem sturdy, but I tentatively relax when a few long seconds pass and we don't collapse to the floor below.

"Here," Adam mumbles, lifting his arm and wrapping it around my waist.

It's the first thing he's said to me in hours. His fingers curl into a fist where it rests on me, and he holds me steady as I press my cheek on his collarbone and wrap my arms around my head. This position hurts my chest, but laying on him facing upward would be too uncomfortable.

"Does your back hurt?" I whisper, my voice so low I can barely hear it myself.

Adam clears his throat. "No."

I'm not sure how much I believe that. I'm sure having to lay on wooden planks with somebody directly on top of you is far from comfortable.

Adam throws an arm over his eyes, blocking the room's light.

It's impossible to know what time it is, and it seems HPAW never shuts off the light. They installed a giant fluorescent bulb in the ceiling, and while I didn't mind it at first, it sure as fuck makes it impossible to sleep.

My heart races as I breathe in Adam's scent. He smells a bit musty, but it's not anything unbearable. Caleb loved to complain that I smelt too much like Adam, and my lips curl into a smile as I recall how he and Adam would always open the windows in my apartment to air the smell of one another out.

Adam tightens his arm around my lower back. I'm willing to bet the HPAW guard watching us through the camera sees this as a romantic action, but I know Adam means nothing by it.

We lay in silence for a long time, and I doze off what feels like every few minutes before jerking awake in a panic. Adam is wide awake every time, squeezing my hip with a whisper that everything is okay.

I wish that were true.

Eventually, I can't bring myself to fall asleep anymore, the pain in my chest too intense. I push off Adam's chest with a low grunt, needing to get up and move around. He watches as I stand on wobbly legs and take a lap of the room.

I can walk from one side to the other in only seven steps, and I estimate Adam could do it in four.

"I mean, there's no way Caleb would just let us rot in here," I say, starting a conversation.

I need to keep trying. The old Evelyn wouldn't give up until she had the information she needed.

Adam hums, the noise emerging from deep in his throat before he throws an arm back over his eyes. It seems he's still choosing not to talk with me, a fact I'm quite pleased with.

"Do you think he could be dead?" I continue.

My voice grows hoarse, and I clear my throat with a slight wince. I need to be showing less emotion. HPAW probably expects I'd be a little upset about Caleb's death, but I can't go around tearing up whenever the possibility is mentioned.

Is it possible?

The more I think about it, the more I fear it might be. I know there's no way Caleb would ever let Adam and me be taken, at least not without a fight. He'd have done whatever possible to stop it. I know he would've, but it's been at least two days.

Maybe he needs time to make a plan?

My lungs burn, and I continue pacing the room as I run through scenarios. I need to know what happened during the attack, and I need to know who the fuck HPAW's informant is. What if they're still in the pack?