Storm & Blood - A Northern Court Book (Book 3)

Syka

I pulled my balaclava higher over my nose as the wind lashed against me, sharp and merciless. Snow stung my exposed skin, driven sideways by the gale, and I squeezed my eyes shut as another vicious gust tore at my hood. I tightened it with numb fingers and reminded myself—again—that I loved this land. That in the right moments, I even loved the cold.

Those moments usually involved being wrapped in furs, my mate pressed warm and solid against me, his unnatural heat cutting through winter’s bite.

After nearly an hour of fighting through hip-deep snow, I finally reached the bluff. Relief washed over me when I spotted the narrow mouth of the cave carved into the northern peak of the Sygon Pass. I ducked inside, breath shuddering out of me as the wind fell silent. The sudden stillness felt sacred.

I tugged off my hood and balaclava and rubbed my mittened hands together, exhaling slowly. “You owe me for this one, Alex,” I muttered under my breath.

Snow shifted behind me. I glanced to my right just as a massive black wolf slipped into the cave, his form filling the space with quiet authority.

“Your mate is doing my laundry for a year,” I said, eyeing him pointedly, “after making me climb that frozen hellscape.”

The wolf shimmered and shifted, fur giving way to skin, until Sasha stood beside me, broad-shouldered and smirking despite himself.

“You’d think after three years of living here, you’d have developed a thicker skin, little sister.”

I shoved him hard in the arm. “Shut up. Not all of us can grow a fur coat whenever we feel like it.”

He chuckled lowly, then his expression shifted as his gaze swept the cave. Even with the sun sinking toward the horizon, there was enough light to reveal the markings etched into the stone walls.

“She was right,” Sasha murmured.

He stepped closer to one of the carvings—a grotesque image of a bear ripping into a wolf’s throat. I joined him, my stomach twisting as I took in the rest of the wall. The art told a story, one steeped in blood and sorrow.

“You didn’t know this was up here?” I asked quietly.

Sasha shook his head once. “I’ve spent most of my life in these mountains. I just… never looked for things like this.”

“Why was Alex even up here?” I asked, incredulous.

He glanced down at me, something amused softening his features. “She’s a cat half the time. She likes high places.”

I snorted despite myself and wandered deeper into the cave, studying the carvings one by one. The scenes grew darker as they went on—death, pursuit, terror frozen in stone.

“Whoever lived here,” I whispered, “did not have a happy life.”

One carving stopped me cold. A small figure—clearly a child—running from a towering bear. The next showed the beast devouring her.

Goddess.

“I grew up on stories about bear shifters in these mountains,” Sasha said quietly behind me. “But I always thought they were just stories. Something my mother told Jace and me to keep us in line.”

“You think they’re real?” I asked, dread pooling low in my stomach.

“I haven’t heard of one in years. And even then, they were always lone creatures.” His gaze lingered on the walls. “These show packs.”

“Are you worried?” I asked.

Sasha turned toward me, and I caught the brief flicker of something guarded in his eyes. I knew him too well not to see it.

“Why did Alex send us up here?” I asked slowly. Unease crawled up my spine. She’d framed this as a simple survey, nothing more—but suddenly that felt like a lie.

When he didn’t answer, I pressed. “Sasha. What aren’t you telling me?”

He exhaled heavily. “Too smart for your own good.”

“Sasha,” I demanded, stepping closer.

“Alex’s heard rumors,” he said at last. “A threat rising in the East. Mercenaries. They raid, kill, vanish into the night.” His jaw tightened. “There have been sightings of… bears.”

My breath caught. “That’s why she wanted us here. To see if these carvings meant something.”

I snapped my gaze back to him. “Where is Alex?”

A sick feeling settled in my chest. It had struck me as strange that she hadn’t come with us.

Sasha sighed again. “The only reason she didn’t tell you is because she knew you’d insist on going with her.”

“Where the fuck is my sister?” I snapped, fury flaring hot and sharp.

He placed a steady hand on my shoulder. “She went to investigate the last sighting. Luka went with her. She’ll be back tonight.”

“She went after the bears?” Horror rushed through me, a thousand terrible images flooding my mind. What had she been thinking?

“She’ll be fine,” Sasha said calmly—too calmly.

“Did Jace know?” I asked.

He shook his head. “If he had, he would’ve told you.”

At least there was that.

“If these carvings mean anything,” I said, gesturing to the walls, “it’s that these shifters are deadly. How can you be so calm with your mate out there?”

“I trust her,” he replied simply.

I knew Alex was powerful—far beyond any ordinary shifter—but that knowledge did little to soothe the fear clawing at my chest.

“I want to leave this place,” I said after a long moment.

“We can go,” Sasha agreed. “I’ve seen enough.”

I took one last look at the carvings, the stone soaked in old violence and warnings long ignored. A chill settled deep in my bones.

Whatever was coming for us, it was not merciful.