“What is this?” Addie asked. “What’s it for?”
“Escape tunnel,” Tiger said. “Looks like it was abandoned. There’s air coming through it.”
Addie had noticed that. Instead of the stuffy, dusty air she’d expected, it was cool, with a flowing breeze.
Tiger led them unerringly down this tunnel, their feet crunching on gravel. It was very dry, no dankness announcing the presence of water.
After a long time of trudging, the opening left far behind them, Tiger stopped. Though the tunnel went on, beside him was another opening, half filled with rubble.
He started digging through this, the rocks rolling out behind him. Jaycee started pushing the debris he shifted ahead of them into the tunnel, so it wouldn’t block their way back. Addie, after realizing what she was doing, helped.
Tiger stopped digging. “Addie,” he said.
Addie went to him, her heart beating faster. He’d found something.
Before Addie could ask a question, Tiger boosted her up and over the pile of rocks he’d tunneled into. She slid down a slope on the other side, skittering and bumping in the dark, heading for a faint glow below.
As she neared the glow, a large form rose in front of it, and she ran headlong into it. Addie tried to stop herself, but was lifted and steadied by the strong arms of Kendrick.
* * *
“Addison—what the hell?”
Kendrick’s words were a croak, his voice gone after hours of being trapped beneath with no water.
Addison’s cool hands were on him as she touched his chest, arms, face. “Kendrick—thank God you’re alive.”
She flung her arms around him, and Kendrick held her, the relief that she was safe and whole almost making his knees buckle. He lifted her against him, tension flowing away as he clung to his mate. Addison was all right.
Addison kissed his cracked lips. “Tiger found a way down.” She called behind her. “Jaycee, get him some water.” She turned to Kendrick again, then started as she saw Darien on the rubble a few feet away. “Hello . . .” Her breath brushed Kendrick’s face. “I’m Addie. We’re here to rescue you.”
Darien stared, then he let out a breath. “She’s your mate all right. Damn, Kendrick, you move fast.”
“When it’s important. Give Darien the water, Jaycee. He’s been hurt.”
Jaycee was already unstrapping a bottle of water she’d carried down. “Whose side is he on?”
Her voice held all kinds of suspicion, but she went to Darien and unscrewed the cap of the water bottle. Darien took it.
“The Guardian’s side,” Darien said. “He proved himself the better.” Darien sipped water but didn’t take much before he was passing the bottle to Kendrick.
“Kendrick shouldn’t have to prove himself to you,” Jaycee told Darien hotly. “You should have trusted him.”
“Enough.” Kendrick drank, wiped his mouth, and tried not to crumple in gratitude for the cool liquid in his throat. “Tiger, Jaycee, take him out of here, and call Zander to come out and look at him.”
“Zander’s here,” Addison said. “Just outside. You go first, Kendrick. We’ll take care of Darien.”
“Doesn’t work that way.” Kendrick helped Darien to his feet. “Jaycee, get him out safely and stay with him. Don’t let anyone kill him. I’m relieving you of your duty to look after Addie and assigning you Darien.”
Jaycee sighed in exasperation. “Sometimes it sucks being a tracker. Especially a tracker with an unreasonable leader.”
“You can yell at me later,” Kendrick said. “Tiger—there are other Shifters down here. Some remained Lachlan’s followers, but it doesn’t matter. They’re all my Shifters, and we need to find them.”