Bridge crouched low beside his new contract—a sleek, dark-furred wolf whose eyes glowed faintly in the night. The wolf's breath steamed in the cool air, its muscles taut and surrounded by dark-attribute energy. This was Bridge's latest contract, a Dark Howling. Since it was nocturnal, Bridge had been testing its conducting its training at night lately when movement caught his eye.
He saw Kain return with Malzahir and Jax. Only three figures. His brows furrowed. 'Strange. Kain said it was a minor errand. Then why take four people? And why did only two return?' Suspicion pricked at him, but he pushed it down, rubbing the wolf's fur. 'He's my brother. He wouldn't lie to me. Right?' Still, the thought gnawed at him, as did the unconscious feeling that the distance between himself and Kain had grown greater lately. A seed of doubt took root in the quiet of the night. He turned back to training, the wolf lunging at shadows with lethal grace.
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