Read Neverwylde (The Rim of the World Book 4) for Free Online

the expression on his face, she could tell he wanted to ask her something, but privately. She gave a slight nod to let him know she understood. He was adamant about keeping himself between her and Hoov, and he didn’t have to tell her why. Something about the creature set Dox on edge. She was also getting some weird vibes from the thing. And judging by his stance, chances were her mate was also getting them.
                “I take it Hoov got to finish his meal?” Jules halfway joked.
                “Not all of it,” Gaveer informed them. “It dragged the rest of the carcass inside the tunnel entrance.”
                Kyber peered at Hoov. “Why? Why bring the carcass inside? Why not leave it out in the temple?”
                “Eat,” the creature stated.
                Fullgrath snickered. “He isn’t sharing with anyone.”
                “And in this cold, he doesn’t have to worry about it going bad,” Mellori added.
                “Speaking of cold…” Her teeth were starting to chatter. A glance over at Dox showed the young man shivering inside his blanket. “The temperature seems to be dropping.”
                Jules consulted his tablet. “It’s below freezing. Minus four degrees Celsius.”
                “With night settling, it will grow even colder,” Tojun predicted.
                Fullgrath stepped over to where he drew the creature’s attention. “Hoov, you said you were going to lead us to a place of safety. We need to get there as soon as possible. How long will it take us to reach the lower chambers?”
                “Soon,” Hoov answered. It turned to face the dark corridor and set off at a slow pace without warning. Everyone quickly gathered the bundles and hurried to keep up with the creature. Gaveer scooped up Dox into his arms to carry the little man.
                As before, Cooter took watch at the end of the procession. But instead of taking point, or being close to the front as he normally would, Kyber chose to stay near the rear. He tugged on Kelen’s arm to hold her back, giving them a little privacy as they began a gradual but discernable descent.
                “I do not trust this Hoov.” He kept his voice low, but Kelen knew Cooter would be able to overhear them. It didn’t matter. It was Hoov they didn’t want listening in.
                “Neither do I. I also think the Adajuss left behind those hieroglyphs to warn anyone else who happened to land on this planet.”
                “I agree. Kelen, do you not find it strange that we found the Corucian inscriptions on this side of the planet, but not on the side where we originally were?”
                “Maybe the Adajuss didn’t land there. Maybe they only landed here. With the light controls frozen on that panel, there wouldn’t have been any way they could have traveled to another part of the planet.”
                “That is true, but what of the panels we will find below?”
                His question almost made her pause in her tracks. He quickly linked an arm through hers to both help her along and to take some of her weight off her bad leg. She pressed a quick kiss to his bicep in thanks.
                “You believe there will be other panels below we could use to help us get out of this place?”
                “Do you?” he countered.
                It made sense there would be.
                “What if they’re also frozen over?”
                “That is a possibility we will have to wait to discover.”
                They continued to follow Hoov, with only the glow from their tube lights to show them the way. The tunnel curved slightly back and forth, rarely going straight for any considerable distance. Occasionally Kelen could hear the others