Mason''s POV**


    Luke has just suggested a terrifying, very possible theory. How the fuck do we find someone underground? How do we even get in there without risking copsing the cave below us?


    I''d quite happily start removing the ground from below each of the ces that have been searched, but I could bury my daughter alive by doing that.


    "Wouldn''t the women and children we captured have told us if they''d been living underground?" Theo asks.


    "Not if they didn''t know about it, or had beenpelled. This group doesn''t seem to prioritise the safety of women and children; Otherwise, they wouldn''t have left them unguarded as they did. They could very well be hiding the strongest and most important of them underground," Raff exins.


    "Fuck!" I curse, my fingers twitch with the need to destroy something, but I can''t risk copsing this ce until we have found what we are looking for.


    Lukeforts Josie as she reacts to the news, something I should be doing, but I''m too worked up, I''d only make her feel worse.


    Robert finishes emptying the trunk, finding nothing that he seems interested in, before pushing it out of the way. Then he gets on his knees and begins digging in the dirt with his hands.


    "What are you doing?" Axe asks


    "He would keep his most precious items hidden, they will likely be close, but out of sight," Robert says as he digs,


    with determination.


    "Move back," I sigh. I can move the dirt much faster than him.


    "Oh, that''s right, you have a molecr maniption gift," Robert says, and I shoot


    a worried nce at Deacon. How could he have forgotten that so quickly? Is the tumour affecting his memory?


    I focus on the ground where he had been digging and slowly moving the earth, opening up a deep cavern in the ground.


    "Try here," Robert says, pointing to another spot on the ground.


    I fill in the hole I''d made and open up another where he indicated. There is nothing there either.


    "Are you sure it''s here?" Josie asks.


    "Yes, I remember seeing him bury a small case once. I''m just trying to remember where exactly," Robert says, screwing his eyes shut and pressing his fingers to his temples as if he can push the memory free.


    "If he was as paranoid as he seemed, it''s likely he didn''t bury it in the same ce every time. Let''s just search the whole ce," Raff suggests.


    "Everyone stand behind me," I say, ready to search every inch of this ce.


    Once everyone is out of my way I move the dirt effortlessly, revealing nothing. I return the earth to its ce before turning and doing the same to the other half of the space.


    "If it was here, then he either moved it before he died, or someone else knew its location and came back for it," I sigh.


    "Try the walls," Robert says, and i shrug before slowly moving the dirt away to make the cavern bigger.


    We are in even


    It doesn''t take long before I dissolve a barrier that was separating this space from another one that is almost the


    same size.


    "Woah," Theo gasps as he takes in the cavern, cluttered with all sorts of trinkets, books and Cornelius'' personal belongings.


    "Jackpot," Raff breathes as everyone surges forward to explore the new space.


    "This is it," Robert says, holding up a thick ancient-looking book. The cover is made of what looks like delicate leather but there are no markings on the cover to indicate what it is.


    Deacon takes the book from him and opens it with care. The script is handwritten and as he flicks through the pages it is clear to see that many different people have written in this book, using different writing styles and tools.


    "What about the branding kit? Do you see it?" Luke asks, drawing everyone''s attention back to the task.


    "Here," Robert says, picking up a fancy-looking wooden box. He opens it to reveal an iron branding rod and four small ss vials containing what I assume are the powdered gemstones he spoke of. There''s also a small granite pestle and mortar in the box.


    "Okay, great, grab anything else you think is important, and I''ll have the rest collected and brought back to headquarters," Raff says.


    My group scramble to collect paperwork and books before we port back to headquarters with our haul.


    Everyone gets to work, looking for anything that might be able to narrow down a location for the rogues.


    "Let my team take over for a while, let''s get this branding done so Luke and Robert are ready to leave the moment we find something." Raff suggests when it''s clear the task of finding information isn''t going to be a simple one.


    "Do you think it will hurt more than a tattoo?" Luke asks me whilst we watch the


    iron brand heat up in the small fire pit that Raff has made outside.


    "100%," I nod. I won''t sugarcoat it for him. It''s going to hurt like a bitch, but he can take it.


    "Awesome," he sighs.


    "Do you want me to hold your hand?" I ask sarcastically.


    "Actually, yes, well, not my hand, but can you hold my arm still? I''m not sure that I won''t snatch it away," he admits.


    "Sure, I can do that," I nod, deciding not to mention he could easily just port away.


    "Maybe after this, I''ll finally get that tattoo you''ve been trying to convince me to get," he snorts.


    "You''d suit it. Josie would certainly appreciate it," I say. I know he''s not serious, he''s just trying to distract himself from what is about to happen. I''m not sure why he chose me as his distraction. I''m the least chatty of the group, well, except Axel, maybe.


    "It''s ready," Raff calls, and Luke blows out a breath.


    "You''ve got this," I encourage.


    "For Harper," he nods and moves towards Raff.


    Robert is inixing the powders in the small granite bowl. He adds a drop of water to create a thick paste and nods to indicate it is ready. Deacon carries a chair over and gestured to Luke to sit in it.


    Luke pulls off his jacket baring his arms and sits in the chal grip and he screws his


    I his arm, shut.


    "Can you do me a favour, Angel?" I ask Josie through our mind link.


    "What is it?" She looks up at me in question and the anxiety pouring from her is as strong as Luke''s.


    "Get over here and kiss the shit out of him whilst we do this," I say, and a small smile ys on her lips.


    "With pleasure," she nods andes over, straddling Lake''sp.


    He looks up at her in surprise, and she tells him how much he loves him before her lips move to his. I nod to Raff and he lifts the hot metal, pressing it onto Luke''s wrist for few seconds. The scent of burning flesh is not pleasant, but it''s over within a few seconds. Josie continues to kiss Luke whilst Robert thers the paste over the angry wound.


    "It''s done," Robert says, and Josie pulls her mouth from Luke''s to look at the damage and begin healing it.


    "Fuck that hurt," Luke hisses as his body trembles.