"No," Yanai said, sounding faintly aggrieved. "He never sent me any message. Nina… I've been searching for you for so long."
Every day he had worried about her, thinking of her constantly. He hadn't eaten or slept well, and he had grown visibly thinner.
He and Ghost Wolf had agreed in advance on a signaling method—whoever found her first would immediately send word. Even though they had split up, they hadn't scattered too far apart. If a message had been sent, it should have reached him.
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became. Sal must have deliberately withheld the message, trying to shake him off and monopolize Nina for himself.
"Maybe the message just didn't get through," Nina said, not thinking too much about it. Her own wounds already felt much better. "Please check on Kith first. He's badly hurt."
Before she finished speaking, Kith finally lost consciousness. He shifted back into human form and collapsed toward her.
