Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
“The alphas specifically said you guys had to stay behind.”
Butterflies filled my stomach as I looked out at the trees. I knew what he felt, a strange sort of wrongness about the area, though I couldn’t put my finger on why. Maybe it was simply nerves about what was to come, or maybe it was something else.
“They won’t be able to see us if we go on foot,” he pushed.
“Any decent shifter would feel your presence, or smell you, and Austin suspects there are a few of them in this pack. We agreed to their terms, and so we need to fulfill our end of the bargain.”
“But…” He shook his head and looked at the ground. “If you get into trouble, and we stay here, we’ll be too far away to help.”
“I think that’s the point.”
The butterflies turned ravenous. It wasn’t just Austin that might cause this alpha to balk. Or Broken Sue, who would go, or even Tristan. Nessa and Sebastian, our resident mages, would be going as well. Our numbers were greatly reduced, but he was giving entry to some of our biggest power players, people who could do damage from a distance.
Why would the alpha allow the mages but not Dave? Austin couldn’t figure it out. Hollace was allowed, but not Cyra. Niamh and Mr. Tom, but not Edgar.
Although, if the alpha had heard how weird Edgar was, that made sense.
Indigo had to stay behind, which also made sense. If he planned to take us down, he wouldn’t want our healer with us, but Fred got an invite. She was a Jane and couldn’t get a reading on this pack via technology, reaching the conclusion that they were off grid. Magical people were fine living disconnected? A die-hard tech nerd, Fred was flabbergasted, so I told her to stay behind. She wasn’t needed and this was dangerous.
Apparently, Fred disagreed because a few minutes earlier, I’d noticed her sneaking into the back of a van, and she wasn’t overly stealthy about it, either. I considered yanking her back out and decided why bother? Waste of time. Niamh would sneak her back in and do a much better job concealing it. Better to know where Fred was, I decided, and look out for her than not know and have her do something surprising and stupid at the worst possible time.
Jasper and Ulric had gotten a pass to go, but no other gargoyles. Six shifters would be allowed, chosen by Austin. Everyone else was told to remain at the motel in case the alpha had someone watching them to make sure they stayed put.
We hadn’t seen a soul all morning, not even the cleaning staff. The front desk was unmanned, and the sidewalk outside was deserted. Not all that uncommon, but there were no cars on the highway.
“You have to admit, the situation is odd,” Hollace said, walking over. He wore his cream suit from the alpha meeting with a red square tucked in the front pocket. We would mostly follow shifter protocol until things got dangerous.
“More than odd,” I murmured, scanning the trees. “Where the hell is everyone? The town is tiny and there hasn’t been much activity the last couple days, but there has been some. It seems suspicious that the day we leave you guys behind is the day everyone disappears.” Sweat beaded on my forehead. “What if it isn’t us who is in danger at all, but you guys?”
“We are in no danger,” Dave growled.
“He has a point,” Hollace said. “Those shifters wouldn’t leave the basajaunak here with a phoenix and then try to take them out. They’d divide us up better than that.”
I shook my head as the rear doors closed, and shifters took their positions next to the vehicles they’d be traveling in. They were waiting for my crew.
I took Dave’s hand and looked into his eyes. “You be careful, do you hear me? Stay safe. Keep everyone safe.”
The other basajaunak pushed in closer. Phil was wearing his kilt, a construction vest, and hardhat. He put a large hand on my shoulder.
“I can sneak in if you need me to,” he said. “I can blend in.”
He didn’t seem to realize that more than his clothes made him stand out. Normal people weren’t ten feet tall and had hair all over their body.
“Thank you, but you stay here, okay? Don’t let anyone follow us. They might get picked off before they get to us.”
“This is the least fair thing of all the unfair things,” Cyra said, walking up. “Even if they attempted to kill everyone, I can’t die. It’s safer for everyone if I go along.”
“Which is precisely why you didn’t get on the approved list,” Hollace told her. Grinning, he sauntered to the nearest van. He was rubbing it in. Cyra pouted as she watched him go.