“Being aware it’s dumb means it’s not as dumb as you think,” Gerratt said.
I nodded for Chase to ask.
“What, exactly, are we looking for in there?”
“No idea,” I said. “Anything. Everything. Something is going on, and right now we’re operating blindly. We need more information. Any information. Keep your eyes open. Watch out for shadow creatures. Those I’d say you can expect. They hit hard and fast. Hopefully, the new moon will keep them down as well, but if the Chained truly is behind all this, who knows. It’s been a century and a half since the last incident. Perhaps we’re just due?” I shrugged. “That’s what this mission is for. Help us figure it out.”
I was about to tell them to put their game faces on and head out, but the buzzing of my phone on the bench behind me interrupted me. I glanced at it and froze.
It was Sylvie.
“Hang tight a second,” I grunted, stepping back. “I have to take this.”
Snatching up the phone, I walked away, trying to keep calm. There was no good reason I could think of that she would be calling me this late. Something was wrong.
“Are you okay?” I asked, not even bothering to say hello.
“I’m fine now, I-“
“Now? What do you meannow
?”
“Someone threw a rock at the door. A big one. It scared me.” Sylvie paused to take a breath.
“There’s more. Isn’t there?” I pushed when she didn’t immediately continue.
“Yeah.”
“I’m not going to be happy about it either. Am I?”
“Probably not.” She exhaled, slow and steady. “The note told me to get out of town. That I’m the evil that’s coming.”
I wanted to curse. Of course one of the idiots had gone ahead and done just that. It was what the elders had wanted, when they’d forced me to speak up at that stupid town hall. Idiots! What were they thinking?
“Hey, easy man,” Gerratt grunted from across the room.
I glanced at him.
He jerked his chin, indicating the phone. “You’re squeezing it hard enough it’s gonna break.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear, noticing the whites of my knuckles as a I did.
“Who’s that?” Sylvie asked.
“Gerratt.” I gnashed my teeth helplessly. “If you’re safe now, why are you calling me at this time?”
“It’s just, I’ve had a bit of a day. Some other stuff, and I was just, um, I was hoping that maybe you could like, come over and I don’t know, like, look around a bit?”
Her nerves were showing through. I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard her that uncertain before. It took guts to show that kind of vulnerability, and I wanted nothing more than to tell her that I would be there in an instant.
But I couldn’t. This patrolhad to happen. And Ihad to lead it.
Fucking Elder Council. I am going to abolish them before this is over, if it’s the last thing I do as alpha.
“Sylvie,” I said slowly. “I will do more than just look around. I promise. But I have some things I have to take care of here first. I can be there by sunrise. I’m sorry I can’t just drop everything and leave. I really am. Are you going to be safe in the house? Maybe you should go wake up your neighbors. Stay there for the night.”
“No, I feel safer here,” she said quickly. “Besides, I’m not about to let some anonymous jerk scare me out of my grandmother’s place with a rock.”
Some of her usual feistiness was back, a sure sign she would be okay. Some of the guilt at not being able to go to her right away faded. Some. Not all.
“Promise you’ll be here bright and early, though?”
“I promise,” I said, glad that it was only some easily impressed human telling her to leave. Something from her world, not mine. “If something else happens, call the police right away. Don’t hesitate.”
“I will.”
For a moment I contemplated asking her why she’d called me and not them. It was flattering to think that she trusted me to handle the problem, but I doubted that was it.
She blamed me. That was far more likely. In her mind, I had created this mess with my comments, and now she wanted me to clean it up. Nor could I blame her for having that mindset. It was a stupid situation that should not exist, but did, because some fearful old men insisted on staying scared.
Which was precisely why tonight’s mission had to proceed. I had to show the pack a different way forward. We had to be proactive, not reactive, and this was the start.
Once we returned, though, I was heading right to her place, and I wasn’t leaving. Not for a long time. My wolf agreed heartily, howling from the back of my mind, eager to spend as much time around Sylvie as humanly possible.
Humanly.
Heh.
“Okay, people,” I said after hanging up. “Game faces on. Let’s move.”
I tossed the phone onto the pile of my own gear and led the way out of my house, hitting the ground on four giant paws before I’d even left the porch. The others followed, with Gerratt taking up the rear and closing the door before shifting into his midnight-black wolf, nearly as large as I was, though thicker across the chest.
The others stood ready as well, a mix of colors, brown, black, gray and some mottled white and gray mixes. I inhaled deeply, sensing nothing but readiness from all of them. Including Chase. That was good. Everyone was focused on the mission first and foremost.
An image of Sylvie cowering in a dark room in her house leaped into my mind. I put it down with a vicious killing blow. Focus was necessary. We were heading into the heart of the forest, crossing the Dyne River, so now was no time for distractions.
With a growl that could only mean one thing, I dug my claws in deep for purchase on the grass, and then took off. Five sleek, powerful forms followed a heartbeat later. We flowed across the lands of our den, under the interlocked branches of the mighty trees, and disappeared into the forest beyond.
The night was dim under the leafy canopy but not impenetrable. Not to us. The silver-white and black contrast of our night vision was more than enough to allow us to run like the wind. Each paw struck the ground with sure-footed confidence as we cleared fallen logs, mossy rocks, and all other minor obstacles without slowing down. The miles melted away behind us as we swung wide around our territory and past Mount Blisbane.
Discipline reigned supreme as we cut through the land of the blood drinkers, reining in our natural tendencies to go after them. This night was not one of clan versus coven. It was oforder fighting against chaos. We had a bigger mission to fulfill, though that didn’t stop me from picking up the pace a little. Trusting vampires was risky business, after all.
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