“What happened to them?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“Let’s just say the glamoured cemetery is no longer the only burial ground up there,” Asher said. “After we took out those two, we tracked in a little deeper, then circled back up to the spot where they’d tried to jump us. No one was left.El Loboand I made damn sure of that.”
I didn’t doubt it.
“So it seems we made it out of the whole mess in pretty much one piece,” I said, blowing out a breath. I was still getting used to the whole not-needing-air thing, and the gesture felt a little forced. Darius had always seemed so natural.
Years of practice, I supposed.
“The issue now,” Darius said, “is that we’ve got no communication with Blackmoon Bay. Kallayna—via her brother—was our only link.”
“We’ve still got Reva,” I said. “I say we stick to our original plan—keep practicing with her until she’s ready, and then let her do her thing. I know she can get in there remotely—she’s a strong kid, and just as dedicated to this as the rest of us.”
“Her dedication isn’t an issue,” Emilio said, raking a hand through his dark hair. “I hate putting her at risk like that, but I’m afraid it may be our best shot at getting any sort of intel. Otherwise, we’re heading in blind—and that’s if we can get in at all.”
“She’s just a kid,” Ronan said. “If they find her snooping around like that… No. There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t,” Emilio said. “We’ve been over it from every angle. Between the fae spells, the unpredictable weather, the Council’s treachery, and the beating we’ve taken at nearly every turn… We’re up against a wall here, Ronan.”
Ronan shook his head. “Liam’s been working with her for days, and she still hasn’t made any progress. We can’t just turn her loose like that. What if she get’s caught? What if—”
“Guys. Seriously?” I looked around from one gloomy face to the next. The air was suddenly so thick with their collective hopelessness, if I actuallyhadto breathe it, I’d probably choke. “We saved all those lives the other night—witches, shifters, and vampires alike. We destroyed an army of insane hybrids. Wiped out another pack of hunters. We got more intel from the inside—okay, maybe not as much as we’d hoped, but a hell of a lot more than we had when we started. Haley and I found our sister. And hey, guess what? I’m a scary immortal vampire now—bonus!”
I bared my fangs and hissed, hoping to make them laugh, but only Asher cracked a smile.
“Hey!” I said. “Where’s the sense of accomplishment here? The hopeful optimism?”
“Now you’re starting to sound like your sister,” Ash said. “Always trying to find the bright side.”
I smiled, taking it as a compliment. From the moment Haley and I had started getting closer back in the Bay, she’d been a bright spot in my life. Not that she never felt down or scared or pissed off, but even in her darkest moments, she still had a way of bringing out the best in everyone.
“Maybe my sister has a point,” I said, channeling a little bit of Haley’s eternal optimism. “If Haley were standing right here, she’d make each of us share one thing we’re grateful for.”
Ash groaned. “Thank fuck she’s not standing right here, because that exercise sounds completely—”
“Okay, Ash, you go first.” I grinned at him, big and bright, letting him know there was no way out of this.
“You want gratitude? Fine.” He huffed and puffed, then finally found his answer. “After we took out those hunters, we looted the park service lodge. Brought home a few more fae blades, some tactical gear, shit like that.”
“See, that wasn’t so hard,” I teased. “Emilio?”
He squeezed my foot again. “You survived the change. That’s enough to get me through whatever shitstorm comes next.”
I smiled. I was grateful for that, too.
“Darius, what about you?” I asked.
Without missing a beat, he said, “I just got laid by the hottest vampire-witch in existence. That’s my final answer.”
The crass declaration from the otherwise proper vampire shocked us all into a bout of laughter.
“I should probably smack you for that,” I said, “but I’m tied up.”
“As if I could forget,” he said with a wink. Then, to Ronan, “Alright, hellspawn. You’re not getting out of this, either. What’s your answer?”
Ronan locked me in his fierce autumn gaze, his eyes burning with some new urgency.
“Everybody out,” he demanded. “I need to talk to Gray alone.That’smy answer.”
