Page 57 of Wanderer

“How?” I blurted. There was an odd tension between Tatsuya and his sister. I noticed how stiffly they both held themselves and the distance between them.

“Hi Riley, I’m Adalinda. Ada, for short, please. I’m the chief of police here.” Her voice was warm and kind. “Sorry I haven’t met you before. I know Tatsuya was in the party that welcomed you to town.”

Being reminded of that time really wasn’t wise, considering that Tatsuya was on my shit list. I couldn’t help getting a dig in. “Fen was really friendly. Went above and beyond,” I said before glaring at Tatsuya. “Your brothers, not so much. Especially this one. You might want to reconsider him being the welcome wagon with how he likes to leave a lasting impression.”

“Right.” Ada glanced at her brother. “I’ve heard rumors, and we’re going to discuss that later. But we have a situation right now that can’t wait.”

“Situation?” Gareth and I said together. It would have been funny, but there was just too much worry in the air.

“We take the security of the town extremely seriously. There are reports that a man, a warlock, is outside the town trying to get in. He’s slowly stripping the wards.”

I flinched back. “No! It can’t be.”

Hestia rushed to reassure me. “You’re safe, Riley. The town’s wards need more than a second-rate dark sorcerer to break them. However, it does mean that Boyce has found you.”

“Why didn’t the alarm go off?” Gareth asked.

“He silenced it first before working on making a hole,” Hestia answered. “We were lucky we’ve had patrols since the last attack. We thought someone might try it this way.”

“The sentries heard him shouting about the curse being broken but never letting you go,” Ada said sympathetically. “Tatsuya told us about your plan to go after Boyce now that you’re free. Do you feel ready to face him, or would you rather we take care of it?”

“Take care of it?” My mind was spinning.

Gareth wrapped his arms around me. “Whatever you want, baby.”

I breathed in his scent. The bergamot and lemongrass smell that was so familiar to me now. It soothed the rough edges of my panic. I knew what I needed to do. “We need to end this. Me and my brother.”

“You should take backup,” Ada said. “I don’t feel comfortable sending two shifters and a warlock out to deal with someone as unhinged as this man is.”

“Keeley and Oscar will come with us,” Gareth chimed in. “Though we wouldn’t say no to a dragon.” Tatsuya’s eyes lit up. “Maybe not you, Suya, sorry.”

Tatsuya deflated. “I get it. I spoke without thinking. It’s just—”

“Nope,” I interrupted. “No time for bullshit excuses. Ada, would you be able to come?”

She looked frustrated. “Unfortunately, no, I can’t. We’ll gather as many magic users as we can to shore up the wards. We’ve got fighters ready in case he didn’t come alone. I’ll get my other brother to help you.”

Hestia saw the question before I asked it. “I cannot leave Greyhaven without leaving the wards open and the town vulnerable. Though I wish I could help, I have to put the safety of the town first. I hope you can understand, Riley.”

Her genuine sorrow was clear. “I get it. It’s fine. Greyhaven is too important to put at risk. Besides, two shifters, two warlocks, a witch, and a dragon? It sounds like the start of a weird joke.” I laughed, and the strange mental picture quashed the panic inside me. “Between us all, I think we can end this for good.”

A couple of texts and a party showed up on Gareth’s doorstep. Ryuu had brought Eason and Keeley. Oscar and Paxton were practically neighbors, so they came together.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Paxton asked, after wrapping me in a tight hug. My brother had never been this demonstrative before. I hoped Greyhaven would be a fresh start for our relationship and our lives. I prayed to the fates that Paxton would convince Fen to come home.

“Yeah, it has to end now. We’re free for the first time since Mom met him. Let’s free her now.”

“Do you think she’s with him?”

“There’s no one else I can think of who he would trust with her.” I knew for a fact that Boyce wouldn’t let her stay alone or with any of his past cronies. He couldn’t guarantee she would be in one piece when he returned. No, he would bring her with him for sure.

“Plus, she’s a pretty big bargaining chip,” Gareth added. “He will try to manipulate you using her.”

“Right. I think that when we get close, one of us should try to get her away from Boyce and through the wards,” I suggested because Gar was right, it was exactly what Boyce would do when he realized I had more backing than he thought.

With our curses, Boyce thought he’d made me and Pax vulnerable and weak. He thought he’d stolen any chance for us to create allies, but against all odds, Pax and I had found fated mates and friends here in Greyhaven.

“Good plan,” Ryuu agreed. The dragon looked exhausted. There were dark circles under his eyes that held none of the sparkle that was there the day I’d met him. I hadn’t actually seen him since. “Load up!”