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He squeezed her hand again. I’m glad you’re here.
Me, too. But is it wrong to say I’m nervous as hell? Though just to be clear, she added, I’m not worried about the dominance battle.
I know. I’m not either. I can take Sydon. But there’s a current in the air more troubling than anything I’ve experienced since I arrived in Five Bridges.
She nodded. I can feel it as well, as though the entire territory is about to be turned on its head.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MARY FORCED HER wolf to calm down. The atmosphere in the arena hit every nerve in her body and kept her heart beating hard. But she had to think. Her wolf was second in her alter being, despite its love of the energy in the air.
Her fae, which relied more on instinct than raw animal power and quick reactions, needed to have skin in the game as well. Fergus, do you want me to do a quick dreamglide? See if we missed anything? All I would need is for you to hold me close and let me rest my head on your shoulder.
You think you can create one in this noisy gathering?
Yes. I just need to be supported.
Go ahead then. He slid his arm tightly around her waist, drawing her close.
She leaned her head against his shoulder and dropped quickly into a deep meditation. What surprised her was that she didn’t fall unconscious, but instead remained upright. When they’d made love, she’d been fully awake in both realities. The same seemed to be true here. But being supported by Fergus gave her a sense of security.
The moment she was in her dreamglide, she telepathed, I’m in.
And you’re not unconscious?
No, I’m not, but it helps to have you support me since I’m on my feet.
This is changing too, isn’t it? Fergus asked.
Everything is. Within the dreamglide, she gained her bearings. She was directly above Fergus. All right, let me find out what’s going on.
She piloted the craft over the sand pit and headed immediately toward Sydon and his crew. When she was directly overhead, she moved slowly up the rows, but nothing seemed to be out of place. With the seats made of stone, little could be hidden.
Where are you now, Mary?
I’m over Sydon’s rogue troops but I’m not finding anything. They’re clean. I’m going to make a pass over the rest of the spectators.
Okay. Detail it for me.
She gave him a blow-by-blow as she made her way first around all the seats then outside at the north entrance, then the south. She made a quick trip over the surrounding pines as well. The forest looks clear.
Okay. Then get back here because the referee is heading down into the pit right now. The dominance challenge is about to start, and he’ll announce me first.
She smiled at the ‘get back here’ part. She could move the dreamglide to China, but she didn’t have to make the return trip to come back to herself. All she had to do was let the dreamglide go, which she did. She lifted her head. “I’m back,” she said aloud.
“That was fast.”
“I might have been over the forest, but in terms of distance, it doesn’t really exist. As real as the dreamglide is, it’s still a product of a dream sequence.”
The referee began his introduction of Fergus, listing his former rank as alpha of the Gordion Pack and his challenge to Sydon. No mention was made of the skewer, however.
She felt a tremor of pure excitement run through Fergus. She instinctively stepped away from him and as she did, he withdrew his arm from around her waist. She could sense how focused he became, intent on the battle ahead.
As Fergus dropped his cloak, then levitated off the platform and into the sand pit, Mary resisted the urge to reach for him, to pull him back. It was an odd impulse since she was fully on board with what needed to happen here. But she felt protective of him at the same time, as though her job had become to ensure his safety no matter what. Was that part of the role of an alpha-female?
So much was at stake. Mostly, Fergus needed to bring the Gordion Pack under his care once more. No one in their right mind would argue this wasn’t the priority.
The crowd fell silent. That alone was an extraordinary circumstance given the general noise the wolves had been making the entire time. Yet the bite to the air remained.
