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“This is a real treat,” Ryan said.
Grant chuckled and walked faster to get away from the middle-of the-forest bar.
When all he smelled were the pine trees, he looked up and caught sight of a star or two. There wasn’t much visible given Phoenix’s light-pollution, but they were still stars. From how many continents had he and Renee looked up at the night sky? All of them, including a trip to the Antarctica Peninsula.
Ryan stood a few feet away and did a slow pivot. “We’re alone.”
“Good.” He then outlined what had happened with Natalie and the dreamglides.
Ryan didn’t say anything for a long moment. Finally, he stroked his narrow chin and smiled. “You know what this means.”
“No. I don’t.”
“Big picture, Grant. You can finally take on Kryder.”
This was the last thing he’d expected Ryan to say. “How do you figure?”
“Think about Fergus and Mary. He only learned to build dreamglides once she showed up in his life. It’s possible Natalie has done something similar for you, somehow ignited a similar ability. Fergus and Mary thwarted an entire territorial takeover because they worked together. That’s why I’m thinking you’ll be able to defeat Kryder.”
Ryan had a made a few mental leaps Grant wasn’t prepared to hear. “The point I’m trying to make is that Natalie has sensed an invisible presence. We’ve been worried about something like this for a long time, wizards selling invisibility spells and making our jobs even harder.”
“And you’ve missed my point. If you bond with Natalie, you’d probably be able to figure out who’s shadowing her and maybe even why.”
Since Ryan wouldn’t let go of this bone, Grant addressed the issue. “That’s not going to happen for Natalie and me. Ever.” Saying the words caused his chest to ache.
“Why not?”
“She participated in the Fae-Wolf Wars. She’s a futurist and she provided intel about our activities.”
“Jesus.”
“Exactly. She said she only did it once and regretted it.”
Ryan filled in the real problem. “But some of our people died.”
“She said they did, and it made her miserable. The truth is, I wasn’t proud of my role in the wars either. But it’s a big chasm.”
Ryan nodded several times, his gaze intense. “All right. But I don’t think you’re going to like what I’m about to say.”
Grant sighed. “Then just say it.”
“Neil.”
“Fuck. I’m not doing that.” Neil was an Elegance warlock of great power who was on the verge of becoming a wizard.
Ryan summed things up. “Take him a bottle of his favorite cognac and make peace with him. It’s time. You and I both know we need to follow up on this invisibility thing and Neil will know something. You’ve got a ghost giving warnings to Natalie, she’s a futurist probably of some ability, and she thinks she’s been stalked for years. This isn’t a coincidence, not if Renee is involved.
“Besides, Neil reminds me of you and Alpha Warren. I suspect, if given a chance, Neil could become a real force for Elegance and for Five Bridges.”
Grant was always surprised when Ryan compared him to Alpha Warren or to Fergus. These wolves were heroes in Savage Territory. Grant wasn’t even powerful enough to take on Kryder. In that sense, Grant was still a beta even though his pack looked to him for leadership and direction.
Despite his self-doubts, he knew Ryan was right about Neil. The warlock brimmed with emerging wizard-power and he was one of the good guys.
“You were both drunk,” Ryan added. “And that vampire female you were both chasing went home with a deadtalker anyway.”
Neil had gotten under Grant’s skin and Grant still held a grudge. He’d bought the plump vampire female several drinks but had come back to find Neil with
his tongue down her throat. He’d sensed the spell Neil had used and Grant still bristled when he thought about it. Neil hadn’t played fair.
