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Chapter Twenty-Nine
Erik
I call in five fresh shifters to guard the perimeter of my house, just as a precaution. Darkness may have been broken and bleeding when we left her, but I know she isn’t dead. Astrid and Lilli are safe at the moment, but I’m not taking any chances.
I cannot fail them again.
While they sleep, I contact all the members of the Raven Society core group: my best friend Xander and his fiancé Rowan, Ven and Ryder, Tamsin and Blake. Luciana had no doubt given them a partial update earlier, but we need to start planning next steps. We must strike while the Night Guild is wounded. They cannot be allowed to regain their strength.
I sit at the large desk in my office and greet everyone as their faces pop up before me. We use a spell to connect—like magical video conferencing.
“Thank goodness you’re okay,” Rowan says. “When Luciana reached out earlier, we feared the worst.”
“Astrid and her daughter are okay,” I say, my lips set in a grim line. “And Astrid managed to perform the spell to break Darkness’s hold over Light, to rebalance the natural order of things.”
“That’s fantastic news,” Tamsin says. Behind her, Blake nods vigorously.
“What’s bothering you, then?” Xander asks, his brow furrowed. Of course he can tell something is off with me. We’ve been friends for over three hundred years.
“It was a close call,” I say. “Too close. We need to make sure Darkness is taken care of while she’s weakened. What intel do we have on Night Guild facilities around the world? We need to go in fast while we have the advantage.”
“Well,” Ryder says, “In addition to the locations we discovered in Russia and Japan, we’ve identified five more. Seattle, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Beijing, and Mexico City.”
“That’s fast work.” I nod. “Lots of progress in the last couple of days. Let’s talk details…”
An hour later we end our call and I contact my pilot to get the jet ready again. Then I contact all my staff who aren’t currently on assignment, about a dozen in total, and arrange a meet-up in St. Petersburg, which is the closest of the Night Guild facilities. The rest of the Raven Society core group is meeting us there, too. It will be the first stop on a string of raids, a purge of the Night Guild facilities around the world.
Once I have everything arranged, I pack a bag. A few minutes later, I sling it over my shoulder and stride down the hall. As I pass the guest room, my eyes slide over Astrid and Lilli, asleep in their bed. I feel a pang of guilt for leaving while Astrid’s asleep, but I’m not going to let another minute go by while the Night Guild is out there wrecking lives.
We can’t have a future unless I keep my promise. And Astrid and Lilli aren’t safe until Darkness is taken care of, for good.
I stop at the front door to speak to the shifters on duty there, Raf and Angie. “I’ll be gone for a few days handling the Night Guild. Watch over Astrid and Lilli. Guard them with your life.” My eyes flash silver, my dragon restless within me. “Tell Astrid I’ll see her soon.”
And then I stride out into the night.
