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Lethe rolled all six eyes.
Maia smirked.
"They still like me more," she stage-whispered to Az.
"And yet they bow to me," he replied in a sweet taunt.
Maia grinned, especially at Jaro's warm laugh. It was good to hear that after he'd been growling and defensive with Bryon close by.
She jumped when lightning flashed through the darkening sky, heavy grey clouds rolling in to block out the stars just starting to show their light. Maia shrieked as thunder roared, loud enough to drown out even the pack's sudden growls.
"We'd better get going," Azrail shouted over the thunder and the hiss of sudden, torrential rain.
Maia wished she'd worn thicker clothes, but Venhaus was known for its mild temperature and warm winds, not for sudden downpours. When her wolves tipped all their heads back and snarled at the sky, a ripple of unease went through her belly.
She let the rain soak through her hair and clothes, and stared at the sky, too. Was it a natural storm, or something of the Eversky's making? Had the saint of sky and storm been reborn, like Sephanae? Were they losing control of their magic like Maia was hers?
She jumped when a weight fell across her shoulders, but a small kernel of warmth grew in her chest when she realised Ark had settled his jacket over her.
"You'll freeze to death," she chided him, but not as casually as she intended. It was still far too soon after thinking she'd lost all her other mates. "But thank you," she added, lifting a hand and fitting it to his jaw.
"Keep it," he said sternly, sensing her intention before she'd even reached for the hem. "Non-negotiable, my highness."
Maia huffed a laugh and kissed him, then shoved her arms through the sleeves. If he wanted to be gallant, she wouldn't fight him. Even if hehadn'tbacked her up with her wolf army.
Speaking of ... the growls had stopped. Guess they'd got used to the slap of rain like Maia had, the cold shuddering through her.
"Oh," she breathed at the empty field. They'd gone.
Sadness weighted her chest, pinching her heart, but Maia straightened her shoulders. She couldn't mope forever. And besides, if they were out there searching for the stolen beastkind, that was good.
She and Az's family had managed to save one house full of beastkind from whatever dark fate awaited them, but there were hundreds more who'd gone missing. Hundreds of people had been smuggled to Arahes, not too far from here, according to Eidothea—the Arahesian diplomat Zamanya had locked up at the compound.
Cold crept into Maia as she remembered what the woman had told Kheir and Zamanya: that the missing beastkind were to become hosts, and Eidothea had kept the caravans flowing with kidnapped people for some dark, twisted plan of Ismene's.
If the wolves could find them and end whatever was happening there, and Maia and her mates—plus Bryon—could stop the monsters eating their way through Venhaus here ... it might be enough. It might weaken Ismene. So when she came for Maia, she might survive it.
Or if that was too much to ask for, at least it might buy her enough time to get her mates to safety.
Maia wrapped her arms around herself when the storm cut off as abruptly as it had appeared, and she exchanged a wary glance with the others. Even Bryon looked slightly less pissed off than usual, as if he was disturbed too.
"Let's get to Eosantha," Azrail said with a barely-muffled growl. "Whatever the chasm that was, we're not sticking around for it to happen again."
Maia didn't complain when he stalked over to her and tucked her into his body, his arm rigid around her. Maia didn't speak, didn't know what she would have said anyway, so she made sure everyone was accounted for, and let Azrail lead her into the city.
