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Or rather, my phone vibrated against my butt. I squirmed a little farther away from Marco into the cushions and tugged it out. In the first instant I read the alert on the screen, every other concern faded from mymind.

“Kylie texted me,” I said, springing to my feet. “She found someone who recognized the symbol from mylocket.”

Chapter 11

Ren

“It’s rightin the middle of vampire territory,” Nate said, crossing his arms over his brawny chest where he stood by the arm of the sofa. “We can’t just saunter on in there and expect them to give us a freepass.”

“My scouts move through the city on a regular basis without any trouble whatsoever,” Marco replied. He leaned back in the sitting room’s armchair. “As long as we don’t draw attention to ourselves, they’ll never even realize we were there. I know stealth isn’t your strong point, but you can manage not to lumber about like a total bear, can’tyou?”

Nate scowled at him. West paused where he’d been pacing back and forth near the door. “How do we know this information is even worth following up on? We’re hearing it thirdhand.”

My fingers tightened around my phone. I sat up straighter where I’d curled up at one end of the sofa. “Kylie knows the people she talks to. If she didn’t think this guy was legit, she wouldn’t have told me about it.” She’d reported that a guy she played pool with sometimes did urban “explorations.” He’d been pretty sure he’d seen the inverted flame image in a tunnel leading to one of New York City’s abandoned subwaystations.

“Why would anything to do with shifters be down in some abandoned subway tunnel?” Nateasked.

By the fireplace, Aaron raised his head. “The spot could have been chosen for exactly that reason, if the dragon shifters wanted to keep it hidden. No ordinary shifter would stumble across it there. But Nate is right. It’ll be difficult for all four of us to enter the city together without any of the locals noticing. Which iswhy—”

“Allfiveof us,” I brokein.

He blinked at me, his clear blue eyes momentarily puzzled. “What?”

I gestured to the bunch of us. “You said ‘all four of us.’ But we’re five. I’m coming too,obviously.”

Apparently that fact wasn’t so obvious. Aaron’s mouth tensed, and Nate bristled as if his bear really were comingout.

“No,” the bigger guy said. “It’s dangerous enough with just us. Our job is to make sure you’re protected, and that means you stayhere.”

“I was going to suggest that only one, or at most two, of the alphas should investigate,” Aaron said in his light, even voice. “There’s no need for even all four of us togo.”

“Well, even if only one or two of you goes, I’m coming with.” I waved my phone in the air. “I’m the one who got the information, remember? I’m the one it’sfor. The symbol was in my locket. It’s some kind of message from my mother. Ifanyonegoes, it should beme.”

Nate shook his head. “If it wasn’t vampire territory, I’d never argue with you. But you don’t understand the full situation. It’s not worth the risk, especially when the tip might not bereliable.”

Marco’s gaze darted between us, his expression somewhere between contemplative and amused. He wasn’t telling me to stay home, but he wasn’t leaping to support me either. The one voice in my favor was West’s, although of course he had to say it in the most insulting waypossible.

“If she’s going to be head of all shifter-kin, she’d better be able to hold her own,” he growled. “Let her come. It’ll give her a taste of the supernatural world outside this ridiculoushouse.”

Marco raised an eyebrow at that. “If you don’t enjoy the comforts in here, you’re welcome to sleep in the yardtonight.”

“Who cares about the house?” I said. “If Iamgoing to be head of all the shifters, I should get to make a few decisions for myself. And I say I’m going. You have no idea what we might be looking for. For all we know, my mom set it up so I’m the only one who can find it or figure out what to do with it. Won’t makingonetripwithme draw a lot less attention than two trips when you realize you need me there afterall?”

“You could stay nearby, ready to join us if we let you know your presence was needed,” Aaronsuggested.

“No. No way. I haven’t had a say inanyof this so far, but this could be my mother’s last message to me. I have to see it formyself.”

“Ren,” Nate started, but West brokein.

“You’re all too hung up on the past. This is a totally different scenario. Vampires had nothing to do with what happenedbefore.”

“If wedopiss them off, vampires are plenty dangerous,” Marco said. “We shouldn’t completely dismissthem.”

“Hold on,” I said, setting down my phone. My fingers curled around the arm of the sofa. “What ‘past scenario’ are you talking about? Whyareyou so worried about protecting me?What—”

A splinter of a memory jabbed through my mind. Just a fragment, wavering and incomplete, but with a jolt of panic that brought a metallic flavor into mymouth.

I was huddled on the floor, clutching the arm of a girl a little older than me, pale with a head of blond ringlets. Her mouth was set in a thin, bloodless line. Another girl, even older, stood at my other side, black waves cascading down her trembling back. Her hand was braced against my head, too tense to reallycomfort.

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