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At times like this I wished I was still the Consort because I could just order them to leave, and they would. A bloodbath would be avoided.
“Tonight is not the night. I just pissed Barrett off, and there is an undead trailing us.”
Keelan’s eyes flashed green. “Do you need us to…?”
“I have no right to tell you what I need. I’m not part of the Pack. But I would appreciate an escort off the Farm.”
“Oh, we would be delighted.” Keelan’s voice came out as a guttural snarl. “Protect the Consort.”
The shapeshifters formed up around us, with Keelan by my side and the two others bringing up the rear in a triangular formation. We started down the road.
“So what brings you to the Farm, Consort?” Keelan asked.
How could I put this to keep consequences to a minimum…
“She’s helping me find my son,” Thomas said.
“So sorry he’s missing,” Keelan said. “How do you two know each other?”
Mayday, mayday…
“We—” I started, trying to make something up.
“My brother is remodeling their home,” Thomas said. “They bought Fort Kure.”
Damn it.
Keelan’s eyes blazed. “Does that mean the Beast Lord is here?”
There was no point in lying. “Yes.”
“Here in Wilmington?”
“Yes.”
Keelan nodded. “And this house this man’s brother is remodeling, will it be a permanent residence?”
“Yes.”
Keelan hopped in place and darted into the corn. We kept riding.
Thomas looked at me.
“He needs a moment,” I told him. “Please let me answer the questions next time.”
“You didn’t tell me you were the Consort.”
“I’m not the Consort,” I growled. “I haven’t been the Consort for 9 years.”
“I didn’t think you were a shapeshifter, but now I see it,” Thomas said. “You sound like one.”
Behind me Andre made a strangled noise that sounded a lot like an aborted snicker.
Keelan jumped out from the corn and trotted over to his spot by Cuddles. “Why is the Beast Lord not with you?”
“Go ahead, tell him,” I told Thomas.
“The Red Horn gang is going to attack Fort Kure tonight,” Mr. Loose Lips said.
Keelan smiled. The moon slipped out from behind the clouds and filled his eyes with its light.
“Thomas’ family is hiding at Fort Kure,” I said. “If you help us across the river and take Thomas back to the fort, you might get there in time for some action.”
Keelan smiled, showing me all of his teeth. “It will be an honor.”
Yep, I totally passed the buck to Curran. Nope, I didn’t feel any guilt about it.
“I thought we agreed I would come with you,” Thomas said.
“Things changed. Onyx was a trafficker, but he was also Barrett’s journeyman. He was good enough to be part of the Farm’s cadre, his permanent staff. Onyx understood power because he witnessed it daily. When he told me about Aaron, there was reverence in his voice. That man may or may not be a god, but he must be packing some serious magic power. If you come with me, I will have two targets to protect, you and Darin. You’re going to have to trust me.”
Thomas’ mouth turned into a hard, flat line.
“I’ve seen her kill a dragon,” Keelan told him in a confidential tone.
Thomas jerked, startled.
“Oh, it was glorious.” The werewolf raised his hand, drawing a wide arc across the sky. “The world was smoke and fire. The dragon spat flames like a jet of napalm to and fro. People died where they stood, and their bodies turned to ash. And she ran up its head and thrust two swords into the dragon’s eyes while her husband tore out its throat.”
Thank you, Keelan, for stabbing my last hope for anonymity through the heart. “You should talk less.”
Keelan winked at Thomas. “If anyone can get your boy, she is it. And he’ll be overjoyed that his dad is in one piece. Trust in the Consort. I do and I haven’t regretted it yet.”
Getting across Cape Fear proved to be surprisingly easy because the ferry was now running. According to the captain, a juvenile Sargasso Sea kraken had come into the river, probably due to inexperience, and some fool had blown it clear out of the water, causing a feeding frenzy. Nobody knew how. Crazy what people got up to nowadays.
Thomas had given me detailed directions. I was to take Market Street heading northeast to Porter’s Neck, then make a right at the old Walgreens that now was half-pharmacy, half-apothecary, onto Porter’s Neck Road. Then I’d make another right onto Edgewater Club, then a left onto Bridge Road, and another left onto Siren Call once I got to Figure Eight Island. About 22 miles. Give or take 3 hours, with some delays built in. The sun had finally set, so it was around 8:30 pm or so. I should get there by midnight.
We parted ways. Keelan, Thomas, and the other two shapeshifters headed south. They would swing by their secondary HQ in Veteran’s Forest and pick up more “friends,” as Keelan put it, before heading to our place. I wished Keelan good luck, he somberly told me to “stay safe,” and I went east on Market Street.
