AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sanai let out a low whistle. “That’snot going to thrill them.”
Shea bared his teeth in an unamused smile. “It thrills me even less that it has taken them…” he briefly consulted his smartwatch, “...over 20 minutes from the time the first emergency calls were placed to bother to show up. Now, normally I would chalk that up to the fact thisissovereign Pack territory, andourLaw applies first and foremost. But given just how fucking brutal this attack was and how many outsiders—including humans—were injured and killed, we all know that delay was not just inexcusable. It was likely intentional.”
My breath sucked out sharply, but then I reluctantly nodded. Much as I wanted to believe this conspiracy was confined to a rogue group of Spellbinders and a handful of Shadow Shifters, the sheer number of attackers sent in to basically kill themselves in the assassination was only one hint that this likely went much further—and potentially muchhigher—than just a splinter faction of malcontent magic-users.
And given that the human government came in second to the Circle of Dawn and Dusk—and by extension the St. Louis Pack—in the eyes of the law, it stood to reason they were no more immune to bribery or coercion than our own guardians had been.
“Shea’s right. We’ll meet them outside to remind them that any investigation we allow them to conduct is secondary to our own.”
His eyes flashed with first pleasure that I’d agreed with him and then sudden disapproval. “I’d prefer that Connor and I meet the police outside while you and Finn remain here to receive the rest of Hana’s report.”
My eyes narrowed at the unexpected hint of protectiveness. It smacked of sexism, and I wasn’t going to stand forthata single second. Came as a bit of a shock, really. I’d never noticed that in him before.
Hana apparently shared my opinion, because she shot me a sardonic expression before turning her gaze to Shea and drawling, “My report’s all finished, sir.”
I was tempted to cast a second, smaller Radiant shield around just Shea and me so I could chew his ass out, but we didn’t have time for that. Just like we didn’t have time to indulge his current nonsense. “I’m fairly certain that little ole me is fully capable of attendingourfirst meeting with the St. Louis police as Packleader and Beacon.” Okay, so the petty side of me couldn’t resist a sarcastic bout of rapid eyelash batting. Sue me.
Shea gave me a look that was twice as sardonic as Hana’s had been before pointing from himself to his brothers and then me. “One, two,threePackleaders and justoneBeacon. Consider that more enemies could by now be waiting outside to finish off the Donnelly cousins like they were supposed to earlier. What would happen ifyougot caught in the crossfire withnoUnderstudy physically near enough to retether our pack?”
A guilty sensation had me biting my lip and quietly saying, “Oh.”
“Yeah,oh.” He shook his head with a snort. “Little ole youtook out more enemy Spellbinders than the three of us did, combined. My caution is not due to any lack of faith inyourcapabilities, Ava. But we all have to think about this Pack as a whole even more than we did before.”
I nodded, giving him an apologetic expression before replying, “You’re right. Go meet the police. Make them grovel a little before you let them inside.”
Connor, the most lighthearted triplet, gave a bark of laughter that was echoed a little more reluctantly by his older brothers. “Sometimes I have a hard time remembering you’re not a pure Shadow Shifter.”
Someone else might have been insulted by that comment, but I knew he meant it as the highest form of flattery. “And sometimesIhave a hard time remembering you’re not acompleteass.”
He gave an exaggerated wince at my barb and pretended to stumble as if it’d been a physical blow. Shea rolled his eyes before throwing Finn and me warning glances. “Be wary until we get back. There are still way too many outsiders here for comfort.”
I dissolved my Radiant Seal. Finn and I watched for a moment as Shea, Connor, and Sanai walked away, gathering several guardians to accompany them to meet the police outside. Unexpected nerves jangled through my system. It took a moment for me to realize I was worried about them.Anythingcould happen to them, and I wouldn’t be there to react to signs of impending magical threat. But then I remembered that I was no longer without authority.
I turned to Deion and motioned toward the departing group. “Can you spare a couple Spellbinders to join them if I assist in healing?”
Deion didn’t need me to spell out my concerns, not after everything he’d seen over the past—Dawn and Dusk, had it only been 30 minutes? “Certainly. We’ve gotten the worst of the cases stabilized, and one of those we can’t do anything more for until we’re cleared to transport them to theactualinfirmary.” He turned and waved over the two most powerful Spellbinders after him, earning himself bonus points in my book. They nodded after he gave them new orders and hurried after the vanishing group of Shadow Wolves, easing at least some of my fear. Should anyone launch a magical attack outside, they’d be able to sense it and shield Shea and Connor long enough for the alarm to be sounded.
That was the hope, anyway.
I assured myself that the primary reason I was so damned worried about the two maddening wolves was because of what they now meant to the Pack. Not what theycouldsomeday mean to me. And because losing them so soon after losing their parents would devastate my nieces.
Thatthought launched a fresh spate of grief as I realized that somebody—most likely me—was going to have to break it to those sweet girls that they’d lostboththeir parents tonight. Something that nearly broke me where nothing else had.
But then I reminded myself that I needed to be strong for both them and the Pack. Mourning our loss would have to wait. For now, we had lives to save, facts to gather, and eventually—enemies to repay.
Deion didn’t hesitate to put me to work, since he knew I was a more than competent healer. I’d helped him a few times with severely injured patients when he’d needed a powerful Radiant’s assistance. He led me to a gurney in the center of the room where an older woman I didn’t recognize lay moaning quietly. Her lavender evening gown was from an elegant and extremely expensive designer whose work I immediately recognized. The formerly exquisite fabric had been shredded in several places and crimson bloodstains now punctuated the pastel purple. Her wounds had clearly been caused by one of our Shadow Wolves. Which was true for the majority of the wounded in this room.
“The worst of her internal injuries were treated, but she has several broken bones that need to be healed. I’ll leave you to this, if you don’t mind. I need to check on our two newest Spellbinders. They’re nowhere near as skilled at healing as the rest of us.” The Chief Spellbinder waited for my nod of acknowledgment before striding away.
Finn positioned himself a few feet away while I set to work. Close enough to defend me if necessary, but far enough away not to interfere with my movement. I appreciated his consideration. Given the roller coaster of emotions I’d been riding, I was most definitelynotin the mood to trip over an overprotective guard dog.
Especially not one I still hadn’t completely forgiven.
I stepped close to the gurney and borrowed a bit of strength from my tether with Finn, using it to magically assess the woman’s broken bones. In addition to her quiet moans, her fingers dug furrows into her palms and her teeth chattered, further symptoms of physical trauma. Easing her suffering was one good deed I could immediately perform. I directed Radiant energy into her body and split it, using half to block off her pain while directing the rest toward her broken wrist, broken femur, and several broken toes.
She gasped in relief and her eyes flashed open. “Oh, Moon Mother and Sun Father bless you!” she cried before her vision cleared enough that she focused her gaze upon me. It was just a few words, but they were enough for me to recognize her voice as the Spellbinder who Shea and I had overheard predicting tonight’s bloody attack. That thick Southern drawl was unmistakable.
The enemy Spellbinder recognized me a split second later, and we cried out in unison, “You!”
