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I can’t help the flicker of desire that accompanies that look, but I quickly squash it, knowing that today might be my only chance to get some time alone.
“I’ll be fine,” I assure him, and turn to my door, giving him one last parting look before I turn the brass knob and step inside. Closing the door behind me, I silently flip the lock, not wanting to take the chance that he sneaks in.
We need backup, and there’s no pack in Endcliffe that can stand up to the bears, even by our side, but there might be someone else.
It’s a long shot, but it’s one I have to take. I just hope they’ll listen to what I have to say.
Chapter Twenty-One
Skylar
Thebrightafternoonsunshines down through the windshield, flickering in and out of view as I pass under towering maple trees. The leaves are already beginning to change color as the weather shifts, and autumn is almost upon us. I take a deep breath and ease my vise-like grip on the steering wheel, my gaze laser-focused on the road ahead as I maneuver the armored sedan around the winding suburban streets. The houses are more sparse here as I climb the hill, heading to some of the more luxury homes in Endcliffe.
The Draven manor has stood here for centuries, our pack among the first to call Endcliffe our home, but in this town, there are still some with even more wealth and influence than us—the witches. And this family is at the top of that ancient hierarchy. They led the charge to build a safe haven for all supernaturals, and even voted with the wolves to keep the bears from our borders after a slew of attacks a few centuries before. If anyone has the power and influence to help us, it would be the Hart Coven.
I relax back into the leather seat and take the next turn, reminding myself I’ve faced much worse, and overcome it with ease. This is the first time I’ve driven by myself in ten years, and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my mates.
Zeke, Arsenio, Everett, and Zayn. They’re the reason I’m doing this, the reason I want to get as many allies on our side as possible. It killed me to be separated from Zeke last night, to have to rely on technology to know he, Seline, and Silas were okay. And Arsenio … he wanted me to go on without him. I’d die before I let him take on a single one of our enemies alone.
I frown as I stare out at the sprawling mansions, my resolve wavering as my gaze flicks to my phone lying on the passenger seat.
I wouldn’t want anyone I care about doing something risky without me knowing about it, so I owe them at least that.
I quickly pull over to the side of the road and put the car in park before I click on Seline’s contact and let the phone drop back down onto the seat. The ring vibrates through the car’s speakers, and I chew on my bottom lip, almost hoping she doesn’t answer.
“Hey, Sky,” she says, her tone excited. “I’m heading in for a workout. Do you want to join?”
“I’m on my way to meet with Glenda Hart,” I say into the car’s bluetooth speaker. My tone is curt, allowing no chance for her to try to talk me out of what I’m about to do. “Meet me at Opal Moon in an hour.”
As much as I don’t think Glenda will want to make an enemy out of me and my pack, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“Sky,” Seline says, her tone betraying her nerves. “Do you want me to meet you—”
“No,” I say, cutting her off sternly. “This is a conversation I need to have with her alone. If I bring backup, she’ll have her guard up.”
“Have you spoken with her since you’ve been back?”
My stomach sinks at her question as uncomfortable memories resurface. The only two times I’ve ever seen Glenda Hart were at funerals, the first my mother’s and the second my father’s. The irony isn’t lost on me that I’m about to ask the ancient matriarch for her help when I associate her with death. But the witches might be our best shot at resolving things swiftly without putting our packs—and my mates—in too much danger.
“She came to my father’s funeral, but that was the last time,” I say, recalling the brief meeting and her bland, consoling words. “I know it’s a long shot—she and my father never saw eye to eye—but maybe we can stand united in this. Her clan created the protection amulet, and her mother was the deciding vote to keep the bears out after all.”
We prevailed last night, but it could have very easily gone the other way. But I can’t tell Seline that. I can’t tell anyone of the curling doubt wrapping around my gut. I can’t let it infect them too, but I have to at least try.
“It’s worth a shot—” she sighs “—I just wish you weren’t going alone.”
“I can take care of myself,” I assure her. My fingers automatically smooth over my white silk shirt and the amulet hidden just beneath it, the ancient heirloom I found with Seline the other day tucked away. It’s reassuring to feel the cool metal sinking into my skin, the protective magic imbued within it radiating over me.
“I’ll be waiting for you at the Opal Moon then,” she says, and I vaguely make out the smack of a car door followed by an engine roaring to life.
“Go back and do your workout,” I groan as I put the car back in drive, continuing towards the stone castle in the distance.
“Nope, there’s no way I can focus on that now.” She chuckles. “Besides, I haven’t checked on how the staff is doing in a few days. The girls are still learning the ropes as managers.”
“You’re worrying for nothing.” I smile at my best friend. I can’t blame her though. Giving up control is not something I’m good at either. “I’m almost there, so I have to let you go.”
“Just be safe,” Seline says. “I feel like I’m saying that way too often lately.”
“You are,” I huff out on a breath of amusement. “You should trust by now that I already know how to stay safe.”
