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When his mother returned with a tray of tea, he rose to his feet, and the rest of the men gathered around. All but Gabriel took a seat.
“What does she know?” Gabriel asked his mother, disregarding Lily like she wasn't in the room
“Everything,” Claire responded in a snap. “She has to know everything, Gabriel. You know that.”
Lily felt irked for a second, but then the rush of his touch, as well as the disquieting poison of the information he had received, she settled back in. His entire world was in jeopardy.
He took Lily's hand and kissed it. There was an apology in his eyes, and she forgave him instantly.
“What did you find?" Claire asked impatiently.
“A man named Malcolm Richardson is leading the expedition. He knows about the Lantern’s Eye,” Lucas said, and an eerie silence followed. Lily shuddered, swallowing as her mouth went dry.
It wasn't her world, but it was the world of the man she had grown to care for deeply. She gripped him tighter before he spoke, and he went on.
“We have to get everyone together, and we have to do it now,” Gabriel said, pointing at the door that he had entered through. “We have their blueprints and where they think the pieces might be located. We have to get to them first.”
Lily had never heard his voice quiver like that. She didn't think it was possible for a man of his stature. It made him seem softer, but briefly, and that made her heart clench with brimming emotion.
“I will gather the men,” Lucas said. “Levi has gone to retrieve Sebastian. We’ll divide into the three groups depicted on the map. Leave some men here to protect the rest in case of retaliation."
All of the shifters were on their feet, standing next to their alpha, who had rolled out the blueprint they had taken from the campsite. Once the locations were decided, they were all energized and ready to go.
Lily yanked on Gabriel's arm before he could pass the threshold through to the hallway.
“I’m coming with you,” she said eagerly.
She had her defenses up, waiting for him to argue. But all he did was grind his teeth and swipe her jacket from the closet.
“Fine. I don’t like it. But fine.”
Claire stayed behind to inform the rest of the pride what was going on. Lily walked out in her slacks and T-shirt into a world she knew she could never fully understand.
TEN
GABRIEL
Gabriel, Lily, and Lucas decided to go for the first piece of the Lantern’s Eye, which wasn’t far from the location of the initial campsite. They traveled as far as they could in his car, mostly because Lily couldn’t shift and thus wouldn't be able to keep up with them in their tiger forms. He considered turning back a few times and putting his foot down about her accompaniment on the mission.
She was the alpha's mate, after all. And even if he hadn’t told her yet what any of that meant, these things had a way of getting around. And if they didn’t, they were shifters. They could sense when one of their own was yearning.
But he thought twice about it, peering into the backseat at her as they mostly drove in silence. Her eyes were on fire with intrigue, reflecting the glow of the streetlights. If he wanted her to be a part of his life, he was going to have to compromise. And that meant including her in matters that pertained to the pride.
He reluctantly drove on, speaking with Lucas about the other proposed locations that were further away. They had sent Mark and a few of the other enforcers ahead of them to begin the search while they went after one of the pieces closer to home.
Lucas had the blueprint in his lap, talking quickly and enthusiastically as Gabriel found a secluded area along the woods to park.
“There’s a spot on here they've circled. It's along a long brook that leads to a small waterfall. Apparently, a piece might be wedged under a stone there.”
Gabriel nodded, then flicked his eyes back toward Lily. He was waiting for her to express some apprehension. She must have felt scattered and even a bit alien coming into a world like his. A place where sacred objects blurred the line between the magic and the tangible world.
“We’ll stop here and walk the rest of the way. We won't follow any path in case they are tracking us,” Gabriel said.
Lucas and Lily were in agreement. They came to a stop near the opening of the forest where Gabriel parked, crushing some leaves as he did. It wasn’t a practice of shifters to damage the natural world around them … quite the contrary, actually. But they needed to be shrouded in more than darkness, and the presence of toppled trees would only muddy any stalker’s vision all the more.
They climbed out of the car with their flashlights, as well as two backpacks with extra clothing and medical equipment. After covering the car with more shrubbery, they hiked into the woods with Lucas and the blueprint leading the way.
“Lily,” Gabriel said.
