AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The two men grabbed each other’s wrists and shook like they were in some secret club, and then with a flourish, Rook disappeared, his power sparking through the room like static electricity.
“Holy shit.” Axel ran a hand down his face.
“What now?” Kota surveyed the room, his energy palpable. This was a huge win for us. It was about time we had a foothold in this wicked game we were playing.
“I think it’s time to return to Cedar Falls, Nebraska.” Dason and Jolon locked eyes. “What do you say, Alpha?” Dason forced the last word out of his mouth, but I was happy to see him making an effort with my other alpha mate.
“Get ready,” Jolon commanded, nodding his agreement to Dase. “We leave in half an hour.”
Twenty-Six
Lorn
My necklace bit into the palm of my hand as I squeezed it during our journey through the portal to Cedar Falls. The stench of sulfur was thick in the air tonight, and a low fog had descended over the town, hanging near the ground to cover my knees.
“Is it me or does it smell like someone egged the town and left it to rot since the last time we were here?” I covered my nose, debris crunching under my boots as I made room for the rest of my mates to pile through the portal behind me.
As soon as Jolon sealed us in the veritable graveyard this town had become, Dason shook his head, glancing around wildly.
“Something’s wrong,” he growled quietly, keeping his voice a deep timbre that didn’t travel far.
“The ward is gone,” Jolon replied angrily, and suddenly the guys were surrounding me on all sides, placing me in the center and blocking me from the world beyond.
“That can’t be a coincidence,” Chayton added. “We were just here.”
“Shit,” Axel cursed, staring at the ring on his finger. At once, the guys all lifted their hands, and I did the same, watching the normally blue stone in the center bleed to crimson like the world’s best mood ring.
“Shades,” I gasped, the word nothing more than airy breath.
As if they’d heard their name called, the shades shifted in the darkness, focusing on us like the Eye of Sauron fromThe Lord of the Rings. Their wispy ether was hard to see against the dark of night. Unlike the ever-glowing cities of L.A. or New Orleans, Cedar Falls had no lights to illuminate their inky forms.
“What do you see, Dase?” Jolon shifted on his feet, his silver magick already glowing brightly in his hands.
Coiled and ready to defend his pack, Dason shrewdly analyzed his enemies. “Three class three shades. There” —he jerked his chin— “there, and there.” He motioned around us while I tried to recall what Axel had told me about class three shades all those weeks ago.
The higher the class, the harder they are to beat.His voice was an echo in my head as I remembered his instruction. Class three shades were strong, powerful, and malicious, though they weren’t quite as difficult to beat as the class four shades we’d been battling recently. Unfortunately, they were skilled fighters that thrived on deception, lies, and nightmares, something the higher classed shades didn’t mess with.
“I want all of you to bring your A game. Dason, you’re not connected to the pack, so I want you to stick with Chayton so he can communicate with me. Kota, be prepared to triage wounds in the field. We should be able to take these three on without massive injury, but we shouldn’t underestimate them, and we need to be ready. Axel, you’re with me. Lorn, I’m going to leave the decision in your hands. Do you feel up to fighting, firecracker? Or would you rather sit this one out?”
Dason gritted his teeth. I could see his jaw working. He didn’t want me to fight. He would have preferred I was ordered out of the action, but I wasn’t about to let them take down the shades without me. I didn’t need men to fight my battles, besides, I was a vampire now, and that provided me with a whole new set of skills I could use in a fight.
“I’m with you.” I nodded once, and Jolon didn’t argue with me. Luckily, neither did Dason.
“Sy, you’re with Lorn,” Jolon instructed. “We take them on in groups of two with Kota floating between teams as needed.”
That was all he had time to say before a deafening roar filled the air, making goosebumps break out over my arms. I’d be happy if I never had to hear that sound again in my life. The otherworldly noise haunted my dreams at night, quickly turning them to nightmares.
My mates all touched me in some grazing fashion before jogging off to keep the shades at bay. Chayton grabbed my shoulders, and the haunted look written across his face told me this all hit a little too close to home. It hadn’t been that long since I’d been in danger, facing an enemy of a different kind among our own species, and while it had all worked out in the end, it could have been devastating for all of us.
“Stay safe,” he whispered, and leaned forward to kiss my forehead.
His sweetgrass scent was a balm to my nerves, yet reinvigorating at the same time. These were my mates, and I’d protect them just as fiercely as they protected me.
Chayton captured my lips swiftly, and I wondered if he could taste the lingering flavor of his blood on my tongue. He’d fed me just before we left so I was sated and at full power, which I was immensely grateful for. The last thing any of us needed was my hunger kicking in at an inopportune time. I wanted to be at my best to defend my mates.
“I promise,” I murmured, and had him make me the same vow.
Dason clapped Chayton on the back as they started toward a shade, but he called over his shoulder at the last minute. “Stay with Syler.”
