Page 7 of Bishop

That’ll be the ritual…which means I have no time to lose.

I need to get back to the barracks and get ready—but first, I need to make a call.

I wander away from the fire, letting my feet guide me, and I find myself on a cliff overlooking the Pacific. I can see the distant lights of a city from here—Seattle, maybe, or what’s left of it. I close my eyes and listen, focusing on the waves, and on the distant voices behind me.

It’s only then that I pull out my radio.

We weren’t supposed to bring one in—weapons either—but I managed to slip in this long-range radio and a knife I’ve used to gut more than one shithead out to kill me. The knife is in my pack, slipped into a concealed pocket, but I needed to bring this to call my contact. I put in the code and listen to the static, keeping it close and the volume low.

“Rook, you there?” I keep my voice low, eyes scanning the darkness.

“Aye-aye,” comes the immediate response, a touch of humor in Rook’s rough voice. “How are the shiny happy people, Petrov?”

“Shiny and happy,” I mutter. “No sign of Aisling.”

“And the Eclipse?” Rook says. “Other omegas? Talk to me, mate.”

I pause, watching the horizon where water meets sky. It’s been foggy since I got here, but now…it’s impossibly clear. Like you could look right through to Pacific City, even though it’s hours away.

“It’s too tidy,” I mutter. “Not too spooky yet—though I’m gonna be late for some ritual if I don’t take off soon.”

“Gotcha,” he says. “Well, I won’t keep you—“

“How’s the gang holding up?”

Rook sighs. “Oh, same as always—it’s a bloody mess in the Hills. Newbie’s actin’ tough, playing the part of the prodigal son.” I can hear the concern laced in his tone. “Oberon is stoic as ever, Solace is…well, Solace is maybe the worst of them all.”

“Really?” I didn’t expect that; Vance isn’t even mated to Aisling.

“He’s given up, mate,” Rook says. “Pretendin’ to be fine, losing his mind out in that lonely house. So you know…same as always.”

“Can’t say I blame them,” I admit, thinking of Aisling’s face, the fire in her eyes before it all went to hell. “But that’s why I’m here. To do what they can’t.”

“Watch your back, Luka. This reeks of a trap, even from miles away.”

“I’ll be careful.” My gaze never leaves the dark waters. “And I swear I’ll find her, Rook. And then I’ll get rid of this damn cult altogether.”

“Be careful, man. We can’t afford to lose you too.”

“Understood.” I cut the connection, letting the static die into silence. I pocket the radio, senses on high alert, ready for whatever comes out of the shadows.

Aisling, wherever you’re hiding, I’m coming for you.

Chapter three

Aisling

It’s time, once again, for the initiation. Tonight, Lianna will try once again to force me to betray my pack…and once again, she’ll fail.

Four months have passed—four heats, agonizing without my pack. I’ve spent so much time touching myself that I’ve learned my own body in ways I never knew it before, but it hasn’t done much good.

I miss Gunnar, Oberon…Vance.

Even Luka and Rook.

I miss my guardian angels.

I stand in the center of the room in front of a full-length mirror, a circle of omegas around me. Their hands move with purpose, dressing me with gentleness and care. The dress they slip over my head is loose, beautiful…soft. It’s meant to soften my sharp edges, I think, all the color out of my silver-blonde hair, my eyes the only things that still sparkle.

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