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“What was this place?” I asked, picking up a large stone and moving it to the side.
“The mages lived here,” Xander said. “Underground. I’m not sure if they’re trapped in there or if they were gone before this was done.”
I didn’t want to ask how long he thought they could survive if they were sealed into their home. It didn’t escape me that their cemetery home might have become their final resting place.
We worked quickly, moving huge stones and bricks to the side, clearing away the debris. Sweat rolled down my cheek and I ignored it, focused on working. We had very little time before those wolves would be awake and I knew they’d be pissed.
Finally, I saw a hole that I was hoping was a tunnel into the mage’s home. “Down there?” I asked.
Xander grunted an affirmative noise. I could feel his concern and worry. These mages weren’t just people he knew, he cared about their wellbeing. It was odd to see just how compassionate others could be. I’d long thought I was limited in that department. Now, I was finding that I understood better what it meant to care for those you hadn’t even met. Seeing how we all came together to help Skylar was a lesson, I suppose. In my realm, nobody would have stuck around. I was still surprised David was helping us.
“Sam? Kate? Anyone there?” Xander called.
We waited a few heartbeats. Nobody responded. Xander approached the tunnel. “I’m going to check.”
“I’ll be here,” I said. It wasn’t a great idea for him to go in there. It had to be unstable. But I knew he wouldn’t take that as an answer. The least I could do is wait to see if he needed help digging his way back out.
“Xander? Is that you?” A female voice called out.
Four dust covered women emerged from the tunnel, squinting into the sunlight. The first to exit, a redhead ran to Xander and wrapped her arms around him. She planted kisses all over him. Xander tensed like a frightened animal. I almost laughed out loud.
When the woman released him, he let out a breath and took a step back. “Are you all okay? Anyone hurt?”
Red shook her head. “No, someone collapsed it on us while we were inside. No warning.”
“Fucking wolves,” I muttered.
Xander threw me a dirty look but didn’t argue.
“He brought another demon,” one of the women said. “I guess this is your thing now?”
“It’s complicated,” Xander said.
Another woman, a brunette who looked startlingly like the woman next to her walked over to me. She narrowed her eyes. “How the fuck did you even get in here? The wards should hold.”
“Another half demon?” Her near twin asked.
“No,” I said. “Royal blood. Gives me some advantages.”
“Fuck me, Xander. You brought a royal demon here? Are you trying to get all of us killed?” One asked.
“Hey, I come in peace and all that shit,” I said. “And if we want to get out of here before the pack of rabid wolves wake, we need to go. Now.”
“Wolves?” Red’s brow furrowed.
“I’ll explain in the car,” Xander said.
“We are not going anywhere,” she said. “In case you forgot, this is my job.”
“You’re going to be dead if you stay,” I said.
“The vampire queen has the moonstone,” Xander said.
“Shit, Xander.” Red shook her head. “You were supposed to destroy that thing.”
I glanced over at the pile of wolves. Some of them were starting to groan and move. “No time to argue. Leaving now. Your choice to stay and face the wolves or abandon your post till this is solved.”
The mage glared at me. “This is your fault, isn’t it?”
