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I huffed. “I would never let any harm come to my mate’s close friend,” I said, annoyed at the implication. “Both Cody and Gilbert have been checking in at Isla Lobo regularly to ensure Abi’s safety. Walter has been monitoring everything as well.”
Celeste’s mouth flickered into a smile. “He’s good at everything, isn’t he?”
“He is,” I confirmed, something strange and familial stirring at the mention of him.
Keziah returned, holding a cell phone. “Here,” she said, offering it to Celeste. “You can borrow that. It’s fully charged. If you want some privacy, your guest room is up the stairs on the right. The bathroom is on the left.”
“Thank you,” Celeste said, smiling at the other alpha. “Really.”
Clutching the phone, she hurried up the stairs. I watched her go before turning back to our host.
“Keziah,” I said, the gears starting to turn in my mind. Celeste and I weren’t there for a little getaway, and besides, I couldn’t take any time to relax. “Summon some of your witches for me. I believe Celeste will need some ingredients for psychic magic spells, as well as any written resources they may have.”
Chapter5
Celeste
Keziah’s Cabin
Snowmass, Colorado
Once I got upstairs, I shut the door and took a moment to listen. Half-shifter or not, my senses weren’t as strong or as trained as Fenris’s. I had to strain my ears and could only just make out Fenris and Keziah’s voices downstairs, not any specific words.
I glanced around the small room. It was homey and comfortable, though the wood interiors made the place feel a bit dark. Still, after being cooped up in a cement cell for weeks, the cabin felt warm and inviting, and the queen bed layered with quilts and blankets looked positively divine. Before I could stop myself, I crawled in, propping myself up against a lumpy pillow before flipping Keziah’s phone open.
Thankfully, it wasn’t locked, and I was able to dial Abi’s number. She picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?” she answered, sounding a little confused.
“Abi! It’s me, Celeste,” I said, realizing the number probably came up as "restricted.”
“Celeste!” my friend all but shrieked into the phone. I winced and held it a few inches away from my ear. “Oh my god, Celeste! Celeste! I can’t believe it! I’ve been soworriedabout you. I kept having dreams Fenris found you, but I’d wake up and would still be here and there was still no word and then I’d have nightmares and then I had awful dreams about the beach and—”
“Abigail, breathe!” I commanded. “I’m okay. Fenris found me.”
Well, I escaped, and not without a little help.
“I can’t believe this,” she said, sounding both dazed and relieved.
“How are you doing?” I said, chewing on my lower lip. “I know it’s been…a bit. How’s your head? Have you had any weird after-effects from Sabine?”
“I’m fine,” Abi replied. “The headaches went away right after, and I was having those stress dreams, like I said, but that’s it. None of those horrifying nightmares from before. The most I have to complain about has been being trapped here, you know? It’s not such a paradise when you don’t know where your best friend is and if she’s okay.”
“I’m sorry,” I said lamely, feeling bad that I’d worried her.
“Celeste!” she scolded me gently. “Stop that. Unless youaskedsomeone to knock you out and abduct you, it’s not your fault. I just hate feeling useless. I asked Walter to bring me along, but he insisted I stay here. I even asked Fenris, but he said no, too. He didn’t want someone getting a hold of me and using me as a pawn—again.”
I cringed, feeling guilty for what happened to Abi in the first place. “Being bored isn’t the worst thing,” I finally said.
“Being bored is putting it lightly.” Abi snorted. “I’m going kind of nuts being here all by myself! I probably left, like, a thousand voicemails on the island’s secure line, by the way, so I didn’t forget things. Tell your wolfy boy I’m sorry about that.”
It was my turn to snort. “I will not be calling him that. Speaking of which, Fenris said you had not one buttwomen stopping in to make sure you were doing alright. What’s up with that?”
Abi huffed into the phone. “You can dissect my weird…I can’t even call it a love life, ugh! That would require a bit more…y’know.” I could almost hear her waggling her brows over the line. “It’s not that important. I want to know what happened to you. And where the hell are you, anyway?”
“Uh, I’m not totally sure where I am,” I admitted. “I know Fenris mentioned where this pack was, but there’s a lot that’s been happening. Wewerein Alaska, and we’re still in the United States, and it’s warmer but still snowing. I know ‘warmer than the Arctic’ isn’t saying a lot.”
“So where were you in the first place? Who even took you?”
