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I gulp down a panicked breath, gazing into the cup of tea. I wanted to escape, yeah...but not like this. Now I'm in Caius Rossi's crosshairs, along with his dangerous friends.
Irving...
...and whoever that man was from what he calledTerra Vitae.
"Club was buzzing with more than just music tonight," I start, voice steady despite the tremor I feel inside. "Caius and Lianna Rossi were there."
"So you're running from Caius Rossi?" Rook asks, his eyes bugging out. "Fucking christ..."
"Let her talk," Luka growls.
"You want to hear this," I assure them. "He was meeting with two men--some guy named Irving from Solstice Bay--"
"Ex-ACB," Luka's brow rises, a crack in his usual stoicism. "I've heard of him. Rumor has it he's been lurking around in Pacific City...tried to meet with Mr. Solace, too."
"He didn't meet with him, huh?" Gunnar asks.
"Most of the city knows Vance Solace has different ideas about omegas than the ACB...orthe Eclipse," Luka says. "So no--he didn't meet with him."
"Right." I nod. "But Irving wasn't the only one. Some other person was with him, gave off chills like you wouldn't believe."
"Spooky type, huh?" Rook's lips twitch into a smirk that doesn't quite reach his eyes.
"More than spooky," I push on. "He said I would be 'welcome interra vitae', and he talked about...theytalked about a new Great Mutation."
"Shit," Luka curses. "I know them--Terra Vitae. They're a cult up in Oregon, think we should all 'embrace our animals.' They keep picking up followers in spiritualist circles."
"What do you think they want?" I ask.
"Not sure," Luka says. "But it can't be a good sign that Caius Rossi was meeting with them."
Gunnar shifts closer, the heat from his body seeping through the space between us, a silent promise of protection. It's a sensation that both alarms and anchors me--because I may have started out this relationship playing him, but I'm truly glad he's here.
I'm in a lot of danger...I don't want to hurt him.
"We'll handle it, Aisling," he murmurs. "You're in deep here...but we're with you."
"Deeper than I ever wanted," I admit.
"Then let's not dive any further without a plan," Luka adds. He looks at me, and for a moment, the world narrows down to the two of us. I haven't met him before tonight, but I can feel the same energy from him that I got from Gunnar...and from Oberon, even if I didn't want to admit it to myself.
There's something simmering here.
"Agreed," Rook chimes in, breaking the spell. "We need intel, not guesses."
"First step," Luka states, "we lay low. Make sure you're safe, Star. And...fuck, I hate to say it, but we have to bring in the boss."
The room is still, suffocating with the weight of decisions unmade and paths untrodden. Rook sits back, his knuckles white as he grips the phone, ready to make the call that could swing the balance in our precarious world.
"He's going to be pissed," Gunnar mutters.
"But he doesn't want another mutation," Rook says. "Whatever this is, he needs to know."
"Oberon," I suddenly blurt out, my voice steady despite the tremor within. "We can't leave him behind. Or the others. They're—"
"Listen." Luka cuts me off, his hazel eyes locked onto mine, unwavering. He steps slightly closer from the window, hands in the pockets of his long black duster. "Going back now is suicide.Your friends will need to wait...preventing another Great Mutation is more important, and we need a strategy before we go in."
"Strategy..." My chest tightens, pulse quickening. "They're my friends, Luka. We can't just—"
