“Nyx, Rowe,” Cynnia began, capturing our attention. “This is Barrett Rainer, alpha for the Savannah pack, and James Parker, one of the pack’s members.”
I nodded to the two men but otherwise remained silent, waiting to hear what had brought them to Cynnia’s doorstep at such an early hour. The sun had yet to creep over the horizon, though I could see through the nearby window that the sky was slowly changing from its midnight blue to slate gray as dawn approached.
“We’ve come to ask for your assistance,” Barrett said, taking a seat on the sofa. To my surprise, Shelly settled on the sofa beside him, while Cynnia returned to the other end of the couch she had been sitting in earlier. James hovered nearby, fingering his gold-rimmed spectacles while pacing with the pent-up energy of one with too much anxiety to settle in any place for long.
“What has happened?” Cynnia asked, bringing a frown to my lips. We had enough problems of our own. We didn’t need to be dragged into the problems of the local lycans after just winning Rowe over to our side. I needed him to stay focused, not distracted by minor scuffles with the shifters or even bigger fights with Mira and the nightwalkers.
“The Daylight Coalition has been harassing the lycans and nightwalkers of Savannah recently,” Barrett explained, resting his forearms on his knees. He looked tired and more than a little haggard, as if he had spent too many sleepless nights worrying about something. “They knew where to hunt us during the full moon. They knew too much. We deduced that they must have some kind of insider providing them with information, so we decided to send our own mole to infiltrate their ranks.”
“Who went?” Shelly inquired.
“A local police detective by the name of Daniel Crowley,” the lycanthrope replied. “He has long been a supporter of our kind, and we needed a human who could sneak into their ranks. I promised his sister-in-law—a member of my pack—that he would return to Savannah safely.”
“I don’t know this Daylight Coalition,” Cynnia said with a shake of her head as she looked over at me.
“It’s a human group of mercenaries,” Rowe said, unexpectedly speaking up, but then I was forgetting that he had been alone on earth for centuries while I was locked away. He would naturally be more familiar with what was happening among the humans and the other races. “They made it their mission to hunt down anything they don’t classify as human. For now, they seem content to set their sights on the nightwalkers and the shifters.”
“But should they discover that there is someone else out there in their world, I am sure they will be happy to expand their focus,” James added.
“Is that a threat?” I demanded, pushing away from the mantel. The young man with the copper-colored eyes met my gaze and pressed his lips into a firm line in attempt to hide the fear I could feel rattling around in him.
“It’s a statement of fact,” Barrett said calmly, ending the standoff. “They think they are protecting the purity of the human race. The lycans and the nightwalkers have been betrayed by someone to this group, so it is not a stretch to believe that the naturi are not safe either.”
“How long has Mr. Crowley been with the Daylight Coalition?” Shelly inquired.
“He left three days ago,” Barrett said with a shake of his head. “He reported back that he made initial contact with the group, and we have since heard nothing from him. He was supposed to report in each night and retreat to Savannah if things started to feel bad. Daniel is an experienced cop and a good detective. Something has happened to him.”
I shifted from my left foot to my right, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn’t like where this was leading. “But it’s only been a few days. He may not have a good opportunity to report in if he’s being closely watched by the coalition. I think you should give this more time before acting.”
“There isn’t time,” Barrett growled. “We had an agreement that he was to report in every day. If he went silent, we would come in to get him. We made a promise.”
“Then I guess you should go,” Rowe said with a shrug of his shoulders.
“No, you need help,” Shelly snapped, throwing Rowe the darkest look I had ever seen cross her sweet face. “That’s why you came here. You can’t go in there alone.”
Barrett flashed Shelly a weak, grateful smile while wringing his strong hands together with worry. He didn’t seem to be the type accustomed to asking for help. In fact, lycanthropes didn’t like to help anyone outside their own pack. “I would have gone to Mira and her nightwalkers, but the sun is rising and we need to leave now if we are to have any hope of saving Daniel.”
“I will help you,” Shelly offered.
“You can’t,” I immediately cut in.
Shelly’s head snapped up and she pinned me with wide blue eyes filled with hurt and desperation. “What? Why?”
I frowned at her. “You’ve already promised to act as the personal bodyguard to my sister. Are you going to abandon her to help these animals?”
Her face crumpled as she looked from Barrett to Cynnia. She knew I was right, and I didn’t think she would willingly abandon Cynnia after making such a pledge. It was clear that she was attracted to the alpha and wanted desperately to help him, but she was trapped by her own words.
“If you believe so deeply in this cause, I will release you,” Cynnia said gently. She kept her face perfectly blank, but the witch stuck to her word as she shook her head slowly.
“No, I can’t. Nyx is right. I made a promise to you. I will not leave your side until we have taken care of this matter with Aurora.”
“While we appreciate your offer,” Barrett began, patting her hands, which were fisted before her. “We were looking for the help from a naturi or two.”
“What can we do for you?” I demanded.
“Like the nightwalkers, you can cloak yourselves from sight. You would have a better chance at sneaking into their headquarters undetected. We don’t know if it’s a lycanthrope or a nightwalker that has betrayed us. Either way, you can at least cloak yourself from the view of humans in the headquarters, allowing you to sneak in and dispose of the traitor. You would give us a needed edge as we searched for Daniel.”
“We can’t help you,” I said firmly.
“Excuse me?” James demanded in a harsh voice before Barrett could speak.
“We can’t help you,” I repeated, narrowing my gaze on him.
“Nyx—” Cynnia started, but I quickly cut her off.
“Our numbers are not so great that we can sacrifice anyone for a mission that does not exclusively put us closer to taking care of Aurora. We have to remain focused.”
“I can respect your need to remain focused on your plans,” Barrett said calmly, though I could see the anger and frustration growing in his eyes. “But my people cannot move forward if we have someone at our backs waiting to kill us while we attempt to help you. We need to know we are safe on that front before we enter another war.”
“We all have our problems,” Rowe said with another shrug.
“Then you have a new one,” Barrett said, pushing to his feet. “Because the lycans are no longer available to help you in your war.”
“Barrett, please, wait!” Cynnia said, jumping to her feet at the same time Shelly rose, a look of panic shooting across her face.
Barrett raised one hand, halting her words. “You want us to put our lives on the line for your war against Aurora. I agreed to risk my people for you in a war that currently has nothing to do with us. Now when my people need help against a much smaller but equally deadly enemy, your people are unavailable to help. That is not how you treat an ally.” He shook his head as he balled his fists. “If the timing had been different, I would have gone straight to Mira. She would have helped me without question, but even she has her limitations. I thought after pledging my assistance in your war, I could rely on you to help my people in the name of maintaining the fragile peace we had established.”
“We’ll help you,” Cynnia agreed, stunning me.
�
�Cynnia!”
“No, Nyx! He’s right,” she said, glaring at me because I failed to see the need to risk our few men in an attempt to save a few lycanthropes when we had a bigger problem on our hands. “We came before him and Mira asking for their assistance, asking them to risk their lives in a naturi war. The least we could do for our allies is to help them with their own threat. We owe them that.”
“Is this what you really want?” I asked, fighting back the frown trying to pull at the corners of my mouth.
“Yes. You and Rowe will go look into this matter for me,” she announced. “The lycans deserve our help after promising to come to our aid.”
I bowed my head to her, wiping my face clean of all expression. “As you wish.”
Cynnia turned her attention back to Barrett and extended her hand to him in friendship. “Barrett, I am offering up to you my two strongest and most skilled warriors. They will help you get your friend back and take care of the Daylight Coalition threat.”
Barrett nodded, quickly shaking her hand. His entire body was stiff, his ego clearly bruised from having essentially come begging for assistance. The lycans had their own skills, but if there was a traitor in the Daylight Coalition, that person would likely be able to sniff out a lycan in a heartbeat. They would have no edge in a stealth attack. “I appreciate your assistance in this matter.”
“Where are we going?” I asked, drawing his dark eyes back to me.
“Outskirts of Atlanta,” Barrett replied. “That’s their nearest headquarters and where Daniel went. It’s about a four hour drive, but I’m confident we can make it in less time.”
“What’s the plan?” Rowe interjected, pushing away from where he was leaning against the wall. Now that he had been elected to join in this little mission, his mind was more focused on the logistics of what lay ahead of us.
“We sneak in as best we can, locate Daniel, and destroy their computers. If we can locate the identity of the traitor and take him out, it would be an added bonus.”
Rowe scratched his chin and nodded. “How big a team is going?”
“The smaller the better,” I said, looking over my shoulder at him. “Easiest way to make a quick in and out.”
“If you want it small, then it can be just the three of us,” Barrett said. “You two can sneak in and out quickly and quietly, but you will need me to identify Daniel.”
“I want to go as well,” James added, rushing over to stand next to Shelly. “I can fight.”
“Not this time,” Barrett said with a shake of his head.
“Daniel is a friend of Mira’s, and I owe Mira and Danaus a great deal,” James pressed, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. “It is important to me that I be able to help him.”
“Yes, but Mira and my sister would never forgive me if I allowed you to put yourself in this kind of danger without proper training first. You remain behind and that is an order,” Barrett commanded. James clamped his mouth shut and walked away, hands fisted at his sides in frustration. He accepted the orders of his alpha but obviously didn’t like them.
“Do you also have to go?” Shelly asked, putting one hand gently on the crook of his arm. “Isn’t there someone else you could send? You’re the alpha for your pack. What would they do if something horrible happened to you?”
“I’m confident they would find someone to fill my place, and he would hold to the promise I made to assist the naturi in their battle against Aurora.”
“Yes, but have you completely healed from the wound inflicted on you by the earth clan? If you’re not . . .” Shelly’s voice trailed off when Barrett covered her hand with his large one and smiled at her.
“I am completely healed because of your help. I am the best choice for this mission. I will be fine, but I appreciate your concern,” he murmured in a low, deep voice.
Like James, Shelly didn’t seem too thrilled with this decision, but she would have to accept it because it was Barrett’s will. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes when I caught Rowe smirking at me.
Will you show such warm concern for me when I finally go after Aurora? he silently demanded.
I won’t have the chance since I will be ahead of you with a blade aimed at her heart, I replied.
Assuming Mira doesn’t beat us all, he reminded me.
Yes, it was going to be a three-way race to see who would have a chance at killing my older sister. The odds were in our favor that at least one of us would survive long enough to have a reasonable shot at her.
I cleared my throat when I noticed Cynnia watching us a little too closely. “We should get moving soon,” I announced, louder than I meant to. “However, Rowe and I just returned from a long journey. We need a little time to eat and for him to grab some weapons. We should be ready to leave within the hour.”
“I understand. We will take my car,” Barrett said, then turned to James. “Return to my house and tell my family what has been decided. I will be in contact later tonight to report the result of our incursion. If I don’t survive, I am confident that the naturi will contact Mira, who will pass along the information. My people will know what to do.”
“Barrett . . .”
“Go, James, and follow my orders to the letter,” he said in a near growl.
The young man nodded once and quickly left the house, closing the door softly behind him. It was an ugly task he’d been handed, but one that had to be done. Cynnia had told me of the numerous lycanthropes killed in battles in the city. Now they were at risk of losing their alpha. They would not be thrilled to know that his only form of assistance came at the hands of a pair of naturi.
“Everything has been decided,” Cynnia suddenly proclaimed. “Shelly, please take Barrett to the kitchen and get him some coffee while he waits for Rowe and Nyx to prepare.” A knot twisted in my stomach as I watched the witch lead the lycanthrope out of the room. There was something on Cynnia’s mind. Considering that I was exhausted and had just been volunteered for yet another mission for her, I really didn’t want to hear it.
When we were alone again, Cynnia smiled at Rowe. “I am assuming you are now willing to work with us against Aurora.”
“You have my sword at your disposal,” he said with a bow of his head. However, there was still a smirk twisting his lips, as if there was some secret joke teasing the back of his mind.
“Very good. Nyx’s room is at the top of the stairs on the left. You will find her stash of weapons there. When you come down, I will have someone fix you some food.” There was no question that he was being dismissed, but Rowe merely nodded once and left the room, closing the door behind him.
“What’s going on?” Cynnia demanded in a low voice the second the door closed.
“Nothing.”
“I’m not a blind fool any longer, Nyx.”
“I never said you were.”
“There’s something going on between you and Rowe. What is it?”
“My goal was to win Rowe over to our side. I have done exactly that. You shouldn’t question my methods, little sister.”
“Don’t patronize me!” she snapped, nearly stomping her foot on the carpet-covered hardwood floor.
“I don’t mean to. Things are settled with Rowe. He is with us.”
“Is he? Is he with us? Or is he with you?”
“Is there a difference? I am with you and we have the same goal.”
“There is a big difference to me,” she argued, pointing at herself with her index finger. Her face was becoming flushed with a mix of fear and anger. “You could have promised him something I can’t or won’t deliver. I want Rowe fighting at our side, but not at the risk of what I’m trying to create for the future of our people.”
“I know your vision for the future, my sister. I would not do anything to jeopardize that. Do you trust me?”
The question made Cynnia pause, the anger draining out of her eyes as she stared at me. “Yes, of course I do. I trust you with my life.”
“Do you trust me with the futur
e of our people?” I pressed.
“Yes,” she replied without hesitation.
“Then you have nothing to fear from Rowe,” I said, and briskly walked out of the room and closed the door behind me, ending any further discussion. Regardless of what feelings I had for Rowe, my devotion to Cynnia and our people ran deeper. I knew that at some point our visions for the future of the naturi would diverge, but for now Cynnia and I were on the same path. We would deal with the future when the time came.
Twenty
Calling up a brisk wind, Rowe and I flew easily to the top of the plain two-story office building that was home to the Daylight Coalition. The tan stone structure looked more like a fortress, with narrow slit windows coated in a black film so no one could see inside. I sensed at least a dozen humans, which was confirmed by the scattering of cars that filled the large parking lot.
I rubbed my eyes against the bright sunlight after I landed on the rooftop and pulled in my wings. I had become accustomed to sleeping during the day, and this job was wearing me more than a little thin. Rowe and I had taken turns sleeping, while Barrett drove the car. During the last half hour, the lycanthrope told us what little he knew of the building we were attempting to infiltrate. In his one and only communication with the Savannah pack, Daniel had been able to reveal that the first floor was filled with offices and there was a receptionist in front. A set of stairs at the far western part of the building led both to an underground basement and to the second floor. Daniel was unsure what was on either of the other two floors, but he hoped to infiltrate one of the two during the next few days. Barrett feared that the detective had succeeded in doing just that, and now we were there to rescue him.
“There’s two lycans inside,” Rowe murmured as he also drew in his wings and came to stand beside me. I nodded, a frown pulling at the corners of my mouth. I had sensed the same thing. It meant that our traitor or traitors were likely inside, but also that they could potentially sense Barrett sitting in his car a short distance off, waiting for us to signal him with the walkie-talkie attached to my belt. We needed to move fast before someone came out of the building to look into the matter of the unexpected lycanthrope in the parking lot.
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