“I didn't want to worry you. I could have this dream every night for all I know. It was handled, however. I was able to teleport out of it.”
“Tell me next time when I ask. Please.”
“Okay.”
“And please come by Lealla's and have Des look at your feet after school. Cace can bring you.”
“It's a few cuts. I'll be fine.”
“I don't like seeing you in pain.”
Without thinking, I reach up with my free hand and run my fingers through his hair. He leans into my touch. “And I don't like seeing you so tired. Please go home and rest. Cace is out here somewhere. I'll be in school learning boring stuff all day. You need sleep.”
“I know.” He kisses me as the bell rings loudly. Lovely, I'm late. “I love you, Ariane. Have a good day.” Instead of giving him a verbal reply, I kiss him and pour my emotions into it. One day, I'll be able to tell him how I feel.
I take a seat in third period English when one of the guys in my class comes running in before the bell rings. “There are wolves on the baseball field!” Oh, no. This can't be good.
I grab my bag and run from the room, while everyone else sits slack-jawed for a second. Maybe if I can beat most of them out there, I can find out what's going on.
The bell rings, alerting everyone to be in their classes. My hurried steps ring out in the silent hallway as I run from one end of the school to the other. Pushing open the door, I don't stop running until I reach the baseball field, where I find a small group of students and two massive wolves. This is just fantastic. The students are stunned speechless, and luckily, none of them have their phones out recording this yet.
“Go inside!” I yell. “Get everyone to safety!” They don't move. You've got to be kidding me.
Ford strolls around from the side of the bleachers like nothing is going on. He steps up to the students and taps each one on the temple, causing a glazed look on their faces, then he's by my side in a flash. “You grab Cace, I'll get our other visitor. Bring them to the clearing by Lealla’s.” I nod and run toward the fight without thinking about my safety.
The wolves are snarling at each other, teeth bared, as a wolf I don't know starts to lean back as if he's about to pounce. Ford teleports to its side and grabs a fistful of fur. The wolf is startled and swings around on him. Then they’re both gone. I run over to Cace and grab him by the scruff. He growls at me, not liking my rough handling of him, but his wolf must recognize me, because Cace doesn’t hurt me. The damage he and this other wolf did isn't good. No way can Ford wipe everyone's memory.
I teleport to the clearing where Rion first revealed himself to me and where my nightly dreams bring me. Ford and the mystery wolf are on the other side.
Cace shakes my hand free and puts himself in front of me. The red fur of his wolf standing out in contrast to all the greenery around us. Ford still has a grip on the grey wolf. It snaps at him then tries to lunge toward me. Ford grips him tight and bares his fangs in warning.
“You're not getting near her,” he hisses.
“Who is that?” I ask.
“Javen. He's the beta in the Diaminsey pack. Shift,” Ford commands, in a tone I’ve never heard. Javen does. I’m not sure how Ford got him to do it, but I’m glad he did.
Standing before us is a tall man with lean muscle and nothing on but a pair of basketball shorts. His hair is blond and neatly combed back. He looks no older than thirty. But his smile is menacing.
Cace follows suit and shifts, appearing in a pair of jeans and a grey long-sleeve shirt. “What were you doing at the school?” he asks Javen, venom dripping from his voice. “Why were you near Ari?”
“Don’t speak to me as if you have claim over her. She doesn’t belong to your pack,” Javen replies.
“She certainly does. Her mate is one of ours.”
“Yet, I don't see a tattoo on her, nor does she smell mated. She isn’t; therefore, she has no allegiance to any pack.”
“Why did you come?”
“To talk to her.” That’s enough of this.
Moving around Cace, I start to approach Javen. Cace grips my arm as I pass by to hold me back, but I give him a hard glare and shake him free. He releases me, though he stays by my side. I don't stop walking until I'm standing in front of Javen. Ford steps away from him, flanking my other side.
I cross my arms. “What do you want?”
“The rumors are true. You do have quite an attitude for someone so young who can't shift.”
Rolling my eyes, I ask, “Seriously? Is this why you came? To find out if I’m tough?”
“Tough?” he cocks his head. Okay, that was the wrong word. I’m winging it here. “I'm not sure about that, but you’re intriguing.”
“Get on with it.”
“Travis would like to invite you to our pack’s home tonight for dinner at six. We’ve all vowed not to harm you. You can even bring that wolf of yours and your vampire, if it makes you feel comfortable.”
“You've lost your mind!” I reply. “I'm not coming to your den of evilness. You can find another girl to invite.”
“But we have.” A chill creeps its way over my skin as a feeling of foreboding settles over me.
“Who did you invite?”
“I wouldn't use the word invite. But your friend Paige is visiting us. She kept insisting we shouldn’t bring you by, but Travis would like to meet you in person. We’re making a dinner party of it.” My body turns cold. What am I supposed to do? I can't leave Paige in their clutches.
“Ford, can you teleport in and out of their place and grab Paige?” He shakes his head. “Get Kiara!” He shakes his head again. “You can leave me. Cace is here.”
“I know you two are talking,” Javen observes.
“Your point?” I ask.
“Kiara won't help you. We have her, too. She won’t be going anywhere. We're not as stupid as you think we are.”
“I never thought you were stupid. I don't even know you, but you taking my best friend doesn't exactly make me all warm and fuzzy inside.”
“Dinner tonight at six. Ford knows the way, but then again, you can teleport, too, now can't you?” I narrow my eyes. “And before you try to pop into our home and grab your friends, there’s a ward up. No teleporting in or out. Having a mage for an ally is definitely helpful.”
“Ford…” I prompt with my mind.
“Mages can create different types of wards. The ward he’s speaking of does exist.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” I ask. “You say you won't hurt me, but you still could.”
He straightens. “A wolf would never promise something and go back on it. When our alpha says you'll be safe, you will be. If anyone tries to harm you, they will be dealt with swiftly. You have his word and mine.”
“I'm bringing Ford and Rion.”
“And me,” Cace adds.
“Fine,” Javen replies. “That's it, though. No alpha and no beta.”
“I also want your word that Paige and Kiara won't be harmed either.” As much as I want him to vow to not harm Rion, Ford, and Cace, I know I’ll never get it. They’re paranormals, and they’ll be in the Diaminsey Pack house. Rival wolves. There’s no way they will agree to that. So I bite my tongue. I’m not stupid. I can only push Javen so far.
“You have it. I'm sure you've been told a lot about us, but we aren't savages. We're a pack like any other.”
“Except part of your pack killed Rion's parents.”
“And they were dealt with.”
“Yeah, by our alpha,” Cace replies. “Ari might be new to this world, but I'm not. Don't you dare try to pull anything in her presence, or you’ll regret it. I’ll make sure you suffer a long, painful death.”
“As will I,” Ford adds.
He rolls his eyes. “I get it. Ari is important to your pack. Though, the vampire being so committed to her is interesting.”
“Is it?” Ford asks, cocking his head. “Why’s that?”
“You don
't fool me, Ford Verascue. We know you're friends with Orion and others in the pack, but you've never put your neck on the line for anyone.”
“Let's talk more about necks,” he says as his fangs descend again. “I can hear the blood coursing through your veins, wolf. One wrong move tonight, and I will drain your body before any of your brothers can come to your rescue.”
“Very interesting.”
“All right, that's enough of this,” I interject. “You go your way,” I tell Javen, “and we'll go ours. I'll see you tonight for dinner.”
Javen shifts into a wolf and is off running through the forest. I spin and face Ford and Cace. “That was fun. Can we not do it again?”
“We need to get to the mansion,” Cace states, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
“Yes, and someone needs to do damage control at the school,” I state. “The fact that wolves were seen fighting on the baseball field won't go over well.”
“We know all the wildlife officials in a wide radius. They’re shifters posing as ordinary humans. They’ll be able to say they'll scour the area and make sure the wolves are gone. Put on a nice show of it, too. This isn't the first time we've been caught fighting in public. The team we have in place is good at making everyone feel safe. I'll call them back at the house. Can you teleport us?”
Nodding, I take Cace’s hand in mine and face Ford. We both teleport at the same time, appearing in the entryway of the mansion, suddenly surrounded by the rest of the pack, including Aries and Rion.
“Ari!” Rion shouts and rushes forward. He engulfs me in his arms, lifting me from the floor. “Are you okay?” he asks when he puts me down. He glances from my head to my toes, then carefully over my face.
“I'm fine. Honest.”
“What happened?” Aries asks. “The alarm sounded, but you appeared before we could get out there. One of our wolves caught Javen's scent.”
Cace steps forward. “He went to Ari's school today. He and I got into it. Well, our wolves did.”
“In front of students,” I add. “On the baseball field.”
Aries drags a hand down his face. “You couldn't have kept it hidden? You had to make yourselves known?”
“It wasn't intentional,” Cace defends. “We started fighting in the woods but somehow made our way onto the field.”
“And while they were fighting, Paige was taken from school property,” Ford interjects. “My guess is Javen was merely the distraction so that they could grab Paige. Once they had her, Javen could deliver his message.”
“How did you know they were fighting?” I ask Ford.
“Your thoughts were very loud. I'm used to getting those kinds of messages at night when you're sleeping. Apparently, now I'm getting them while you're awake, too. Like the other night with Wake and today. When you're upset, angry, or scared, I can hear you and come find you. We share a connection, princess. One you should be thankful for.”
“I am. I wouldn't have been able to teleport both wolves out of there.” Oh, no. The cameras.
Ford focuses on Cace. “Can one of your brothers hack into the school’s security system and erase the entire incident from the feed? It’ll help if there are no videos of them fighting on property. It’ll be the kids’ word against the video. Plus, we don't need anyone knowing Ari can teleport.”
Cace nods. “Cash!”
“On it,” he replies and leaves the room. I hadn’t even noticed who all was here, just that there were a lot of guys.
“Now that we have that taken care of, tell us what Javen wanted,” Aries states.
28
We spend the next fifteen minutes filling Aries in. No one is happy about tonight’s dinner, but they can't think of another way to get Paige and Kiara out of there safely. Even if the Avynwood Pack stormed the Diaminsey, Paige and Kiara could be killed. We're going to have to play nice, and that means us going there for dinner. Lucky me.
Rion is fuming. He doesn't want me anywhere near them, but there's nothing else to be done. In all honesty, I'm not afraid. Not even a little bit. What I am is worried about my friend. That's my sole purpose in going there. To get her and Kiara free. Neither deserves to be mixed up in this.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. Removing it, I see my mom texted me.
Mom: Did you leave school early?
I completely forgot she’d be alerted if I didn’t show up in my classes. Time to lie.
Me: Yes, I wasn't feeling well. I asked Paige if she could drive me. We went to her house since it’s closer to the school.
Mom: You have to tell the school when you leave. They called me asking where you were; saying you and Paige didn't show up for your next class.
Me: I thought I was going to throw up. I'll probably stay here tonight. I don’t want to move at the moment. I’ll be home tomorrow after school.
I’m not sure if she’ll buy it. She’s a nurse. She always insists on taking care of me. The one thing in my favor is that she’s at work still. Also, the fact that both of Paige's parents are currently traveling for business. No one would know if I'm at her home or not. I do have to get her car to her house, though.
“On it,” Ford states and teleports away. He’s turning out to be someone I can seriously count on. As much as I hate him hearing my thoughts, it does come in handy at times.
Mom: Are you sure you're okay? I can come pick you up after work.
Oh, no. She can't do that. I won't be there. I'll be hours away having dinner with wolves.
Me: I'll text you if I feel worse, but honestly, I’m already feeling better.
It helps that this isn't the first time I've been sick at Paige's. It's common practice for us to stay at each other's homes even when not feeling well.
Mom: Okay. Get some rest. If you need me, I’ll come right over.
Me: Thanks, Mom.
“Okay, I have my alibi in place. Mom thinks I'm at Paige's house and Paige's parents are out of town, so both of us are covered,” I tell Rion.
Ford pops back into the room minutes later. “Her car is at her house. Everything looks good. You might want to erase me teleporting into the parking lot and then to her car, though. I had to dodge police as well. I can’t remember who on the force is a shifter and who isn’t. They were there investigating the wolf sighting. From what I heard, however, only one teenager saw it and no one believes the story. You’ll have to cover yourself back at school tomorrow, Ari. They’re going to wonder why you ran out at the same time.”
Cace leaves to tell Cash to take care of the video of Ford teleporting. I’ll use the same lie I told my mom for school tomorrow.
“I can't believe our only option is to let you walk into their home tonight,” Aries says, with his head in his hands where he sits on the couch. We migrated into a large sitting room so we could sit down.
“If you storm their home, they'll kill Paige,” Ford states grimly.
“I know. I just wish we had another way.” He glances up at Ford. “Are you sure you can't teleport in there?”
He nods. “I tried. I'm blocked. Javen must have been telling the truth.”
“I don't want you going,” Rion says to me.
I turn to where he sits beside me. “It doesn’t matter what you want. My friend is in danger, and I'm not going to sit here and do nothing about it.”
“You're human, Ari. You could get killed.”
“They gave their word.”
He barks out a laugh. “And you believe them? You know nothing about them.”
“They aren't going to hurt her,” Ford interjects. “I read Javen's mind when he thought I was only talking to Ari. They have no ill will with her. They merely want to talk but knew the only way she would was if she had no choice. They don't want to hurt her.”
“Or he learned how to project what he wanted you to hear in his mind,” Aries interjects.
Ford shrugs. “Anything’s possible. It’s a wolf’s word, however. That’s a pretty strong assurance.”
“You’re right. We don’
t give our word for just anything. We do it when we mean it.”
Rion stands abruptly. “I can't believe all of you. You're fine with my mate walking in there? To handle things she only recently learned about? She doesn't know anything about our pack politics or the way things work between rival packs. And let's not forget that we're on the brink of war.”
“Maybe Ari can help calm the rift between our packs,” Aries says. “Maybe she can stop the war before it happens.” Here we go. I don’t know what kind of voodoo these wolves think I have.
“Hold on,” I state. “I'm going in there to listen to whatever little talk they want to give me, then I’m going to get Paige and Kiara, and leave as fast as possible. I'm not going in there to negotiate or anything else. I'm not part of your pack or any pack. My friend was taken, and I need to get her back. Kiara, who has done favors for me, is being held. She needs to be freed. I get that you're looking at the bigger picture, but that stuff needs to be handled between Aries and Travis. I'm no one in this battle. Everyone keeps telling me I play a huge part, but I have yet to see it. I honestly just want my friends back.”
“I know, Ari. And we'll get them back. You're taking two strong wolves and a vampire with you. I'm only thinking ahead,” Aries says. “My guess is Travis has an ulterior motive by getting you there. He's not going to want to have a small conversation. He wants something from you.”
“He wants her to join their pack,” Ford states. All heads swivel toward him. “That's what I read in Javen's mind.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and send a silent thank you to Ford. The last thing I want is for Rion to find out about our conversation with Wake.
My stomach growls in hunger. Rion turns my way. That’s not embarrassing at all. I can’t help it that I missed lunch. I need food and a nap. This day has been crazy, and I barely slept last night.
Rion takes my hand in his, lifting me from the couch. “Come on. Let's get you something to eat.”
I turn toward Ford and say in my head, “I want to talk to you after I eat. Meet us in Rion's room in a bit. I'm going to suggest he take me there to rest. I have a favor to ask.” He nods subtly.
The Ash Moon (The Ariane Trilogy Book 1) Page 19