I kept my sonar open all the time so I easily answered.
“They’re fine. No Urbat nearby. They’re waiting in the distance, just like before.”
Sam didn’t relax, though. While he silently communicated with someone, most likely Jim, I studied the Urbat. The clustered groups hadn’t moved much. The groups spread around Salt Lake in a half circle to the north. Nothing too close. Heavier groups waited far to the south near the Mexican border, which made sense. They didn’t want us to escape that way. We didn’t want to run, though. We wanted to make the Judgement and end the war that Blake had declared on the werewolves.
While the group to the south didn’t really matter to us. The others did. The larger groups that had lingered far to the east had moved. As I watched, they covered hundreds of miles. How was that possible? I’d never seen any Urbat move that fast before. I opened my mouth to say something when Sam swore.
“Jim and Olivia were just attacked,” Sam said. “It’s the humans. Blake’s using them.”
“Are Jim and Olivia okay?” Henry asked.
“They’re okay. Pack,” he said. “We need to leave as soon as Jim’s back.”
Henry got off his bed and started putting things away, not that we had much out. Clay rolled to his side and eased off the bed. I changed my focus and tried to make sense of the human sparks. There were so many.
I barely paid Clay and Henry any attention as I slowly walked toward my bag. My mind wasn’t on packing but on the human sparks. They moved along the roads, walked short distances before turning around, or stayed in place, all seemingly going about their daily business. However, I frowned as I noticed a different, consistent advancement amidst the otherwise chaotic movement.
A swarm of yellow with green converged on our location from every direction. There had to be hundreds of humans closing in around us.
“Tell Jim not to come back here,” I said quickly. “Humans are on their way here, too.”
I turned to look at Clay. He had an arm over his middle again, probably hurting it just getting out of bed.
“No shifting,” I warned him. “Remember you’re staying unMated until you’re healed, so no setbacks.”
Henry snorted a laugh. I ignored it and focused on Henry.
“There are hundreds, Henry.” Something about my expression sobered him. “They’re not going to show up with empty hands. You know what humans with guns can do.”
The sparks surrounded the hotel.
“I can’t see a way out,” I whispered, the crushing weight of panic tightening in my chest.
A wave of love caressed my mind, and Clay’s hand brushed against mine.
“Henry, Gabby, you two carry the bags. Clay, listen to Gabby. No shifting unless it’s life or death,” Sam said.
He put his hand on the door as the first human entered the building.
MICHELLE…
I turned off the shower, wiped the water from my face, and put a hand over my churning stomach. Something on my plate at breakfast hadn’t agreed with me. I considered asking Jim if he felt okay, but he could eat anything and feel fine.
“You were too fast,” Emmitt said from just outside the curtain.
I pulled the material aside and found him standing there naked. My stomach heaved, and I barely made it to the toilet without slipping and falling.
Emmitt wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me, but that just made the nausea worse.
“Stop. Please.”
The arm disappeared, and I clung to the toilet as I continued to empty my stomach.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” His hand very briefly touched my forehead.
I stood weakly and went to the sink to rinse my mouth out. He watched me the entire time, worry and love touching my mind.
“Breakfast, I think,” I said after spitting out my mouthful of water.
