“Sorry, Pan distracted me.” She righted her clothes. “Caleb asked me to tell you he had an unexpected meeting. He and the others stepped out, but they should be back soon.”
Crap on a cracker. There went that plan.
“Everyone is gone,” I said under my breath.
Pan scoffed. “I beg your pardon. I am right bloody here.”
“I just mean... all my mates. The shifters, the Novasgardians, the fae. And the vampires are useless right now because it's still light out in Alaska, so unless they have the blood of the sun, they’re stuck inside until the sun goes down. I don’t know who else I can possibly send...” I chewed on my bottom lip as I tried to come up with an alternative, but there wasn’t one. “It’s going to have to be me.”
“What the fork are you talking about, Sunday?” Rosie rested one palm on her growing belly and frowned at me. “You’re not making sense.”
“There’s a problem with the patrol in Aurora Springs. Two of my wolves are missing. They don’t think it was an attack. They’re pretty sure they got stranded somewhere due to the eruptions.”
“And what does that have to do with you?”
I pulled the walkie out of my hoodie and waved it at them. “I’m in charge right now.”
“Then ask Asher to go. Or Caspian.”
Pan snorted. “Caspian is good at captaining a ship. He’s terrible at being on watch. And Asher needs to stay here for a multitude of reasons, the least of which is keeping you safe.”
“As I said, it’s going to have to be me.” I pulled my hair back into a low knot at the base of my skull and lifted my hood over my head. “I’ll be back soon.”
Rosie awkwardly started to get to her feet. “I’ll go with you.”
“The hell you will,” Pan snarled.
She gave her mate a sharp look. “If Sunday can go, so can I.”
I understood the sentiment, but actually sided with Pan. I was pregnant, but Rosie waspregnant. Because she was carrying twins, she looked way farther along, and she’d been struggling. Not just with her rapidly changing body, but all the associated side effects. The safest place for her and her pups was here.
But I was also smart enough to know I couldn’t say any of that. Rosie wanted to feel useful, not like a burden.
“Actually, I need you to man the walkie while I’m gone.” I held the little radio out to her with a wave.
She took it, her shoulders straightening as she looked down at the device. “Just press this button and talk, yeah?”
“Exactly.”
“Go find Asher, ma petite monstre. I’ll accompany Sunday, and we will ensure the portal is protected.” Pan’s tone was far gentler than usual as he ushered her out of the room. “Let them know assistance is on the way.”
“Stay safe,” she urged, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before rushing off.
“Thanks for doing this,” I said as he followed me to the portal room.
“It’s entirely selfish, I promise. Your mates would skin me alive if anything happened to you.”
As we approached the exit chamber, my belly fluttered in apprehension. “It’ll be just a few minutes once they can get out there and help. All it will be is a locator spell. That doesn’t take any time at all. They’ll find them, and then we can come back.”
“Are you telling me, or yourself?” he asked as we stood in front of the portal that led to Aurora Springs.
“Both?”
“Brilliant. Let’s get on with this.”
We walked through together, the smoky air stinging my eyes almost instantly as we appeared in the middle of the wooded area.
“Hello, daughter. It’s good to see you.”
