Peri brushes her presence against mine with enough affection through our bond to ease my concerns about the fox shifter’s discipline. “We’re going to dig up all the inside info so we can get the catastrophe back on track.” She pauses. “Or the solution to the catastrophe, I guess I should say. Whatever makes things better.”
“Of course.” I offer the closest thing to a fond caress I can in our current state and move toward one of the army trucks that a few soldiers are standing by.
For a bunch of people who supposedly think they’re here to solve the strangest crisis the human realm has ever faced, the soldiers seem incredibly unconcerned. The first group I listen to spends most of the time grumbling about their recent meals and making jokes about the hot medic who got stationed with them.
When I decide they’re useless and move on to another cluster, I get a tedious rundown of one man’s favorite guns in order from “most badass to least” and his female companion’s opinions on a dozen different sports teams. I can’t even tell from her comments about “domination,” “amateurs,” and “personal bests” what sport she’s talking about.
Maybe it’s actually some kind of military code? If so, I’m lost.
A twinge of envy runs through my essence at the thought of Thorn getting to listen in on the colonel’s plans. Surely Hueber is talking about more than random everyday topics.
My frustration provokes a renewed jab of resolve. I can find someone who’ll talk about something useful. Iama powerful shadowkind too, aren’t I?
I stop in the middle of the camp and look around, letting my predator instincts rise to the surface. Who here looks like a good target for a very specific sort of hunt?
My gaze snags on a few uniformed men who are jostling against each other with obvious enthusiasm as they load another truck. They have more energy to their movements than any of the other soldiers I’ve seen.
It could be they’re just excited about taking a day off or something like that, but it might also be that they’re gearing up for a new mission.
As I prowl through the shadows toward them, their voices become audible.
“How long do you think it’ll take before we get the go ahead?”
“I dunno. With something this big, it’s got to go all the way up the chain of command. Like, ten different people who all need to sign off. But why wouldn’t they? They have to let us.”
“Can you imagine? All of it up in smoke just like that. That’ll show them.”
Apprehension coils around my gut. I creep even closer.
One of the men glances toward the shrouded city. He shifts restlessly from one foot to the other. “Do you figure it’ll be enough to blow up that whole portal thing the monsters talk about? No more of the darkness coming through?”
Another guffaws. “Did you see how even the tank artillery tore through them? They won’t stand a chance against an actual bomb. Blow up the city, blow up all the freaks in it.”
A chill sweeps through every particle of my presence. They’re talking about—they’re really going to destroy the entire city?
A pang hits me from the other side of the truck. I leap over to find Peri there, watching like I was.
Worry ripples through her voice. “They can’t really think bombing the city will clean up the warped flood, can they? Even shooting at a few buildings made the murk spread.”
I swallow thickly. “I don’t think they know that.”
Shit, how bad could things get if the soldiers go through with this thoughtless plan?
Peri is obviously afraid of the same thing. “They might spread the messed-up shadows all over the country! We can’t let them do this.”
She dashes off without another word, only a sense of urgency that echoes right to my core.
“Peri!” I shoot after her, afraid as much for the woman I love as the horrible scenario we’ve uncovered.
My Glowbug can move fast when she wants to. She zips straight into Major Yin’s cabin without hesitation.
I hurtle after her, but she’s already taken physical form by the time I squeeze through the darkness around the doorframe.
“You can’t bomb the city!” she’s saying to the bewildered-looking major. “It won’t get rid of the shadows that are hurting everyone—it’ll spew them even farther, all over the place. You have to tell the colonel?—”
Before she can finish her desperate appeal, two soldiers barge into the cabin with their guns pointing at Peri. “What are you doing in here? Get away from the major,now!”
They look like they’re about to shoot whether she moves or not, but Peri hasn’t lost her usual stubbornness. She spins toward them. “I’m only trying?—”
