Lucian cursed under his breath, and Sorin growled. “The only chance they’d have against that many foes would be if the djinn used his power.”
“Costin won’t allow the djinn to bring the mountain down, no matter what Fane ordered,” Peri said.
“And if Costin is dead?” Synica challenged. “Would my comrade do the unthinkable?”
Peri’s eyes narrowed on the elder. “Costin is not dead. We worked too hard to keep him alive in the past. If dimple boy dies, I will lose the precarious hold I have on my sanity.”
“Pretty sure it’s no longer precarious.” Elle smirked. “You lost it a long time ago.”
The mountain shuddered again, even harder this time. More rocks fell around them.
Fane looked back at Clarion. “I’m going to need your power, djinn. We’ve talked about bringing the mountain down. But what about holding it up? Can you push the mountain outward instead of imploding it?”
The djinn’s jaw clenched. “I can’t guarantee any of you will live through that, even if the mountain doesn’t come down on you. My power, well, think of it like cold fire, only worse.”
Curses filled the room. Decebel’s stomach twisted with fear and anger. He looked at Fane and could see the determination in his alpha’s eyes. The beta gave him a sharp nod, agreeing with the resignation that they had to try.
“Do it,” Fane ordered. He looked around the room. “Doing nothing is unacceptable.”
“Alpha—” Clarion began, but Fane slashed his hand through the air.
“Do it.”
Chapter 12
“Every scientist hopes to make a unique discovery at some point in their lifetime. They want to stand out among their peers and be acknowledged for their achievements. But most accept that it likely won’t happen. I am notmostscientists. Call me eccentric, arrogant, or foolish, but I can feel thereissomething different about me. I will discover something new, something remarkable, and it will change the world. Of this, I have no doubt.” ~Alice Douglas
“Should I be concerned about your mental stability?” Alice Douglas held her phone to her ear and paced back and forth in the laboratory where she worked on the most groundbreaking stem cell research in the world. “I realize, Dad, that you’ve probably been exposed to some horrendous things in your service to our country, but you’ve shown no signs of PTSD in the past.”
“Watch your tone, girl. You might be twenty-eight, but you’re still my child.”
She rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her. “Good luck trying to ground me.”
“I can get your funding pulled,” Colonel Douglas snapped.
She froze. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.” He sighed. She could hear the exhaustion in his voice. “You’re constantly going on about wanting to make a major discovery. Well, guess what? I’m handing you the opportunity on a silver platter.”
Alice frowned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You’re talking crazy, Colonel Douglas. Vampires? Werewolves? If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were taking some sort of hallucinogens. I wish you were here so I could check your pupils.”
“If you don’t believe me, then go. See for yourself.”
“And just put all my work on hold?”
“If you go, I’ll get you the funding you need for the next decade.”
Alice fisted her hand in the air and mouthed several profanities that her toe-the-line father would not appreciate. Luckily, he couldn’t read her lips through the phone. Douglas knew her weakness—everyresearcher’s weakness: funding. They were always in need of it. She growled. “Fine. But if this winds up being a waste of my time, I’m going to stick your ass in the worst nursing home I can find. I’ll never come visit, and I’ll only send you fruitcake for Christmas every year.”
“I hate fruitcake,” he scoffed. She found it funny that he didn’t care about the damn nursing home.
“In that case, I’ll send you one every week.”
“There’s already a plane waiting for you at the base. Be there at 1900 hours.”
She glanced at her watch and frowned. “That’s in forty-five minutes.”
“Good to see that your ivy league education actually taught you something practical instead of just how to look through a microscope. Better get a move on, Alice.”
