“That’s not a word,” Zara muttered.
“What if I give you cotton candy?” Heather offered.
“You will be absolved of all offenses immediately,” Myanin said without a pause.
“Let’s at least try to pretend to focus.” Jacquelyn snapped her fingers at the wayward group.
“What’s the plan, Alpha?” Costin raised his eyebrows. His body looked as if it was wound so tight the slightest touch would make him snap. Sally leaned into his side and rested her head on his shoulder.
“My mate, Costin, Myanin, Gerick, Wadim, Kale, Drake, and Disir will accompany me to the Colorado mansion. Cyn, Thalion, Gwen, and Lilly, I would like you to go to Coldspring, Texas. The alpha there has contacted me. There’s been an increased amount of vampire activity. Jen’s family lives there, as does my former host family, when I was a foreign exchange student. I don’t know if they’re being targeted. Jeff has them under watch to keep them safe.”
“Are they killing the vampires on sight?” Cyn’s tone was flat, as usual.
Fane dipped his head. “Yes.”
“Thank you,”his mate said gently, a mere caress in his mind. When Fane had told Jacquelyn and Sally the news, they’d both handled it well. But they’d agreed not to tell Jennifer. She was too unpredictable, and they didn’t have time to go chasing after her if she did something rash.
“It’s a privilege to take care of you and those that you love. No thanks needed.”
Then he looked to his left. “Andora, how are things going with Thad and his power?”
The Sprite Queen sighed. “My power, even along with the power of our healers and seers, has not helped in the least. He’s gone to see the Knowing One.”
Disir sucked in a sharp breath. “Anuva,” he whispered.
Gwen’s eyes widened, though she said nothing.
“Damn, he is desperate.” Myanin flipped a knife from tip to hilt repeatedly.
“Or extremely brave,” Wadim offered.
“Okay, not cool.” Heather held up a hand. “You guys can’t just mutter these cryptic little remarks about something that sounds as cool as ‘The Knowing One’ and not explain. And don’t be stingy with your knowledge. Go.”
“Bossy little blind healer, isn’t she?” Myanin grinned, and Fane didn’t miss the mischief in it. “I like it.”
“The Knowing One,” Disir quickly went on, no doubt to keep Myanin and Heather from continuing their banter, “is the djinn who is the Keeper of Lost History.”
“If it’s lost, how can he keep it?”
Jacquelyn nodded. “Good question, Zara.”
Disir cleared his throat. “It is sort of an oxymoron. But what I mean is that it’s lost to everyone else, even our history keepers like Thad. And his knowledge is sacred. There’s a reason that knowledge has been lost. Nothing is by chance.”
Bethany’s brow raised in challenge. “It sounds like you’re saying the supernatural world has absolutely no rules that are set in stone because they shift with any little disturbance, correct?”
Jacquelyn pointed at the healer. “Exactly. Rules have been changing since I met Fane.”
“Like reading a book and suddenly the author throws some ‘new’ rule out there because they’ve written themselves into a corner,” Heather added.
Fane, and everyone else in the room, looked at the blind healer. The room was suddenly silent.
Heather threw her hands up in the air. Her hearing was probably just as good as that of the wolves, and she noticed the stillness immediately. “I listen to audiobooks, you dumb-butts.” Then she held up a hand and quickly added. “No offense, Alpha.”
“None taken,” Fane assured her.
“As riveting as Heather’s reading habits are, could we please get on to the part where we join Dillon and his pack and start killing things? I’ll settle for anything at this point. Annoying dogs, obnoxious neighbors, bunnies.” Myanin now had two knives out, tossing them end over end so skillfully they looked like an extension of her hands.
Sally shook her head. “Not bunnies. I draw the line at bunnies.”
