“No one knows for sure. Most likely to prove he could. To scare the Alpha Protectors. And it worked. They may have been overprotective before that incident, but they’re doubly so now.”
“I guess that’s reasonable. And Suzette doesn’t have any special powers?”
“No. Neither does Jezebel, Arion’s mate. Not that anyone is aware of yet anyway. Since Leah started having dreams, Arion and Brock are paying close attention to see if their mates suddenly exhibit a new trait.”
“It’s kind of scary,” Amber admitted.
“Yeah, but also powerful. We mostly know what the bears can do, and they aren’t able to block us from scent, sound, or clairvoyance, but we don’t know what the lions are up to.”
Amber cringed. “Lions… Mindboggling.”
“Right? I’m the only one who has been aware of one of them. I nearly died when I woke up in the middle of the night, smelling that cat circling our house. It took me a minute to figure out what it was. I knew it was feline, but it’s not like I’ve ever seen lions, tigers, panthers, or leopards. I’m not familiar with any of their scents.”
“But you haven’t scented one since then?”
“No. Just the once. Also probably a warning.”
Amber’s mind was racing as possibilities flooded her. She’d thought a lot about this in the last few hours. “If we assume the lions can mask their scent or even their speech, do you think they can also mask my ability to see them?”
“That’s the mystery. How could they? They’d have to become invisible to keep you from seeing them.”
“Or too far away. I don’t know how far my power extends.”
“You’ll learn fast. The only reason Isaac is in communication with Hayes and the elders is because he knows how important this is. If there’s even the slightest chance you can see something, we need to know. The safety of the Alpha Protectors, their mates, and everyone in the valley could depend on it.”
Amber rubbed her temples. “That’s a lot of pressure.”
Rylee grabbed her hand. “I know. Don’t look at it that way, though. All you can do is look around, figure out how far you can see, and try to make sense of it. It’s not your responsibility to save the world.”
“Do you feel like you have to sit outside and inhale all the time?” Amber asked.
Rylee shook her head. “At first I did. I felt like I needed to be diligent. What if someone snuck up on us while I wasn’t paying attention? But the stress was too overwhelming, and Daddy doesn’t allow me to focus on my gift all the time. In my case, we usually keep the windows open about an inch just so I can scenta change in the air, but it’s hard to block out what other people are eating. Isaac makes steaks a lot.” She scrunched up her nose and pinched it. “Gross.”
Amber giggled. “I love steaks!”
“Good thing your Daddy likes to grill them. Bleh. And I can sort of ignore the scents all around me, only focusing when I know a bear is close or sometimes it doesn’t have to be something or someone specific. Sometimes I scent evil or death or weird stuff that makes no sense to other people.”
“That’s so strange.”
“It’s better than Molly. She hearseverything. She has to wear earplugs to block it out. Her Daddy insulated a room for her and later her entire house so she wouldn’t lose her sanity. If she were standing outside right now with no earplugs, she would be hearing every word we say.”
“That’s even more pressure, then. At least my ability to see isn’t a constant annoyance. Not yet anyway.” Amber shuddered, wondering if there were aspects of her weird gift she didn’t know about. It was possible.
Rylee clasped her hand again. “But, here’s the thing. Most of the stress really rests on Khloe’s shoulders. None of the rest of us need to fret all the time because if something were going to happen, she would get a vision, then her Daddy could text everyone.”
“Oh.” That was encouraging. For the rest of them anyway.
Rylee nodded. “So, for example, if Thorn and Surge decided to come visit, Khloe would go into a little trance, picturing their intentions. Then her Daddy, Felix, would text the rest of the Alpha Protectors. I could step outside and follow their scent while Molly could listen to their conversation.”
“And now it would seem I’ll be able to watch them approach.”
“Exactly.”
“How much warning does Khloe get?”
Rylee shook her head. “None. She only sees people’s current intentions. It’s not like visions of the future or anything.”
“But Leah’s dreams…” Amber mumbled.
