Elias’s face broke into a grin, his eyes filled with a vindictive fury. “I was thinking the same thing,” he growled. He gave me a knowing look that had a spark of admiration in it. “And I’m also guessing that you have some idea of how to do that?”
I gave my own grin. “I might.”
He spread his palms in aby all meansgesture, urging me to continue.
“I think we need to set a trap for him,” I said. “And I think I know how.”
He raised an eyebrow, interest and avarice glittering in his eyes as he leaned forward. I drummed my fingers on the table. I’d been thinking about this all night. A headache pounded between my eyes, but I forced it back.
“Everything I read about the sand wraith says that it feeds on despair,” I said. “And we know for a fact that it’s looking to expand its territory and destroy the oasis.”
“If there was any doubt about that, I think yesterday squashed it all,” Elias agreed with a low growl.
I bit my lip as I stared at the wood grain on the table, fidgeting either from nerves or too much coffee.
“If it really wants to destroy the oasis, what it needs is the underground spring.”
Elias’s eyes widened as understanding flickered across his face. I watched his expression as I explained my idea. His brow knitted together, lips pursing as I spoke, his expression intent but unreadable. I couldn’t tell if he thought I was insane. Part of me wouldn’t blame him. But he continued nodding.
His brow creased as I fell silent. I waited, letting him ponder the proposal, knowing it would take a bit to digest and already sensing his unease through our bond.
“I could see it working,” he admitted. “The problem is, it’s dangerous.”
“Trust me,” I replied, “I’m well-aware.” Even now, just thinking about it sent my stomach churning with unease. There were so many ways it could go wrong, especially since I stillwasn’t used to my powers. I didn’t want to put myself in the line of fire, or anyone else I cared about, for that matter. In truth, I was terrified of the whole thing.
I took a deep breath.
“If you have a better idea, then I’m all ears,” I said. “But right now, this is the only plan we’ve got. And I’d rather take a dangerous risk than see what happens if the sand wraith keeps attacking. We have to do something. So if that means putting myself in danger in the short term for long-term prosperity for the pack, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Elias let out a soft, annoyed growl. “I don’t like it,” he said.
“Neither do I,” I admitted. “There are a lot of ways this can go wrong. Trust me. But this is the best chance we’ve got right now.”
He exhaled, running his fingers through his hair as he glanced up at the ceiling. Eventually, his hand flopped down.
“All right,” he said. “In that case, let’s make sure the wraith doesn’t catch us off-guard again.”
Chapter 25 - Elias
“This feels risky,” Sam said.
“Believe me, I know,” I grumbled as my eyes swept the area for the hundredth time, as Sam and I had the exact same conversation for the hundredth time.
All around, more of my men waited, along with some of the healthier pack members who insisted on helping with the plan. From where we stood at the edge of the oasis, I could see people wandering around as they began repairs. The community as a whole had really banded together to fix what the wraith had destroyed.
Despite that, the despair and desperation that lingered amongst the crowd were almost palpable. Dozens of memorials dotted the square by the oasis, with flowers and trinkets and photos of the departed. People crouched in front of several of them, crying and mourning their loved ones. Seeing it made my blood boil. These people didn’t deserve this sort of pain. No one did.
My fists clenched as I bit back my growl. I was going to make this son of a bitch pay.
“What’s the latest word on the wraith?” I asked.
Letting out a puff of air, Sam ran his fingers through his hair. “Last sighting was yesterday out west, heading straight here. I doubt we’ll have to wait long.”
I nodded my agreement. Based on everything I had learned about the wraith so far, it would want to strike while the despair was freshest. We just had to wait.
As if on cue, a whirl of wind roared around us, drowning out the ambient sounds all around. Granules of sand thatstill speckled the ground from the wraith’s last attack began skittering, blown by the wind, creating a veil of sand that rose around us.
Cries of alarm began to rise, all of them entirely genuine. The wind grew stronger, more dust and sand swirling around with every second, whipping up into a tempest.
