"I read the good ones," I lied. "Rowan. We have a situation."
"Legal?"
"Biological," I said. "The boys broke the seal. And Euan says the dam is about to burst."
"Ah," Rowan said. The rustle of papers stopped. "The heat."
"The big one," I confirmed. "I need to know if the house is secure. I need to know if we can go dark for three days."
"I just sued a network executive into oblivion, Zia," Rowan said, her voice sharp and pleased. "I can certainly clear a calendar. Get the boys to London. I'll have the supplies waiting."
"What supplies?"
"Everything in the Rider," she said. "Hydration. Nutrition. Soft fabrics. And... Zia?"
"Yeah?"
"You signed the partnership agreement," she said softly. "You signed the Next of Kin papers."
"I did."
"That means you don't have to negotiate for care anymore," she said. "It's your right. It's the law of the pack."
I looked at Euan. He was watching me, his hand resting on the mattress near my knee, waiting for a signal.
"Copy that," I whispered.
I hung up.
The bus door hissed open. The stampede of boots on the stairs announced the return of the retrievers.
Kit entered first, carrying a cardboard tray with four massive milkshakes and a bag of fries that smelled like grease and heaven. Alfie was behind him, holding a bouquet of cheap gas-station flowers, carnations and baby's breath, dyed impossible colors.
"They didn't have lilies," Alfie said, breathless, dumping the flowers on my lap. "And lilies are cliché anyway. These are... neon. Like you."
I looked at the wilted, bright-blue carnations. I looked at the milkshake Kit was putting a straw into. I looked at Euan, resetting the thermostat.
"London," I said to them. "We're going to London. Tonight."
"Bit of a drive," Kit noted, handing me the shake. "Why the rush?"
"Because," I said, taking a sip of the thick, chocolate cold. "Euan says I have about twenty-four hours before my biology decides to burn the house down. And I’d really prefer to be in a house that can take it."
Alfie froze. "The heat?"
"The real one, apparently," I said.
Kit’s eyes darkened. He looked at Euan. Euan nodded.
"Right," Alfie said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Siege mode."
"Siege mode," Kit agreed. He turned to the front. "Barry! Wheels up! London via the fast lane!"
The engine revved. The bus lurched forward, pulling away from the lights of the service station and merging into the dark artery of the motorway.
I huddled into the nest, surrounded by my pack, sipping a chocolate milkshake while my body prepared for war.
I wasn't invisible anymore. I wasn't ghosting the signal.
